In recent years, content recommendation systems in large websites (or \emph{content providers}) capture an increased focus. While the type of content varies, e.g.\ movies, articles, music, advertisements, etc., the high level problem remains the same. Based on knowledge obtained so far on the user, recommend the most desired content. In this paper we present a method to handle the well known user-cold-start problem in recommendation systems. In this scenario, a recommendation system encounters a new user and the objective is to present items as relevant as possible with the hope of keeping the user's session as long as possible. We formulate an optimization problem aimed to maximize the length of this initial session, as this is believed to be the key to have the user come back and perhaps register to the system. In particular, our model captures the fact that a single round with low quality recommendation is likely to terminate the session. In such a case, we do not proceed to the next round as the user leaves the system, possibly never to seen again. We denote this phenomenon a \emph{One-Shot Session}. Our optimization problem is formulated as an MDP where the action space is of a combinatorial nature as we recommend in each round, multiple items. This huge action space presents a computational challenge making the straightforward solution intractable. We analyze the structure of the MDP to prove monotone and submodular like properties that allow a computationally efficient solution via a method denoted by \emph{Greedy Value Iteration} (G-VI).

Pretty much every cinematic portrayal of artificial intelligence has been less than encouraging. HAL 9000 kills the crew members on the Discovery in 2001: A Space Odyssey, making us all a little bit afraid of handing the reins over to computers. Sonny kills his creator in I, Robot, increasing worldwide scepticism about the integration of humans and their smart robots. Even real life AI has given us pause. For example, when an IBM computer defeated Russian chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov in the 1990s, it was definitely a cause for concern.

Many people think that the healthcare sector will greatly benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, describes this revolution as "a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres." Many of the discussions around technology and healthcare have, in broad terms, focused on the internet of things, telemedicine, personalized medicine, and robotics. But how exactly are these technologies going to be transformative? As the Chair of the Global Agenda Council on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, I've been part of many discussions on the impacts of these technologies, both good and bad.

Some time in earlyFacebook will be'better than humans' in a DECADE, Mark Zuckerberg claims. Read more ... » 2016, Siddhartha Pahwa thought it would be "disruptive" if he could make a softwareAutomation of the creative: Are the bots coming for our creative and marketing departments?. Read more ... » that will allow users to book a cab on WhatsApp. That would give Pahwa's Meru Cabs a technologicalMan and machine, human and bot. Read more ... » edge over other cab aggregators such as Uber and Ola, but to his disappointment WhatsApp did not allow automatedAutomation of the creative: Are the bots coming for our creative and marketing departments?.

Recently, we have seen artificial intelligence triumph over humans in Jeopardy and chess. And there is a growing presence of virtual assistants like Alexa, Cortana, and Siri that populate our computers, phones, and homes. It's only a matter of time before A.I.-powered assistants play a significant role in the workplace, experts say. In fact, the global intelligent virtual assistant market is forecast to be worth 5.1 billion by 2022, up from - 600 million in 2014, according to Transparency Market Research. What are the potential benefits and challenges of giving smart virtual assistants a home in the enterprise?

It's your nighttime routine: You drop your phone onto the nightstand charging pad, and it asks about your day. You tell it, talking to the virtual personal assistant just like you'd talk to a friend. Your phone's artificial intelligence knows you almost as well as you know yourself (maybe even better). So when it suggests ways to get through tomorrow's calendar, you trust its advice. AI is practically everywhere, and getting smarter all the time.

Since the advent of Siri, personal digital assistants have been an exciting thing. We later saw Google Now and then came Microsoft's Cortana. While digital assistants can do a lot more there is another category, the bots. Many of us would have observed that replies to customers from telcos in social networks appear to be robotic in nature. According to our sources in the telecom industry, they aren't handled by bots yet.

I've just run my second briefing on intelligent assistance. Much happened in the few months between sessions. This time, the second half of the day was dominated with stories about bots and their use cases on messaging platforms. It also included the amazing things now possible via automated voice which Amazon's Alexa Challenge exemplifies. Meanwhile IBM's Watson continues its conquest of carbon life forms with the trashing of an extraordinarily talented Go grand master.

Artificial intelligence in Korea is currently prospering. The media is regularly reporting AI-enabled products such as smart advisors, personal robots, autonomous cars, and human-level intelligence machines. The IT industry is investing in deep learning and AI to maintain the global competitive edge in their services and products. The Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning (MSIP) has launched new funding programs in AI and cognitive science to implement the government’s newly adopted endeavor of building a “Creative Economy” and “Software Centric Society”. However, AI was not always flourishing as it is now. Similar to the history of AI worldwide, AI research and industry in Korea have faced both the ups and downs in its history.

Good news, Amazon fans: You can now order Amazon products using your Amazon Echo. VentureBeat reported Friday that the new voice-controlled ordering feature started rolling out to Echo users on Friday, and while there are some limitations, you can order from a large swath of the Amazon product catalog. According to the company, you can order digital music and various physical items from Amazon, as well as place items in your shopping cart or check your order status. Anyone Amazon user with a US mailing address and a 1-Click payment method set up can buy digital music, but ordering other products requires an Amazon Prime membership. Amazon Fresh, Prime Pantry, Prime Now and add-on items are also on the no-go list.