Instagram has shared new details on how its app uses machine learning to surface content for users, stressing that, when making recommendations, it focuses on finding accounts it thinks people will enjoy, rather than individual posts. The blog post is technical in nature and contains no big surprises, but it offers an interesting behind-the-scenes perspective at a time when algorithmic recommendation systems are under scrutiny for pushing users toward dangerous, hateful, and extremist content. While Instagram has not been criticized with the same ferocity as YouTube (dubbed "the Great Radicalizer" by The New York Times), it certainly has its share of problems. Hateful content and misinformation thrive on the platform as much as any other social network, and certain mechanisms in the app (like its suggested follows feature) have been shown to push users toward extreme viewpoints for topics like anti-vaccination. In its blog post, though, Instagram's engineers explain the operation of the Explore tab while steering clear of thorny political issues. "This is the first time we're going into heavy detail on the foundational building blocks that help us provide personalized content at scale," Instagram software engineer Ivan Medvedev told The Vergeover email.

Fox News Headlines 24/7 Correspondent Carley Shimkus tells'America's Newsroom HQ' that Amazon developers are making Alexa more human-based on feedback from users Fox News Headlines 24/7 Correspondent Carley Shimkus told "America's News HQ" host Arthel Neville on Thursday that she didn't know if Amazon's new development that makes Alexa more emotional was "cool or creepy." The company announced Wednesday that the operating system received an initial skills upgrade, giving it a range of emotional responses. The new emotional responses use a technology referred to as Neural Text-to-Speech, which converts written text into synthesized speech and shifts in tempo, pitch and volume. On the "Alexa Skills Kit blog," the new capability could reportedly be used for tasks like mimicking a news anchor reporting headlines or a radio host offering new music. "Alexa is definitely becoming more human and can now sound either excited and happy or disappointed and sad depending on what you say," Shimkus explained.

While heating and cooling setups can vary a lot, most US homes rely on some sort of heating, ventilating and air conditioning system (HVAC) to help keep indoor temperatures in check. Your thermostat acts as the main point of access for this system, allowing you to determine when and at what temperature air is circulated. The thing is, today's thermostats are quite different than the typical models sold in stores just 10 years ago. That's where this buying guide comes in handy. We'll explore the changing thermostat market, so you can decide which model makes the most sense for your home.

Amazon just announced a new feature that it hopes will make us all more willing to invite Alexa into our everyday lives, and that is the ability to express certain emotions depending on specific interactions. Amazon is utilizing a Neural text-to-speech (NTTS) system that it claims is able to make the smart voice assistant's responses sound more natural than a pre-recorded audio snippet. There are six different emotions available to developers right now, including low, medium, and high variants of excited and disappointed responses. Amazon envisions these tones being used in Alexa games, as well as in response to requests for details about the news or scores from your favorite sports team. Here's a short example of one of Alexa's new emotional responses (high level disappointed):

Artificial intelligence (AI) is red-hot and for good reason. Coca-Cola is an example of a company that leverages AI to squeeze every drop of insight it can from the customer data it collects. Ever wonder how Cherry Sprite came about? Coca-Cola created Cherry Sprite as a new flavor after monitoring data collected from "smart" self-service soft drink fountains that allow customers to mix their own drinks. With more than 100 million Facebook fans and 35 million Twitter followers, Coca-Cola has used social media as another hugely important source for gathering customer insight.

RICHLAND, WA - Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are working on improving doctor-patient relationships through new technology. A team of scientists has been working on this for the past few years. The goal is not to replace a doctor, but to assist them in accurately diagnosing a patient based on their symptoms. Imagine walking into a doctor's office and using technology like Siri or Google Assistant to help determine a diagnosis based on your symptoms. That's how PNNL scientists envision future doctor-patient care. "We will have this conversational interface with a system that will help the doctor to collect all different data sources and provide information that will help the doctor have a more precise diagnostic," computer scientist Robert Rallo said.

Tinder claims to have made 30 billion matches to date, but many of those connections did not go beyond the digital world. A new analysis found that many users do not meet their potential mate in-person and the chances of finding someone interested in a long-term relationship are very slim. Researchers discovered that users need a very large number of matches in order to have just a few meetups - as only 50 percent of users met one match face-to-face. Tinder is a location-based mobile dating service app that presents users with pictures, name, age and other information of potential mates. Users swipe either left (not interested) or right (interested) on the screen, and provided both users swipe right they are matched and can begin messaging.

Fox News Flash top headlines for Nov. 27 are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com A Georgia man is accused of scamming a Virginia woman out of more than $6.5 million after wooing her into a romantic relationship through an online dating site. Nnamdi Marcellus MgBodile, 35, from Marietta, Georgia, was charged with 20 counts of bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, according to a Justice Department press release on Wednesday. MgBodile and others also allegedly tried to scam a company out of $350,000 using an email scheme, according to the DOJ.

Black Friday or Cyber Monday, take your pick; it's that time of year again. If you're in the market for a smartphone -- and it's statistically likely you are, given that 403.5 million handsets shipped last holiday season -- there's no better month to seek out promotions, discounts, and limited-time deals on new devices. Samsung is hosting a sale on Galaxy phones including the Galaxy S10e, S10, S10 Plus, and S10 5G, and OnePlus recently knocked $150 off the price of the OnePlus 7 Pro. Carriers like T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon are awarding up to $700 in trade-in credits, and as for retailers, there's the usual doorbusters. It's almost too much of a good thing -- particularly if you aren't committed to a brand, a model, or a manufacturer. Conventional wisdom would have you judge a device by its screen or perhaps its camera, but we took a different tack last year with our guide to the best phones for the AI enthusiast.

How are data and AI transforming transportation? While our growing dependencies on mobile phones stand to threaten road safety and increase rates of distracted driving, other technology innovations can work in safety's favor. Developments in 5G networks, autonomous vehicles, and artificial intelligence are poised to transform the way we drive and the safety of our roads. Today, road crews have to physically go on-site to inspect a problem and determine what next steps are required. But through new video and sensor data, road maintenance crews will receive alerts of life-threatening hazards faster than ever.