The Agency

Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodóvar says that he is withdrawing from his first English-language feature, "A Manual for Cleaning Women" produced by and starring Cate Blanchett. Almodóvar, 72, told entertainment news website Deadline Hollywood that he was unable to handle the commitment. "It has been a very painful decision for me," Almodóvar told Deadline Hollywood. "I have dreamt of working with Cate for such a long time. Dirty Films has been so generous with me this whole time and I was blinded by excitement, but unfortunately, I no longer feel able to fully realize this film."

Among the attributes credited for Apple's famous customer loyalty is a network of stores where curious or frustrated consumers can meet the company face-to-face. The 3D design software maker Autodesk is trying to achieve something similar online with a help service that allows people to interact with what sure looks like an actual human. The company says that next year it will introduce a new version of its Autodesk Virtual Agent (AVA) avatar, with an exceedingly lifelike face, voice, and set of "emotions" provided by a New Zealand AI and effects startup called Soul Machines. Born in February as a roughly sketched avatar on a chat interface, AVA's CGI makeover will turn her into a hyper-detailed, 3D-rendered character–what Soul Machines calls a digital human. The Autodesk deal is Soul Machines' first major gig, following a pilot project with the Australia National Disability Insurance Agency from February to September, 2016, and some proof-of-concept demos, like a recent one with Air New Zealand.