Daily Archives: April 7, 2017

Crain's Cleveland Business (blog)

The future is now: artificial intelligence in the workplace Crain's Cleveland Business (blog) ... to work in flying cars or teleport to our company's lunar outpost, a concept once thought to be outside the realm of possibility is now on the verge of transforming the modern workplace -- working side-by-side with robotics capable of artificial ...

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The future is now: artificial intelligence in the workplace - Crain's Cleveland Business (blog)

Sysomos rolled out a unified social media marketing and analytics platform yesterday that it says enables marketers to access all the paid, owned and earned data they need to create strategic campaigns, take action in real time and measure the actions through one interface. In effect, it unifies the range of tools Sysomos has developed or acquired over the years into one platform. Individual users, however, can focus on the aspects that matter most to them, whether its identifying trending topics, measuring impact or using the refined data to tell relevant stories.

The platform also incorporates artificial intelligence to uncover correlations, anomalies and associations by using machine learning to process trillions of data points every second, as a release puts it, and thats the aspect Im going to focus on.

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While viewing a couple of short previews of the new platform that Sysomos CEO Peter Heffring sent over last week, I was struck in particular by its ability to detect patterns not only in the words of a social campaign but also in posted images. It then delivers what Sysomos calls automated unguided insights that you can take a variety of actions on, from responding to a comment to sharing it, to referring an idea to your agency to generate a new campaign. And AI notices things that the human eye doesnt -- for instance, the way a bicycle in an influencers post about your automobile brand is catching a number of peoples attention.

There's recently been a lot of thought-provoking information -- to take the spin off what some might call disturbing info -- about where AI might lead us. Elon Musk is one of those most concerned, even as he develops his own company to implant electrodes that someday will upload and download thoughts in the human brain. Granted, much of the apprehension is on a far more advanced, or totally hypothetical, level than the relatively benign desire of marketers to harness every purchasing proclivity of every consumer.

Then theres the matter of bots gunning for your job. Rest assured that the AI in Sysomos new platform isnt.

The human element, I think, is absolutely still critical, says Erica Jenkins, Sysomos chief product officer. Based on all the permutations and different measurement points the platform mines, we can tell the human, Hey, if you are going to go and create new content, the best theme should be ; , these type of key words should be included; here's maybe a hashtag or some type of a trend that might -- right now, real time -- be something that you could harness.

Leave the collecting and sifting of all that data to the machines, in other words, and spend your time crafting stories that will resonate with your target. Indeed, during a presentation CEO Heffring made last month, he was careful to put AI in its place.

AI is a good path. Not necessarily the best path. But a good path, he told his staff in an address titled Farming and Harvesting Insights: How Marketing Must Evolve.

To wit: The third largest supercomputer in the world, the IBM Blue Gene, is able to process 500 trillion operations per second. Thats about as good as the brain of a mouse, which only has a few million neurons to work with. Humans brains have about 100 billion neurons, with information whipping around between them at the rate of 200 miles per hour.

In order to get to the processing level of your average copy writer, it would literally take city blocks of supercomputers, with one billion watts of power, with a nuclear power plant to power that, and a river would have to be diverted to cool the chips, Heffring told his employees.

Whats this all boil down to? Well, youve still got about 30 years before supercomputers catch up with your ability to take the data points gleaned and cleaned by machines intelligence and turn them into compelling, on-target stories.

Or, as Jenkins reinforced her point: There still is, absolutely, an emotional or human aspect to this. We're just trying to do the research to inform [marketers], so they don't have to spend the time doing that themselves.

Not only that, you can do it from your mobile device just before you go to sleep, or right after it wakes you up. Ah, the joys of being a 24/7 creative human marketer in the pre-AI Age!

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Taking Your Leads From Artificial Intelligence - MediaPost Communications

Adobe is developing tools to help you transform any ordinary selfie into a headshot-worthy portrait that looks like it was captured and edited by a professional.

Adobe is developing new artificial intelligence-powered tools that may be able to turn your crappy selfies into flattering shots.

The software giant's research team posted a video on YouTube Thursday showing "what the future may hold for selfie photography." The tools aim to help you transform any ordinary selfie into a headshot-worthy portrait that looks like it was captured and edited by a professional.

Powered by Adobe's Sensei artificial intelligence technology, the new tools will let you adjust a selfie to make it appear as if it was taken from a different angle and distance. You can also apply "automatic portrait masking" to give your image a depth-of-field affect, blurring the background while keeping your mug sharp in the foreground (similar to Portrait Mode on the iPhone 7 Plus).

Another cool feature: Adobe's technology will help you replicate the style of another portrait photo. If you see another portrait you like perhaps a black-and-white shot, or one with moody coloring you'll be able to apply those attributes to your own photo.

Today, "great portrait photography requires the right perspective, equipment, and editing expertise," Adobe wrote in the video's description. In the future, thanks to Adobe's artificial intelligence and deep learning technology, you may be able to create a professional-looking portrait right from your smartphone.

Adobe didn't reveal any other details about the tools or say when they might be integrated into its smartphone apps.

In the meantime, Microsoft is using computer vision technology to produce more pleasing selfies. The Microsoft Selfie app for iOS and Android "intelligently considers age, gender, skin tone, lighting and many other variables" to help you "transform average photos into enhanced, ideal portraits in seconds," according to the app's description.

Angela has been a PCMag reporter since January 2012. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a reporter for SC Magazine, covering everything related to hackers and computer security. Angela has also written for The Northern Valley Suburbanite in New Jersey, The Dominion Post in West Virginia, and the Uniontown-Herald Standard in Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of West Virginia University's Perely Isaac Reed School of Journalism. More

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Adobe Using Artificial Intelligence to Improve Your Selfies - PC Magazine

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04/07/2017 03:09 pm ET | Updated 4 hours ago

What is your stance on AI research given Canada's privileged position in the field? originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.

Answer by Justin Trudeau, 23rd Prime Minister of Canada, on Quora:

Ive been personally fascinated by AI ever since high school when I read books like Roger Penroses Emperors New Mind and Douglas Hofstadters The Minds I. So its really exciting for me to be able to encourage Canadian leadership in the field today.

You see, strong public support for research programs and world class expertise at Canadian universities has helped propel Canada to a position as leader in artificial intelligence and deep learning research and use. Canadian talent and ideas are in high demand around the worldbut activity needs to remain in Canada to harness the benefits from artificial intelligence.

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What Canada is Doing to Retain Its Lead in Artificial Intelligence - Huffington Post

When we complain, feel lonely or are going through a hard time, its often said that all we really need is someone to listen to us, not try to fix things for us. Something like I hear what youre saying or I support you 100 percent will often work wonders, despite how robotic the supportive listener might feel the offering to be.

Well, then, what if an actual robot were offering this kind of emotional support? Could it be as effective as a human listener?

According to an Israeli research study completed last year, the answer is yes.

Study participants were asked to tell a personal story to a small desktop robot. Half the participants spoke to a robot that was unresponsive, while the other half spoke to a robot who responded with supportive comments and common gestures of understanding and sympathy, like nodding and turning to look the participant in the eye. Researchers found that people can develop attachments to responsive robots, and they have the same feelings and response behaviors they would have had if the listener had been human.

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technology is creating all kinds of possibilities, and raising all kinds of questions, too. However, researchers are discovering that this new technology could most help most those who understand it the least: older adults.

Technologies like Siri and Alexa already exist that can help provide a natural language interface to online resources and that dont require keyboard skills or computer literacy, said Richard Adler, a distinguished research fellow at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, California, and a nationally recognized expert on the relationship between technology and aging. As this kind of technology becomes more powerful, it will become easier to use and more helpful.

In other words, Mom and Dad can interact with technology the same way they would with family and friends.

There are also interesting experiments underway to use AI for predictive monitoring that can do things like detect changes in gait that could signal a greater risk of falling, Adler said.

At Standford University, theres a special Artificial Intelligence Assisted Care Research Program in which researchers are developing AI technology that can monitor seniors in their homes using multiple sensors to detect lifestyle patterns, physical movements, vital signs even emotions and then use that data to accurately access the seniors health, safety and well-being.

Indeed, while AI technology is being developed that can help older adults directly, much of the research is being focused on providing support for caregivers, doctors and other health other care professionals. At the Stanford program, they are even working on an AI-powered ICU hospital unit that can monitor patients.

I see AI helping doctors make better diagnoses, managing patients remotely and helping to coordinate caregiving teams that could include both doctors and family members, Alder said.

And while AI like this is being developed to provide practical assistance, it is also being developed to provide human-like companion support as well, which can help reduce the isolation that often comes with living alone with limited mobility.

Thats the theory behind ElliQ (which takes its cue from the aforementioned Israeli research study), a new device thats being called an autonomous active-aging companion, and which is currently being tested with older adults in San Francisco. ElliQ, which looks more like a friendly extension lamp than a humanoid robot, can speak and respond with a combination of movements, sounds and light displays to convey shyness, assertiveness, and even sympathy and understanding.

For example, ElliQ might prompt you to take a walk if its a nice day outside, either with a gentle reminder or something more forceful, depending on what its learned about its owner. Some family photos might arrive on the tablet screen beside the robot, and ElliQ might tilt its little abstract head and say what a beautiful family you have. ElliQ also can provide reminders about taking medications, upcoming doctors appointments and caregiving schedules with a human touch.

If all this sounds like scary, Brave New World-type stuff, well, it is.

While Alder said there are many benefits to using AI technology, like better connecting older adults with caregivers, family members and health professionals, and reducing senior isolation, he has a few warnings.

I worry that AI and other media will be used to provide pseudo-social interactions rather than actual human interactions, he said, adding that theres also a danger in taking agency and privacy away from older adults in the name of better, more intrusive monitoring by others. My hope is that AI can be used to facilitate and orchestrate more and better human-to-human interactions. But the jury is still out on which way well go.

David McNair handles publicity, marketing, media relations and social media efforts for the Jefferson Area Board for Aging.

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Generation Us: Artificial intelligence may help combat isolation - The Daily Progress

As the Masters Tournament kicks off on Thursday, nearly 100 golfers are vying to win the coveted green jacket. Collectively, they'll perform more than 20,000 drives, chips, and putts over the course of the weekend. So which ones will you, the viewer sitting at home or at work or watching on your phone, get to see?

That's what IBM's Watson is here to determine. Beginning this year, the artificial intelligence system will help the Masters quickly decide which highlights to push out to fans. Watson will use a variety of factors to assign every single shot an "excitement level" score to determine which replays to roll out to viewers.

According to Golf.com, the A.I. system measures how exciting a particular shot is based on the sound of the crowd's roar, the commentator's analysis, and the players' reactions. A chip that announcer Jim Nantz calls "nice" will get less of a bump than one he refers to as "outstanding," for example, and a golfer's polite wave to the crowd will be measured differently than an ecstatic fist pump.

Those factors then feed into an algorithm, which produces an "Overall Excitement Level" rating. The editorial team at Augusta National then uses those ratings to post the best highlights soon after they happen, so a viewer can catch up on the biggest moments he or she has missed that day or throughout the tournament.

The system is currently being used on Masters.com and the tournament's iPhone app. The plan is to eventually give fans more control, letting them filter the videos to show only highlights of their favorite golfers.

It's the latest application for Watson, the system that first gained fame for handily beating Ken Jennings at Jeopardy in 2011. Watson is used to recommend treatments for patients at some medical facilities, including the Cleveland Clinic and New York's Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. And starting this year, H&R Block is using Watson's A.I. to help with client tax preparation.

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Why Artificial Intelligence Will Play a Big Role at This Year's Masters ... - Inc.com

Far from the typical startup and tech venues, historic St. James Cathedral Centre in Toronto proved a wonderful setting for TD Banks AI Innovation Day. Why? Ironically, because it promoted a different way of thinking.

I know what youre thinking, and no, the event was not hosted in the nave of the church, but in the historic mansion-cum-conference centre building behind it.

Hearing the term AI might conjure up mental images of robots taking over humanity or perhaps that questionable Jude Law movie, but the Summit brought a different tune to the conversation: the power of humans and machines working together for the greater benefit of the human.

As a few speakers even suggested, artificial intelligence actually makes business more human.

The opening keynote, delivered by Nicolas Chapados of Element AI, looked at the history and uses of AI, deep learning, and machine learning. He described how these technologies are fundamentally changing business processes. Far from being fearful, though, Chapados comes with a message of hope, one echoed by Rizwan Khalfan, chief digital officer of TD Bank.

The past 10 years we thought of business as mobile-first, but now we are moving into business that very well could be AI-first, Khalfan said following the talks.

The trend of AI creating more human benefit starts with backend processes. Chapados gave the example of the trucking industry, a long-standing example of the massive displacement potential from AI. Instead of being fearful of lost jobs, Chapados encouraged the audience to not only look for gaps in the technology that can be filled by humans, but to rejoice in how AI technology can remove mundane or monotonous tasks from your plate.

AI has the ability to get large trucks moving just fine on highways without a driver, Chapados explained. But where the technology is severely lacking is getting self-driving transport trucks through city roads, turning corners, or navigating through tighter spaces. This is where humans come in.

He reasoned that drivers traditionally away from their families for weeks or months at a time, driving one truck across the continent and back could now go into a local control centre for their shift and guide multiple trucks in remote areas around the world. This not only offers more comfort and stability for the drivers, but can also nearly double asset (truck) utilization, says Chapados.

This sentiment was echoed both by Terry Hickey of IBM and the AI Expert Panel, all of whom talked about the positive employee and customer effects of integrating AI into your backend processes. Hickey talked about AI improving data security. The panel discussed how deep learning, at its core, is a repeatable model that will make humans more effective at their jobs as machines bring up insights and data in a couple of hours that humans could not process in a lifetime.

The AI expert panel conversation, featuring Cameron Shuler of the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (AMII); Sunil Rawat, co-founder and CEO of Omniscience; and SriSatish Ambati, co-founder and CEO of H2O.ai, dove into the framework required for companies to be active in the AI space and how to bring a cultural shift into the organization.

Moderator Marc Chalifoux, VP of FinTech innovation at TD Bank US, kicked off the panel by asking what framework a large company (or anyone new to AI) might need in order to properly understand AI and its applications. Overwhelmingly, the panel talked about the need to frame AI as a business solutions provider.

Are you going to get more revenues, more profit, higher profit margins, or better customer experiences? asked Shuler, half-ironically.

Break down your operations into micro-services, chimed in Ambati. and parse out the manual, routine, or boring tasks. Its likely that AI can take over portions of that so humans can do more.

This is often where the fear of displacement starts to set in for people on the other side of the coin those currently working in jobs at risk of automation. I pressed Khalfan for his thoughts on this, and his response was opportunity-focused.

Just like how many folks thought theyd lose their jobs from the mobile revolution, people fear that with AI. However, the reality is that there are so many other opportunities that become available because of AI.

But how do you take the employees from fearful to empowered? Give them opportunities to try new things a sentiment brought up by Ambati, and echoed by Khalfan later in our conversation.

Khalfan brought up the AI Day itself as one example; it was planned by junior people at the bank who wanted to learn more about the impact of AI in their world.

A culture of experimentation, as Ambati puts it, supported from the top-down, as Khalfan would later add, enabled those employees to bring their fears and concerns to the table and have an honest discussion about them.

This all leads to better outcomes for customers, as employees can now become the experts on new technologies and can share those insights with the outside world.

As companies grow, delivering on AI promises of great customer experiences at scale is a challenge. Luckily, two smart minds are on the case: Einstein and Watson.

Thanks to a partnership between IBMs Watson AI technology and Salesforces Einstein deep learning technology, engaging with community at scale has never been easier.

The best part? Its about technology making human lives better.

Hickey, during his keynote, talked about how Watson technology first came onto the scene when it famously beat Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings in 2011. From there, says Hickey, Watsons abilities have grown into something far less trivial healthcare.

Watson now does image processing, analyzes millions of data points, and offers a diagnosis to doctors. Beyond stating the diagnosis, however, Watson also cites the articles that led to the conclusion and offers other resources that the doctor may want to look at, explained Hickey.

In some trials, says Hickey, Watson even proved more accurate than doctors when it comes to diagnoses. However, this doesnt mean that Watson will be taking over that infamous website we all look at when we have the sniffles. Hickey remained adamant that Watson and AI in general should empower people to do their jobs better, not replace people with technology.

The partnership with Salesforce is no different. Hickey showed a video clip of Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announcing the partnership, and his excitement was not for how much more sales Watson and Einstein will bring the company. Benioff was excited because this partnership meant Salesforce could better serve customers whenever they need help.

Benioff was particularly excited about the weather.

Salesforce is used by many insurance companies. With Watsons integration into the Einstein platform, Benioff gave the example that Salesforce can automatically let customers know to park their car in the garage when a nasty hail storm is coming, reducing the risk of vehicle damage and insurance claims. Insurance companies are happy because they pay out less. Customers enjoy undamaged cars and have the added benefit of feeling cared for by their insurance companies.

Einstein and Watson keep on plugging, none the wiser to the human impact they are making. But Benioff and IBM CEO Ginni Rometty know all too well that the technology they built is making a positive impact for their customers and their customers customers.

As the talks drew to a close, the panel turned to a much-talked about but often-misunderstood topic: the monetization of data.

Data is a horizontal play, said Ambati during the panel. The most effective uses of your data and the best opportunities to monetize dont come from your own industry.

Ambati continued by giving an example of airlines. They [airlines] can estimate and chart population growth in a city better than anyone, he started, but the most impactful uses of that data come from other industries [such as urban city planning]. Data cannot be in a silo.

This opens up a lot of questions about the balance of user privacy versus finding the most impactful ways to use data, but the panel was not concerned, with Rawat stating that convenience will trump total privacy, and customers will push it forward.

AI might be less complex than it seems in some areas and more complex in others, but the robots are coming, as Hickey mentioned in his talk, and we would do well to not be afraid of them theyre here to help.

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TD Artificial Intelligence Innovation Day shows how AI can make business more human - BetaKit