fbpx
Connect with us

Artificial Intelligence

That’s Funny – but AI Models Don’t Get the Joke

Published

on

Newswise — ITHACA, N.Y. — Large neural networks, a form of artificial intelligence, can generate thousands of jokes along the lines of “Why did the chicken cross the road?” But do they understand why they’re funny?

Using hundreds of entries from the New Yorker magazine’s Cartoon Caption Contest as a testbed, researchers challenged AI models and humans with three tasks: matching a joke to a cartoon; identifying a winning caption; and explaining why a winning caption is funny.

In all tasks, humans performed demonstrably better than machines, even as AI advances such as ChatGPT have closed the performance gap. So are machines beginning to “understand” humor? In short, they’re making some progress, but aren’t quite there yet.

“The way people challenge AI models for understanding is to build tests for them – multiple choice tests or other evaluations with an accuracy score,” said Jack Hessel, Ph.D. ’20, research scientist at the Allen Institute for AI (AI2). “And if a model eventually surpasses whatever humans get at this test, you think, ‘OK, does this mean it truly understands?’ It’s a defensible position to say that no machine can truly `understand’ because understanding is a human thing. But, whether the machine understands or not, it’s still impressive how well they do on these tasks.”

Hessel is lead author of “Do Androids Laugh at Electric Sheep? Humor ‘Understanding’ Benchmarks from The New Yorker Caption Contest,” which won a best-paper award at the 61st annual meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics, held July 9-14 in Toronto.

Lillian Lee ’93, the Charles Roy Davis Professor in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, and Yejin Choi, Ph.D. ’10, professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington, and the senior director of common-sense intelligence research at AI2, are also co-authors on the paper.

For their study, the researchers compiled 14 years’ worth of New Yorker caption contests – more than 700 in all. Each contest included: a captionless cartoon; that week’s entries; the three finalists selected by New Yorker editors; and, for some contests, crowd quality estimates for each submission.  

For each contest, the researchers tested two kinds of AI – “from pixels” (computer vision) and “from description” (analysis of human summaries of cartoons) – for the three tasks.

“There are datasets of photos from Flickr with captions like, ‘This is my dog,’” Hessel said. “The interesting thing about the New Yorker case is that the relationships between the images and the captions are indirect, playful, and reference lots of real-world entities and norms. And so the task of ‘understanding’ the relationship between these things requires a bit more sophistication.”

In the experiment, matching required AI models to select the finalist caption for the given cartoon from among “distractors” that were finalists but for other contests; quality ranking required models to differentiate a finalist caption from a nonfinalist; and explanation required models to generate free text saying how a high-quality caption relates to the cartoon.

Hessel penned the majority of human-generated explanations himself, after crowdsourcing the task proved unsatisfactory. He generated 60-word explanations for more than 650 cartoons.

“A number like 650 doesn’t seem very big in a machine-learning context, where you often have thousands or millions of data points,” Hessel said, “until you start writing them out.”

This study revealed a significant gap between AI- and human-level “understanding” of why a cartoon is funny. The best AI performance in a multiple choice test of matching cartoon to caption was only 62% accuracy, far behind humans’ 94% in the same setting. And when it came to comparing human- vs. AI-generated explanations, humans’ were preferred roughly 2-to-1.

While AI might not be able to “understand” humor yet, the authors wrote, it could be a collaborative tool humorists could use to brainstorm ideas.

Other contributors include Ana Marasovic, assistant professor at the University of Utah School of Computing; Jena D. Hwang, research scientist at AI2; Jeff Da, research assistant at the University of Washington Rowan Zellers, researcher at OpenAI; and humorist Robert Mankoff, president of Cartoon Collections and long-time cartoon editor at the New Yorker.

The authors wrote this paper in the spirit of the subject matter, with playful comments and footnotes throughout.

“This three or four years of research wasn’t always super fun,” Lee said, “but something we try to do in our work, or at least in our writing, is to encourage more of a spirit of fun.”

This work was funded in part by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; AI2; and a Google Focused Research Award.

Source: Cornell University

Artificial Intelligence

AI Marketing Strategies On Generic AI Platforms Set To Hinder Success

Businesses overusing AI will find themselves disadvantaged when developing marketing strategies and marketing programs in 2024 says Robotic Marketer founder.

Published

on

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES /EINPresswire.com/ — As the business world stands on the precipice of 2024, marketing industry expert, Mellissah Smith, forecasts a seismic shift in the competitive landscape due to the overuse and misuse of generic AI in marketing.

The pivotal new year, marked by the emergence of a stark competitive gap caused by a one-size-fits-all approach provided by many AI platforms, heralds a call to action for businesses worldwide that are being led by over-use of AI for content and strategy without bespoke data analysis and benchmarking.


AI is a productivity tool. It’s a tool to do fast analysis. Without using AI tools that integrate with your tech stack, it is a one-size-fits all, and something not to be relied upon.”


— Mellissah Smith

“In the race to embrace AI, the market is inadvertently veering towards a divide that will separate the leaders from the laggards,” says Mellissah Smith, the founder behind Robotic Marketer, a world-first AI powered marketing strategy technology platform. “2024 will witness the dawn of an AI divide where businesses that recognize and act upon the need for personalized, data driven AI strategies will gain a distinct competitive edge. Those continuing down the path of generic AI solutions will find themselves outpaced and outmanoeuvred by companies that are using their available data and content personalization to connect with customers. This isn’t just a minor shift; it’s a critical juncture that will significantly impact the competitive landscape in 2024 and the years that follow.”


AI Marketing Strategy Company Founder, Mellissah Smith from Robotic Marketer

Mellissah Smith, with her three decades of marketing experience, states, “2024 isn’t just another year; it’s 12-months since Open AI’s ChatGPT changed the way everyday people thought about AI and only 6 months since many companies have realized that they can’t afford not to get on the bandwagon of AI. However, the overuse of generic AI has reached its zenith, and this has been largely due to people not knowing how AI is developed and how it will best suit their company needs. AI is now intricately woven into the fabric of each business’s unique narrative, so it’s time to create some maturity in its use.”

Smith addresses the critical shortfall in current AI applications: “The market is inundated with tools that offer a one-dimensional view, leading to strategies that are as broad as they are bland. Our commitment at Robotic Marketer is to transcend this norm and as a company that has been in the market since 2017, we have been able to create the labyrinth of machine learning. We’re introducing an AI that doesn’t just analyze but understands, interprets, and develops strategies with a level of precision and personalization previously unimagined.”

Robotic Marketer’s innovation sets a new precedent in both the marketing and consulting industries. “We’re not just creating another marketing tool; we’re creating a AI platform that becomes the heart of your marketing strategy. It’s about developing a dynamic, intuitive understanding of your business goals, market nuances and customer dynamics,” Smith states.

As businesses prepare to navigate the complexities of 2024, Smith underscores the imperative for a strategic renaissance. “The future is not about broad strokes but about the detail and depth that creates relevance.”

“The economy will dictate how many businesses navigate 2024, which requires for those companies most effected by a downturn to automate tasks where possible. Scaling marketing efforts is possible with AI, particularly if you have the right marketing strategy in place, but must come with personalization.”

About Robotic Marketer:
Founded by the visionary and “Innovator of the Year” recipient, Mellissah Smith, Robotic Marketer is at the vanguard of the next generation of AI-driven marketing strategy development. Committed to innovation, personalization, and strategic acumen, Robotic Marketer is empowering businesses worldwide to navigate the future of marketing with unparalleled precision and insight. Working with brands such as SAP, Oracle, Mitel and Atlassian through channel programs, and 1000’s of companies globally, the company has firmly established its position as the leading AI marketing strategy tool that develops, manages, executes and reports on marketing strategy performance. The platform integrates with social media, Google, competitor insights, GPT-4, and popular email marketing, CRM, marketing automation and advertising tools. The company is expanding globally through marketing agencies using the platform as a productivity tool with inbuilt benchmarking and industry best practice. www.roboticmarketer.com



Contact:
Mellissah Smith
Robotic Marketer
info@roboticmarketer.com
www.roboticmarketer.com


Visit on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Instagram
YouTube

AI marketing strategy technology platform Robotic Marketer

Source: Robotic Marketer

Continue Reading

Artificial Intelligence

Vymo’s ‘Rise of AI’ report highlights the the role of AI in transforming Insurance Distribution in 2023

Published

on

SINGAPORE /PRNewswire/ — Vymo, the Sales Engagement Platform of choice for global financial enterprises, has unveiled its latest report, ‘Rise of AI in 2023.’ This report summarizes the transformative impact of AI on the insurance industry, providing a profound understanding of how AI tools are reshaping the landscape.


Vymo’s ‘Rise of AI report highlights the the role of AI in transforming Insurance Distribution in 2023

The report, compiled after extensive conversations with insurance firms and financial services leaders, highlights the areas that are being disrupted through AI applications and the vast potential AI brings into Insurance distribution. For example, agent attrition is a significant challenge and AI may just have the key to understanding and preventing agent churn and hiring the right talent.

The report delves into the different areas AI will impact and strengthen insurance distribution in the years to come.

Speaking about this, Venkat Malladi, Co-Founder and CTO, Vymo, said, “AI has made an extensive and positive impact on almost every function of an insurance organization. From product development to claims processing, AI eliminates biases, improves transparency, and ensures precise risk assessment. This trend of AI transformation is only going to gain greater traction, and its footprint is going to be much bigger in the entire insurance industry landscape.”

The report’s focus on AI and insurance elucidates how AI tools contribute to insurance sales, distribution, and recruitment.

Further, Venkat MalladiCo-Founder and CTO, Vymo said, “The importance of user-friendly AI tools without extensive training requirements cannot be overstated. AI has become an integral part of several insurance processes, and it will be interesting to see how its influence grows.”

The report is engaging, insightful and provides key learnings on how insurance organizations should chart out their AI roadmap and the guardrails that they will need to put into place.

A relevant read for anyone who is interested in the growth of AI and the role it will play in building insurance organizations of the future.

The report goes through AI’s unique applications in Insurance Sales and Distribution, offering insights into how AI can personalize services, streamline recruitment, and optimize lead allocation processes. It emphasizes the imperative for insurers to adapt to AI to enhance decision-making, improve customer experiences, and drive growth.

The report can be accessed for free at https://www.vymo.com/riseofai2023

About Vymo

Vymo (www.vymo.com) is the Sales Engagement Platform of choice for 350,000 salespeople across 65+ Global Financial Institutions such as AIA, Berkshire Hathaway, Generali, AXA, Sunlife, and HDFC Bank. The platform drives productivity bottom-up through nudges and interventions across the customer lifecycle.

Gartner recognizes Vymo as a Representative Vendor in the Sales Engagement Market Guide.

Vymo has raised over $45M in funding from Sequoia Capital, Emergence Capital, and Bertelsmann India Investments and is also a winner of CB Insights’ Demo Day and Microsoft’s ‘AI for All’ awards.

Relevant Links

Download Rise of AI 2023: https://www.vymo.com/riseofai2023

Watch Vymo in Action: https://youtu.be/x-kxnDUAI84?si=-CGimxTiml0Hm3qS

Continue Reading

Artificial Intelligence

McDonald’s and Google Cloud Announce Strategic Partnership to Connect Latest Cloud Technology and Apply Generative AI Solutions Across its Restaurants Worldwide

Published

on

CHICAGO and SUNNYVALE, Calif. /PRNewswire/ — McDonald’s Corporation and Google today announced plans for a new multi-year, global partnership to connect Google Cloud technology across thousands of its restaurants worldwide. This partnership is a significant step for McDonald’s in advancing its restaurant technology platform to become the most sophisticated and productive in the industry. McDonald’s plans to leverage a wide range of Google Cloud’s hardware, data, and AI technologies to implement innovation faster and create even better experiences for its customers, restaurant teams, and employees.  

“We see tremendous opportunity for growth in our digital business and our partnership with Google Cloud allows us to capitalize on this by leveraging our size and scale to build capabilities and implement solutions at unmatched speeds,” said Brian Rice, McDonald’s Executive Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer. “Connecting our restaurants worldwide to millions of datapoints across our digital ecosystem means tools get sharper, models get smarter, restaurants become easier to operate, and most importantly, the overall experience for our customers and crew gets even better.” 

As part of this partnership, McDonald’s will roll out significant advancements to its restaurant and customer platforms – from its popular mobile app that serves as the gateway for its 150 million member-strong and quickly expanding loyalty program, to its thousands of self-service kiosks in restaurants worldwide. With a consistent approach, McDonald’s expects to deploy innovations with much greater speed and agility. McDonald’s will use edge computing from Google Cloud to power these new platforms, bringing information storage and high powered computing into individual restaurants. 

Google Distributed Cloud, a combined hardware and software offering, is planned to be deployed to thousands of McDonald’s restaurants so they can leverage both cloud-based software applications and their own software and AI solutions locally on-site, as needed. With Google Cloud edge computing capabilities, McDonald’s will be able to draw new insights into how equipment is performing, enact solutions that reduce business disruptions, and diminish complexity for crew so restaurant teams can focus on delivering amazing hospitality to customers. McDonald’s will be the largest global foodservice retailer to use Google Distributed Cloud’s new capabilities, with plans for thousands of restaurants to begin receiving their hardware and software upgrades next year.  

Through this new partnership, a dedicated Google Cloud team in Chicago will work in close proximity to McDonald’s global innovation center, known as Speedee Labs. Together, they’ll focus on applying generative AI across a number of key business priorities to power exciting new experiences for crew and customers, with McDonald’s unmatched convenience and value.  

“Through this wide-ranging partnership, Google Cloud will help McDonald’s seize on new opportunities to transform its business and customer experiences, empowering restaurants worldwide with the latest technologies for near-term impact,” said Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud’s Chief Executive Officer. “Pairing the iconic brand, size and scale of McDonald’s with Google Cloud’s deep history in AI and technology innovation will redefine how this industry works and what people expect when they dine out.” 

About Google Cloud 
Google Cloud accelerates every organization’s ability to digitally transform its business and industry. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology, and tools that help developers build more sustainably. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems. 

About McDonald’s 
McDonald’s is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer with over 40,000 locations in over 100 countries. Approximately 95% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business owners.

SOURCE Google Cloud

Continue Reading

Trending