11 July 2018 (Naxos, Greece) – Machine learning/machine intelligence is very popular right now and no better an example can be found than the response to Stanford University’s online machine learning course that had hundreds of thousands of people showing expressions of interest in the first year (2013) and over one million this year.
Also Google Trends says that specific searches for machine learning/machine intelligence are now out-pacing the searches for artificial intelligence. And machine learning is moving beyond the complex technical textbooks, with technical publishers like O’Reilly and Manning publishing books on machine learning for a lay technical audience. I recently received my media package for the Frankfurt Book Fair (with a 500-year-old history, it is acknowledged to be the world’s largest book fair, attracting a global audience of book publishing industry professionals and a total of more than a quarter of a million visitors each year) and I notes the number of vendors promoting books in the AI ecosystem have grown to 82 from a scant 17 just four years ago — almost all the books aimed for the lay technical audience.
Which brings me to David Lidsky, the deputy editor at Fast Company, who plows through gazillions of machine learning/AI apps. Last month at the “WIRED LIVE” event in London he showed off 10 apps that “make everyday tasks easier”:
1. WRITE BETTER EMAILS, BOOMERANG FOR GMAIL
What’s the likelihood that your email will receive a reply? This add-on will tell you, based on subject header, reading level, and length. It also helps schedule follow-up reminders.
Bonus features: Fifteen dollars a month adds further analysis, such as evaluating an email’s politeness and positivity before you hit send.
2. FOCUS YOUR MIND, BRAIN.FM
This desktop and mobile music app creates ambient sound to help users concentrate on a task, meditate, or sleep. Brain.fm modulates the rhythm and frequency of the AI-generated music based on cognitive research. Five free sessions.
Bonus features: Unlock unlimited and offline use for $6.95 a month or $49.99 a year.
3. CREATE KILLER PRESENTATIONS, BEAUTIFUL.AI
Users can overcome PowerPoint anxiety–and avoid slide-deck hell–with this free app, which offers more than 50 templates, including comparison charts. It also observes the rules of good design and adjusts slides as you add content.
Bonus features: Beautiful.AI offers a stock-image gallery that isn’t embarrassing.
4. TRACK TIME, TIMELY
It’s hard to bill hours manually and gauge how long it takes to complete a project. Timely follows the docs and apps you or your team work on and then presents its assessments for approval.
Bonus features: A solo account starts at $8 a month, for tracking three projects; a company-wide account is $250 annually.
5. POST BETTER PICTURES, LISA
Which picture of your avocado toast will get the most Instagram likes and attract more followers? Lisa chooses the best photo among ones you select to determine which will fare better.
Bonus features: After scrutinizing an image, Lisa generates hashtags that can be added to a post to further boost its potential to be seen.
6. SCHEDULE A MEETING, CLARA
Include “Clara,” a virtual executive administrator, on email correspondence when trying to set up a meeting and this AI-as-a-service (which starts at $99 a month) works with all parties to book it.
Bonus features: Clara’s dashboard lets users preset preferred meeting times, who calls whom, when to send a confirmation, and more.
7. FIND A JOB, GLOAT
Gloat looks at a user’s résumé or LinkedIn profile and offers tips for increasing job matches. Its machine-learning capability also suggests openings and adapts to feedback, narrowing results.
8. READ THE NEWS MORE CRITICALLY, CIVIKOWL
Add this Google Chrome browser extension and CivikOwl will scan news you’ve chosen to read, assessing the relative quality and political bias of articles and offering additional perspectives.
Bonus features: A CivikOwl icon will pop up on Facebook articles people share in your feed (from certain sources). CivikOwl for Twitter is due soon.
9. EAT SMARTER, FITGENIE
FitGenie lets users set health goals–such as weight loss or building lean muscle–and recommends meals (and how to make them), adjusting its suggestions to customers’ tastes.
Bonus features: You can try the food log, which reveals your fat, carb, and protein intake, before signing up for a $10-a-month subscription.
10. GET THROUGH CUSTOMS, BORDERWAIT.NET
This site uses machine learning to analyze historical data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection to predict how long it’ll take to get through customs at more than 40 U.S. airports.
Bonus features: Users can specify exact terminals, arrival date and time, and resident status to get a more accurate assessment.