Broadcast is a collective communication primitive in parallel programming to distribute programming instructions or data to nodes in a cluster. It is the reverse operation of reduction. The broadcast operation is widely used in parallel algorithms, such as matrix-vector multiplication, Gaussian elimination and shortest paths. The Message Passing Interface implements broadcast in MPI_Bcast. == Definition == A message M [ 1.. m ] {\displaystyle M[1..m]} of length m {\displaystyle m} should be distributed from one node to all other p − 1 {\displaystyle p-1} nodes. T byte {\displaystyle T_{\text{byte}}} is the time it takes to send one byte. T start {\displaystyle T_{\text{start}}} is the time it takes for a message to travel to another node, independent of its length. Therefore, the time to send a package from one node to another is t = s i z e × T byte + T start {\displaystyle t=\mathrm {size} \times T_{\text{byte}}+T_{\text{start}}} . p {\displaystyle p} is the number of nodes and the number of processors. == Binomial Tree Broadcast == With Binomial Tree Broadcast the whole message is sent at once. Each node that has already received the message sends it on further. This grows exponentially as each time step the amount of sending nodes is doubled. The algorithm is ideal for short messages but falls short with longer ones as during the time when the first transfer happens only one node is busy. Sending a message to all nodes takes log 2 ( p ) t {\displaystyle \log _{2}(p)t} time which results in a runtime of log 2 ( p ) ( m T byte + T start ) {\displaystyle \log _{2}(p)(mT_{\text{byte}}+T_{\text{start}})} == Linear Pipeline Broadcast == The message is split up into k {\displaystyle k} packages and sent piecewise from node n {\displaystyle n} to node n + 1 {\displaystyle n+1} . The time needed to distribute the first message piece is p t = m k T byte + T start {\textstyle pt={\frac {m}{k}}T_{\text{byte}}+T_{\text{start}}} whereby t {\displaystyle t} is the time needed to send a package from one processor to another. Sending a whole message takes ( p + k ) ( m T byte k + T start ) = ( p + k ) t = p t + k t {\displaystyle (p+k)\left({\frac {mT_{\text{byte}}}{k}}+T_{\text{start}}\right)=(p+k)t=pt+kt} . Optimal is to choose k = m ( p − 2 ) T byte T start {\displaystyle k={\sqrt {\frac {m(p-2)T_{\text{byte}}}{T_{\text{start}}}}}} resulting in a runtime of approximately m T byte + p T start + m p T start T byte {\displaystyle mT_{\text{byte}}+pT_{\text{start}}+{\sqrt {mpT_{\text{start}}T_{\text{byte}}}}} The run time is dependent on not only message length but also the number of processors that play roles. This approach shines when the length of the message is much larger than the amount of processors. == Pipelined Binary Tree Broadcast == This algorithm combines Binomial Tree Broadcast and Linear Pipeline Broadcast, which makes the algorithm work well for both short and long messages. The aim is to have as many nodes work as possible while maintaining the ability to send short messages quickly. A good approach is to use Fibonacci trees for splitting up the tree, which are a good choice as a message cannot be sent to both children at the same time. This results in a binary tree structure. We will assume in the following that communication is full-duplex. The Fibonacci tree structure has a depth of about d ≈ log Φ ( p ) {\displaystyle d\approx \log _{\Phi }(p)} whereby Φ = 1 + 5 2 {\displaystyle \Phi ={\frac {1+{\sqrt {5}}}{2}}} the golden ratio. The resulting runtime is ( m k T byte + T start ) ( d + 2 k − 2 ) {\textstyle ({\frac {m}{k}}T_{\text{byte}}+T_{\text{start}})(d+2k-2)} . Optimal is k = n ( d − 2 ) T byte 3 T start {\displaystyle k={\sqrt {\frac {n(d-2)T_{\text{byte}}}{3T_{\text{start}}}}}} . This results in a runtime of 2 m T byte + T start log Φ ( p ) + 2 m log Φ ( p ) T start T byte {\displaystyle 2mT_{\text{byte}}+T_{\text{start}}\log _{\Phi }(p)+{\sqrt {2m\log _{\Phi }(p)T_{\text{start}}T_{\text{byte}}}}} . == Two Tree Broadcast (23-Broadcast) == === Definition === This algorithm aims to improve on some disadvantages of tree structure models with pipelines. Normally in tree structure models with pipelines (see above methods), leaves receive just their data and cannot contribute to send and spread data. The algorithm concurrently uses two binary trees to communicate over. Those trees will be called tree A and B. Structurally in binary trees there are relatively more leave nodes than inner nodes. Basic Idea of this algorithm is to make a leaf node of tree A be an inner node of tree B. It has also the same technical function in opposite side from B to A tree. This means, two packets are sent and received by inner nodes and leaves in different steps. === Tree construction === The number of steps needed to construct two parallel-working binary trees is dependent on the amount of processors. Like with other structures one processor can is the root node who sends messages to two trees. It is not necessary to set a root node, because it is not hard to recognize that the direction of sending messages in binary tree is normally top to bottom. There is no limitation on the number of processors to build two binary trees. Let the height of the combined tree be h = ⌈log(p + 2)⌉. Tree A and B can have a height of h − 1 {\displaystyle h-1} . Especially, if the number of processors correspond to p = 2 h − 1 {\displaystyle p=2^{h}-1} , we can make both sides trees and a root node. To construct this model efficiently and easily with a fully built tree, we can use two methods called "Shifting" and "Mirroring" to get second tree. Let assume tree A is already modeled and tree B is supposed to be constructed based on tree A. We assume that we have p {\displaystyle p} processors ordered from 0 to p − 1 {\displaystyle p-1} . ==== Shifting ==== The "Shifting" method, first copies tree A and moves every node one position to the left to get tree B. The node, which will be located on -1, becomes a child of processor p − 2 {\displaystyle p-2} . ==== Mirroring ==== "Mirroring" is ideal for an even number of processors. With this method tree B can be more easily constructed by tree A, because there are no structural transformations in order to create the new tree. In addition, a symmetric process makes this approach simple. This method can also handle an odd number of processors, in this case, we can set processor p − 1 {\displaystyle p-1} as root node for both trees. For the remaining processors "Mirroring" can be used. === Coloring === We need to find a schedule in order to make sure that no processor has to send or receive two messages from two trees in a step. The edge, is a communication connection to connect two nodes, and can be labelled as either 0 or 1 to make sure that every processor can alternate between 0 and 1-labelled edges. The edges of A and B can be colored with two colors (0 and 1) such that no processor is connected to its parent nodes in A and B using edges of the same color- no processor is connected to its children nodes in A or B using edges of the same color. In every even step the edges with 0 are activated and edges with 1 are activated in every odd step. === Time complexity === In this case the number of packet k is divided in half for each tree. Both trees are working together the total number of packets k = k / 2 + k / 2 {\displaystyle k=k/2+k/2} (upper tree + bottom tree) In each binary tree sending a message to another nodes takes 2 i {\displaystyle 2i} steps until a processor has at least a packet in step i {\displaystyle i} . Therefore, we can calculate all steps as d := log 2 ( p + 1 ) ⇒ log 2 ( p + 1 ) ≈ log 2 ( p ) {\displaystyle d:=\log _{2}(p+1)\Rightarrow \log _{2}(p+1)\approx \log _{2}(p)} . The resulting run time is T ( m , p , k ) ≈ ( m k T byte + T start ) ( 2 d + k − 1 ) {\textstyle T(m,p,k)\approx ({\frac {m}{k}}T_{\text{byte}}+T_{\text{start}})(2d+k-1)} . (Optimal k = m ( 2 d − 1 ) T byte / T start {\textstyle k={\sqrt {{m(2d-1)T_{\text{byte}}}/{T_{\text{start}}}}}} ) This results in a run time of T ( m , p ) ≈ m T byte + T start ⋅ 2 log 2 ( p ) + m ⋅ 2 log 2 ( p ) T start T byte {\displaystyle T(m,p)\approx mT_{\text{byte}}+T_{\text{start}}\cdot 2\log _{2}(p)+{\sqrt {m\cdot 2\log _{2}(p)T_{\text{start}}T_{\text{byte}}}}} . == ESBT-Broadcasting (Edge-disjoint Spanning Binomial Trees) == In this section, another broadcasting algorithm with an underlying telephone communication model will be introduced. A Hypercube creates network system with p = 2 d ( d = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . ) {\displaystyle p=2^{d}(d=0,1,2,3,...)} . Every node is represented by binary 0 , 1 {\displaystyle {0,1}} depending on the number of dimensions. Fundamentally ESBT(Edge-disjoint Spanning Binomial Trees) is based on hypercube graphs, pipelining( m {\displaystyle m} messages are divided by k {\displaystyle k} packets) and binomial trees. The Processor 0 d {\displaystyle 0^{d}} cyclically spreads packets to roots of ESB
Standard test image
A standard test image is a digital image file used across different institutions to test image processing and image compression algorithms. By using the same standard test images, different labs are able to compare results, both visually and quantitatively. The images are in many cases chosen to represent natural or typical images that a class of processing techniques would need to deal with. Other test images are chosen because they present a range of challenges to image reconstruction algorithms, such as the reproduction of fine detail and textures, sharp transitions and edges, and uniform regions. == Historical origins == Test images as transmission system calibration material probably date back to the original Paris to Lyon pantelegraph link. Analogue fax equipment (and photographic equipment for the printing trade) were the largest user groups of the standardized image for calibration technology until the coming of television and digital image transmission systems. == Common test image resolutions == The standard resolution of the images is usually 512×512 or 720×576. Most of these images are available as TIFF files from the University of Southern California's Signal and Image Processing Institute. Kodak has released 768×512 images, available as PNGs, that was originally on Photo CD with higher resolution, that are widely used for comparing image compression techniques.
ARMA International
ARMA International (formerly the Association of Records Managers and Administrators) is an American not-for-profit professional association for information professionals – primarily information management (including records management) and information governance, and related industry practitioners and vendors. The association provides educational opportunities and publications covering aspects of information management broadly. == History == The Association was founded in 1955. In 1975, the Association of Records Executives and Administrators (AREA) and the American Records Management Association merged to form ARMA International. The headquarters for ARMA International is located in Overland Park, Kansas. == Operations == ARMA International services professionals in the United States, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Its members include records managers, attorneys, information technology professionals, consultants, and archivists involved in various aspects of managing records and information assets. ARMA hosts an annual conference with the goal of bringing together record and information management professionals from around the world – In 2023, ARMA hosted conferences in both the United States and Canada. Topics addressed in the 120+ educational sessions include advanced technology, creating information structure, ediscovery and information law, information management fundamentals, information project management, and reducing organizational information risk. The expo features exhibitors displaying records and information technologies, products, and services.
Traité de Documentation
Traité de documentation: le livre sur le livre, théorie et pratique is a landmark book by Belgian author Paul Otlet, first published in 1934. == Legacy == The book is considered a landmark in the history of information science, with concepts predicting the rise of the World Wide Web and search engines. In [Otlet's] most famous publication of 1934, Traité de Documentation, he wrote of a desk in the form of a wheel from which different projects (workspaces) could be switched as they rotated — foreshadowing the multiple desktops and tabs of contemporary computer interfaces. Inspired by the arrival of radio, phonograph, cinema, and television, Otlet also posited that there were as yet many “inventions to be discovered,” including the reading and annotation of remote documents and computer speech.
Lion algorithm
Lion algorithm (LA) is one among the bio-inspired (or) nature-inspired optimization algorithms (or) that are mainly based on meta-heuristic principles. It was first introduced by B. R. Rajakumar in 2012 in the name, Lion’s Algorithm. It was further extended in 2014 to solve the system identification problem. This version was referred as LA, which has been applied by many researchers for their optimization problems. == Inspiration from lion’s social behaviour == Lions form a social system called a "pride", which consists of 1–3 pair of lions. A pride of lions shares a common area known as territory in which a dominant lion is called as territorial lion. The territorial lion safeguards its territory from outside attackers, especially nomadic lions. This process is called territorial defense. It protects the cubs till they become sexually matured. The maturity period is about 2–4 years. The pride undergoes survival fights to protect its territory and the cubs from nomadic lions. Upon getting defeated by the nomadic lions, the dominating nomadic lion takes the role of territorial lion by killing or driving out the cubs of the pride. The lioness of the pride give birth to cubs though the new territorial lion. When the cubs of the pride mature and considered to be stronger than the territorial lion, they take over the pride. This process is called territorial take-over. If territorial take-over happens, either the old territorial lion, which is considered to be laggard, is driven out or it leaves the pride. The stronger lions and lioness form the new pride and give birth to their own cubs == Terminology == In the LA, the terms that are associated with lion’s social system are mapped to the terminology of optimization problems. Few of such notable terms are related here. Lion: A potential solution to be generated or determined as optimal (or) near-optimal solution of the problem. The lion can be a territorial lion and lioness, cubs and nomadic lions that represent the solution based on the processing steps of the LA. Territorial lion: The strongest solution of the pride that tends to meet the objective function. Nomadic lion: A random solution, sometimes termed as nomad, to facilitate the exploration principle Laggard lion: Poor solutions that are failed in the survival fight. Pride: A pool of potential solutions i.e. a lion, lioness and their cubs, that are potential solutions of the search problem. Fertility evaluation: A process of evaluating whether the territorial lion and lioness are able to provide potential solutions in the future generations i.e. It ensures that the lion or lioness converge at every generation. Survival fight: It is a greedy selection process, which is often carried out between the pride and nomadic lion. == Algorithm == The steps involved in LA are given below: Pride Generation: Generate X m a l e {\displaystyle X^{male}} , X f e m a l e {\displaystyle X^{female}} and X 1 n o m a d {\displaystyle X_{1}^{nomad}} Determine f ( X m a l e ) {\displaystyle f(X^{male})} , f ( X f e m a l e ) {\displaystyle f(X^{female})} , f ( X 1 n o m a d ) {\displaystyle f(X_{1}^{nomad})} Initialize f r e f {\displaystyle f^{ref}} as f ( X m a l e ) {\displaystyle f(X^{male})} and N g {\displaystyle N_{g}} as 0 Memorize X m a l e {\displaystyle X^{male}} and X f e m a l e {\displaystyle X^{female}} Apply Fertility evaluation Process Generation of cubpool by mating Gender clustering: Define X c u b m a l e {\displaystyle X_{cub}^{male}} and X c u b f e m a l e {\displaystyle X_{cub}^{female}} Initialize a g e c u b {\displaystyle age_{cub}} as zero Apply Cub growth function Territorial defense: If X m a l e {\displaystyle X^{male}} (or pride) fails in the survival fight i.e. X 1 n o m a d {\displaystyle X_{1}^{nomad}} defeats the pride, go to step 4, else continue Increase a g e c u b {\displaystyle age_{cub}} by 1 and check whether cub attains maturity i.e., if a g e c u b > a g e m a x {\displaystyle age_{cub}>age_{max}} , go to Step 9, else continue Territorial takeover: If X c u b m a l e {\displaystyle X_{cub}^{male}} and X c u b f e m a l e {\displaystyle X_{cub}^{female}} are found to be closer to optimal solution, update X m a l e {\displaystyle X^{male}} and X f e m a l e {\displaystyle X^{female}} Increment N g {\displaystyle N_{g}} by 1 Repeat from Step 5, if termination criterion is not violated, else return X m a l e {\displaystyle X^{male}} as the near-optimal solution == Variants == The LA has been further taken forward to adopt in different problem areas. According to the characteristics of the problem area, significant amendment has been done in the processes and the models used in the LA. Accordingly, diverse variants have been developed by the researchers. They can be broadly grouped as hybrid LAs and non-hybrid LAs. Hybrid LAs are the LAs that are amended by the principle of other meta-heuristics, whereas the Non-hybrid LAs take any scientific amendment inside its operation that are felt to be essential to attend the respective problem area. == Applications == LA is applied in diverse engineering applications that range from network security, text mining, image processing, electrical systems, data mining and many more. Few of the notable applications are discussed here. Networking applications: In WSN, LA is used to solve the cluster head selection problem by determining optimal cluster head. Route discovery problem in both the VANET and MANET are also addressed by the LA in the literature. It is also used to detect attacks in advanced networking scenarios such as Software-Defined Networks (SDN) Power Systems: LA has attended generation rescheduling problem in a deregulated environment, optimal localization and sizing of FACTS devices for power quality enhancement and load-frequency controlling problem Cloud computing: LA is used in optimal container-resource allocation problem in cloud environment and cloud security
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional bitmap that is integrated into a larger scene, most often in a 2D video game. Originally, the term sprite referred to fixed-sized objects composited together, by hardware, with a background. Use of the term has since become more general. Systems with hardware sprites include arcade video games of the 1970s and 1980s; game consoles including as the Atari VCS (1977), ColecoVision (1982), Famicom (1983), Genesis/Mega Drive (1988); and home computers such as the TI-99/4 (1979), Atari 8-bit computers (1979), Commodore 64 (1982), MSX (1983), Amiga (1985), and X68000 (1987). Hardware varies in the number of sprites supported, the size and colors of each sprite, and special effects such as scaling or reporting pixel-precise overlap. Hardware composition of sprites occurs as each scan line is prepared for the video output device, such as a cathode-ray tube, without involvement of the main CPU and without the need for a full-screen frame buffer. Sprites can be positioned or altered by setting attributes used during the hardware composition process. The number of sprites which can be displayed per scan line is often lower than the total number of sprites a system supports. For example, the Texas Instruments TMS9918 chip supports 32 sprites, but only four can appear on the same scan line. The CPUs in modern computers, video game consoles, and mobile devices are fast enough that bitmaps can be drawn into a frame buffer without special hardware assistance. Beyond that, GPUs can render vast numbers of scaled, rotated, anti-aliased, partially translucent, very high resolution images in parallel with the CPU. == Etymology == According to Karl Guttag, one of two engineers for the 1979 Texas Instruments TMS9918 video display processor, this use of the word sprite came from David Ackley, a manager at TI. It was also used by Danny Hillis at Texas Instruments in the late 1970s. The term was derived from the fact that sprites "float" on top of the background image without overwriting it, much like a ghost or mythological sprite. Some hardware manufacturers used different terms, especially before sprite became common: Player/Missile Graphics was a term used by Atari, Inc. for hardware sprites in the Atari 8-bit computers (1979) and Atari 5200 console (1982). The term reflects the use for both characters ("players") and smaller associated objects ("missiles") that share the same color. The earlier Atari Video Computer System and some Atari arcade games used player, missile, and ball. Stamp was used in some arcade hardware in the early 1980s, including Ms. Pac-Man. Movable Object Block, or MOB, was used in MOS Technology's graphics chip literature. Commodore, the main user of MOS chips and the owner of MOS for most of the chip maker's lifetime, instead used the term sprite for the Commodore 64. OBJs (short for objects) is used in the developer manuals for the NES, Super NES, and Game Boy. The region of video RAM used to store sprite attributes and coordinates is called OAM (Object Attribute Memory). This also applies to the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. == History == === Arcade video games === The use of sprites originated with arcade video games. Nolan Bushnell came up with the original concept when he developed the first arcade video game, Computer Space (1971). Technical limitations made it difficult to adapt the early mainframe game Spacewar! (1962), which performed an entire screen refresh for every little movement, so he came up with a solution to the problem: controlling each individual game element with a dedicated transistor. The rockets were essentially hardwired bitmaps that moved around the screen independently of the background, an important innovation for producing screen images more efficiently and providing the basis for sprite graphics. The earliest video games to represent player characters as human player sprites were arcade sports video games, beginning with Taito's TV Basketball, released in April 1974 and licensed to Midway Manufacturing for release in North America. Designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, he wanted to move beyond simple Pong-style rectangles to character graphics, by rearranging the rectangle shapes into objects that look like basketball players and basketball hoops. Ramtek released another sports video game in October 1974, Baseball, which similarly displayed human-like characters. The Namco Galaxian arcade system board, for the 1979 arcade game Galaxian, displays animated, multi-colored sprites over a scrolling background. It became the basis for Nintendo's Radar Scope and Donkey Kong arcade hardware and home consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System. According to Steve Golson from General Computer Corporation, the term "stamp" was used instead of "sprite" at the time. === Home systems === Signetics devised the first chips capable of generating sprite graphics (referred to as objects by Signetics) for home systems. The Signetics 2636 video processors were first used in the 1978 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System and later in the 1979 Elektor TV Games Computer. The Atari VCS, released in 1977, has a hardware sprite implementation where five graphical objects can be moved independently of the game playfield. The term sprite was not in use at the time. The VCS's sprites are called movable objects in the programming manual, further identified as two players, two missiles, and one ball. These each consist of a single row of pixels that are displayed on a scan line. To produce a two-dimensional shape, the sprite's single-row bitmap is altered by software from one scan line to the next. The 1979 Atari 400 and 800 home computers have similar, but more elaborate, circuitry capable of moving eight single-color objects per scan line: four 8-bit wide players and four 2-bit wide missiles. Each is the full height of the display—a long, thin strip. DMA from a table in memory automatically sets the graphics pattern registers for each scan line. Hardware registers control the horizontal position of each player and missile. Vertical motion is achieved by moving the bitmap data within a player or missile's strip. The feature was called player/missile graphics by Atari. Texas Instruments developed the TMS9918 chip with sprite support for its 1979 TI-99/4 home computer. An updated version is used in the 1981 TI-99/4A. === In 2.5D and 3D games === Sprites remained popular with the rise of 2.5D games (those which recreate a 3D game space from a 2D map) in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A technique called billboarding allows 2.5D games to keep onscreen sprites rotated toward the player view at all times. Some 2.5D games, such as 1993's Doom, allow the same entity to be represented by different sprites depending on its rotation relative to the viewer, furthering the illusion of 3D. Fully 3D games usually present world objects as 3D models, but sprites are supported in some 3D game engines, such as GoldSrc and Unreal, and may be billboarded or locked to fixed orientations. Sprites remain useful for small details, particle effects, and other applications where the lack of a third dimension is not a major detriment. == Systems with hardware sprites == These are base hardware specs and do not include additional programming techniques, such as using raster interrupts to repurpose sprites mid-frame.
Artificial intelligence in marketing
Artificial intelligence marketing (AI marketing) is a form of marketing that uses artificial intelligence concepts and models such as machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision to achieve marketing goals. The main difference between AI marketing and traditional forms of marketing reside in the reasoning, which is performed through a computer algorithm rather than a human. Each form of marketing has a different technique to the core of the marketing theory. Traditional marketing directly focuses on the needs of consumers; meanwhile some believe the shift AI may cause will lead marketing agencies to manage consumer needs instead. AI is used in various digital marketing spaces, such as content marketing, email marketing, online advertisement (in combination with machine learning), social media marketing, affiliate marketing, and beyond. == Historical development == AI in marketing has a long history, which goes all the way back to the 1980s. At this time, AI research was focusing on expert systems and robotics. Despite the initial research and the studies that were carried out, AI adoption remained limited. Research on it came to a stop for a while, until research was revived two decades later with the advancement in technology, the rise of big data, and a significant increase in computational power. Eventually, AI became very popular in the marketing world, and caught the eyes of many researchers as well as professionals. A large‐scale bibliometric study covering 1,580 peer‑reviewed papers published between 1982 and 2020 confirms that scholarly output on AI in marketing has surged since 2017, with Expert Systems with Applications emerging as the most prolific outlet. Prior to the application of artificial Intelligence in marketing, there was something called "collaborative filtering". This was used as early as 1998 by Amazon, and one of the first ways companies predicted consumer behavior, which enabled millions of recommendations to different customers. Personalized recommender systems are now widely used, for example to suggest music on Spotify, or TV shows on Netflix. A big milestone in AI marketing happened in 2014, when programmatic ad buying gained much greater popularity. Marketing consists of numerous manual tasks such as researching target markets, insertion orders, and managing high budgets as well as prices. In order to cut costs, and remove the need for these tedious tasks, many companies started to automate the marketing process with AI. In 2015, Google introduced RankBrain, a machine learning component of its search algorithm designed to interpret the intent behind user queries. RankBrain was followed by further AI-based search updates, including BERT in 2019, which improved the understanding of conversational queries, and the Multitask Unified Model (MUM) in 2021, which is multimodal and processes information across 75 languages. These advances shifted search engine optimization practice away from keyword matching toward content that satisfies user intent. Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in marketing to personalize user experiences and automate decision-making. For example, Netflix uses AI algorithms to recommend content based on viewing history, while Sephora employs chatbots to assist customers with product selection and availability. Programmatic advertising platforms like Google Ads leverage machine learning to optimize bidding strategies and target audiences more effectively. These applications demonstrate how AI enhances efficiency, engagement, and conversion rates across digital channels. === Artificial neural networks === An artificial neural network is a form of computer program modeled on the brain and nervous system of humans. Neural networks are composed of a series of interconnected processing neurons that function in unison to achieve certain outcomes. Using “human-like trial and error learning methods neural networks detect patterns existing within a data set ignoring data that is not significant while emphasizing the data which is most influential”. From a marketing perspective, neural networks are a form of software tool used to assist in decision making. Neural networks are effective in gathering and extracting information from large data sources and have the ability to identify cause and effect within tha data. These neural nets through the process of learning, identify relationships and connections between databases. Once knowledge has been accumulated, neural networks can be relied on to provide generalizations and can apply past knowledge and learning to a variety of situations. Neural networks help fulfill the role of marketing companies through effectively aiding in market segmentation and measurement of performance while reducing costs and improving accuracy. Due to their learning ability, flexibility, adaption, and knowledge discovery, neural networks offer many advantages over traditional models. Neural networks can be used to assist in pattern classification, forecasting and marketing analysis. == Tools and uses == Classification of customers can be facilitated through the neural network approach allowing companies to make informed marketing decisions. An example of this was employed by Spiegel Inc., a firm dealing in direct-mail operations that used neural networks to improve efficiencies. Using software developed by NeuralWare Inc., Spiegel identified the demographics of customers who had made a single purchase and those customers who had made repeat purchases. Neural networks where then able to identify the key patterns and consequently identify the customers that were most likely to repeat purchase. Understanding this information allowed Spiegel to streamline marketing efforts, and reduced costs. Sales forecasting “is the process of estimating future events with the goal of providing benchmarks for monitoring actual performance and reducing uncertainty". Artificial intelligence techniques have emerged to facilitate the process of forecasting through increasing accuracy in the areas of demand for products, distribution, employee turnover, performance measurement, and inventory control. An example of forecasting using neural networks is the Airline Marketing Assistant/Tactician; an application developed by BehabHeuristics which allows for the forecasting of passenger demand and consequent seat allocation through neural networks. This system has been used by National air Canada and USAir. Neural networks provide a useful alternative to traditional statistical models due to their reliability, time-saving characteristics and ability to recognize patterns from incomplete or noisy data. Examples of marketing analysis systems includes the Target Marketing System developed by Churchull Systems for Veratex Corporation. This support system scans a market database to identify dormant customers allowing management to make decisions regarding which key customers to target. When performing marketing analysis, neural networks can assist in the gathering and processing of information ranging from consumer demographics and credit history to the purchase patterns of consumers. Predictive analytics is a form of analytics involving the use of historical data and artificial intelligence algorithms to predict future trends and outcomes. It serves as a tool for anticipating and understanding user behavior based on patterns found in data. Predictive analytics uses artificial intelligence machine learning algorithms to recognize and predict patterns within data. Machine learning algorithms analyze the data, recognize patterns, and make predictions through continuous learning and adaptation. Predictive analytics is widely used across businesses and industries as a way to identify opportunities, avoid risks, and anticipate customer needs based on information derived from the analysis of user data. By analyzing historical customer data, artificial intelligence algorithms can deliver relevant and targeted marketing content. Recent systematic reviews show that generative large‑language models such as GPT‑3 and GPT‑4 are now routinely embedded in predictive‑analytics pipelines to mine unstructured market data and anticipate customer intent with greater precision. Personalization engines use artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide content or advertisements that are relevant to the user. User data is gathered, which then gets processed with machine learning, and patterns and trends among the users are identified. Users with shared characteristics or behaviors are then segmented into groups, and the personalization engine adjusts content and advertisements to match each segment's preferences. By processing a large amount of data, personalization engines are able to match users to advertisements and recommendations that align with their interests or preferences. Field evidence from consumer‑goods and electronics firms indicates that AI‑driven personalization can raise