ECML PKDD, the European Conference on Machine Learning Principles and Practice of Knowledge Discovery in Databases, is one of the leading academic conferences on machine learning and knowledge discovery, held in Europe every year. == History == ECML PKDD is a merger of two European conferences, European Conference on Machine Learning (ECML) and European Conference on Principles and Practice of Knowledge Discovery in Databases (PKDD). ECML and PKDD have been co-located since 2001; however, both ECML and PKDD retained their own identity until 2007. For example, the 2007 conference was known as "the 18th European Conference on Machine Learning (ECML) and the 11th European Conference on Principles and Practice of Knowledge Discovery in Databases (PKDD)", or in brief, "ECML/PKDD 2007", and both ECML and PKDD had their own conference proceedings. In 2008 the conferences were merged into one conference, and the division into traditional ECML topics and traditional PKDD topics was removed. The history of ECML dates back to 1986, when the European Working Session on Learning was first held. In 1993 the name of the conference was changed to European Conference on Machine Learning. PKDD was first organised in 1997. Originally PKDD stood for the European Symposium on Principles of Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery from Databases. The name European Conference on Principles and Practice of Knowledge Discovery in Databases was used since 1999. The conference remains highly competitive, consistently maintaining an average acceptance rate of around 25% for the main research track. == Upcoming conferences == == List of past conferences ==
Gapo
Gapo is a Vietnamese social networking service based in Hanoi, Vietnam. Users are able to create a personal profile and share text, photos and videos with others on the platform. Users can also use Gapo for live streaming, instant messaging, blogging, and online payments. Gapo was launched in July 2019 by Hà Trung Kiên and Duong Vi Khoa. == History == Gapo was founded in response to calls for Vietnam's Communist-led government to produce a domestic alternative to social media giants like Facebook and Google. Gapo officially launched on July 23, 2019 at an event in Hanoi. The company received 500 billion đồng (US$22 million) in funding from technology corporation G-Group to be utilized in the first phase of development. They also partnered with Sony Music Entertainment to provide music content to its services. == Features == Gapo features a news feed for posting content, livestreaming, instant messaging, and blogging. It also allows users to pay online and access public services. == Reception == Within two days of launch, Gapo received about 200,000 registrations. By September 2019, the user base increased to one million. Upon launch, Gapo experienced significant technical difficulties. Users complained about the inability to sign up for a new account and said that certain functions were not available for use at launch. This issue caused Gapo to temporarily suspend their services in order to perform upgrades and bug fixes. Gapo relaunched the next day, though many users reported that the access speed decreased. The mobile app also received mixed reviews from users in both the App Store and the Google Play Store, with an average rating of 3.1 and 3.5, respectively. Most users found the app to be a knockoff of Facebook, although some users praised the app for being locally developed. === Expert opinions on platform viability === Le Hong Hiep of the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute was doubtful that a Vietnamese-owned social network service could be as powerful as a foreign-based service, stating that Vietnam might not be able to develop a viable social media network to compete with the likes of Facebook or Google. Others, like blogger Ann Chi, said that, due to local players complying with local censorship policy, there is a chance that locals might not trust Gapo and other local services in light of possible surveillance. Regarding the targeted user base figure for the end of 2019 and 2021, experts cautioned that the company might need an additional trillion đồng of funding to reach its planned user base targets. In response, the company stated that Gapo was never meant to compete with Facebook, but instead noted that the main difference between Gapo and Facebook is that Gapo provides a personalized user experience through customization. == Censorship == Gapo has the right to censor posts and news that are deemed offensive and inaccurate by users or not approved by the censorship curators.
Ordered key–value store
An ordered key–value store (OKVS) is a type of data storage paradigm that can support multi-model databases. An OKVS is an ordered mapping of bytes to bytes. An OKVS will keep the key–value pairs sorted by the key lexicographic order. OKVS systems provides different set of features and performance trade-offs. Most of them are shipped as a library without network interfaces, in order to be embedded in another process. Most OKVS support ACID guarantees. Some OKVS are distributed databases. Ordered key–value stores found their way into many modern database systems including NewSQL database systems. == History == The origin of ordered key–value store stems from the work of Ken Thompson on dbm in 1979. Later in 1991, Berkeley DB was released that featured a B-Tree backend that allowed the keys to stay sorted. Berkeley DB was said to be very fast and made its way into various commercial product. It was included in Python standard library until 2.7. In 2009, Tokyo Cabinet was released that was superseded by Kyoto Cabinet that support both transaction and ordered keys. In 2011, LMDB was created to replace Berkeley DB in OpenLDAP. There is also Google's LevelDB that was forked by Facebook in 2012 as RocksDB. In 2014, WiredTiger, successor of Berkeley DB was acquired by MongoDB and is since 2019 the primary backend of MongoDB database. Other notable implementation of the OKVS paradigm are Sophia and SQLite3 LSM extension. Another notable use of OKVS paradigm is the multi-model database system called ArangoDB based on RocksDB. Some NewSQL databases are supported by ordered key–value stores. JanusGraph, a property graph database, has both a Berkeley DB backend and FoundationDB backend. == Key concepts == === Lexicographic encoding === There are algorithms that encode basic data types (boolean, string, number) and composition of those data types inside sorted containers (tuple, list, vector) that preserve their natural ordering. It is possible to work with an ordered key–value store without having to work directly with bytes. In FoundationDB, it is called the tuple layer. === Range query === Inside an OKVS, keys are ordered, and because of that it is possible to do range queries. A range query retrieves all keys between two specified keys, ensuring that the fetched keys are returned in a sorted order. === Subspaces === === Key composition === One can construct key spaces to build higher level abstractions. The idea is to construct keys, that takes advantage of the ordered nature of the top level key space. When taking advantage of the ordered nature of the key space, one can query ranges of keys that have particular pattern. === Denormalization === Denormalization, as in, repeating the same piece of data in multiple subspace is common practice. It allows to create secondary representation, also called indices, that will allow to speed up queries. == Higher level abstractions == The following abstraction or databases were built on top ordered key–value stores: Timeseries database, Record Database, also known as Row store databases, they behave similarly to what is dubbed RDBMS, Tuple Stores, also known as Triple Store or Quad Store but also Generic Tuple Store, Document database, that mimics MongoDB API, Full-text search Geographic Information Systems Property Graph Versioned Data Vector space database for Approximate Nearest Neighbor All those abstraction can co-exist with the same OKVS database and when ACID is supported, the operations happens with the guarantees offered by the transaction system. == Feature matrix == == Use-cases == OKVS are useful to implement two strategies: optimize a small feature e.g. to make a 10% improvement in read or write latency; the second strategy is to take advantage of the distributed nature of FoundationDB, and TiKV, for which there is no equivalent at very large scale in resilience. Both users need to re-implement the needed high level abstractions, because there are no portable ready-to-use libraries of high-level abstraction. There is still a complex balance, of complexity, maintainability, fine-tuning, and readily available features that makes it still a choice of experts. Sometime more specialized data-structures can be faster than a high-level abstraction on top of an OKVS. Another interest of OKVS paradigm stems from it simple, and versatile interface, that makes it an interesting target for experimental storage algorithms, and data structures.
AIVA
AIVA (Artificial Intelligence Virtual Artist) is an electronic composer recognized by the SACEM. == Description == Created in February 2016, AIVA specializes in classical and symphonic music composition. It became the world's first virtual composer to be recognized by a music society (SACEM). By reading a large collection of existing works of classical music (written by human composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart) AIVA is capable of detecting regularities in music and on this base composing on its own. The algorithm AIVA is based on deep learning and reinforcement learning architectures. Since January 2019, the company offers a commercial product, Music Engine, capable of generating short (up to 3 minutes) compositions in various styles (rock, pop, jazz, fantasy, shanty, tango, 20th century cinematic, modern cinematic, and Chinese). AIVA was presented at TED by Pierre Barreau. == Discography == AIVA is a published composer; its first studio album "Genesis" was released in November 2016. Second album "Among the Stars" in 2018. 2016 CD album « Genesis » Hv-Com – LEPM 048427. Track listing "Genesis": 2018 CD album « Among the Stars » Hv-Com – LEPM 048708 Avignon Symphonic Orchestra [ORAP] also performed Aiva's compositions [2] in April 2017.
Artificial intelligence industry in China
The roots of the development of artificial intelligence in the People's Republic of China started in the late 1970s following Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening up emphasizing science and technology as the country's primary productive force. The initial stages of China's AI development were slow and encountered significant challenges due to lack of resources and talent. At the beginning China was behind most Western countries in terms of AI development. A majority of the research was led by scientists who had received higher education abroad. Since 2006, the Chinese government has steadily developed a national agenda for artificial intelligence development and emerged as one of the leading nations in artificial intelligence research and development. In 2016, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) released its 13th Five-Year Plan in which it aimed to become a global AI leader by 2030. As of 2025, China is considered to be a world leader in AI technology along with the United States. The State Council has a list of "national AI teams" including fifteen China-based companies, including Baidu, Tencent, Alibaba, SenseTime, and iFlytek. Each company should lead the development of a designated specialized AI sector in China, such as facial recognition, software/hardware, and speech recognition. China's rapid AI development has significantly impacted Chinese society in many areas, including the socio-economic, military, intelligence, and political spheres. Agriculture, transportation, accommodation and food services, and manufacturing are the top industries that would be the most impacted by further AI deployment. The private sector, university laboratories, and the military are working collaboratively in many aspects as there are few current existing boundaries. In 2021, China published the Data Security Law of the People's Republic of China, its first national law addressing AI-related ethical concerns. In October 2022, the United States federal government announced a series of export controls and trade restrictions intended to restrict China's access to advanced computer chips for AI applications. In 2023, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued guidelines requiring that AI content upholds the ideology of the CCP including Core Socialist Values, avoids discrimination, respects intellectual property rights, and safeguards user data. In 2025, the Chinese government issued a document regarding training data, requiring companies to use as little as data deemed "unsafe" as possible, as well as requiring companies to test models regularly. Concerns have been raised about the effects of the Chinese government's censorship regime on the development of generative artificial intelligence and long-term talent acquisition with state of the country's demographics. Others have noted that official notions of AI safety require following the priorities of the CCP and are antithetical to standards in democratic societies and raised concerns about the extension of China's system of mass surveillance and censorship abroad. == History == The Chinese term for artificial intelligence (réngōngzhìnéng 人工智能) connotes "humanmade" intelligence. The term developed as mid-20th century localisation of the Japanese term jinko chino. The research and development of artificial intelligence in China started in the 1980s, with the announcement by Deng Xiaoping of the importance of science and technology for China's economic growth. === Late 1970s to early 2010s === Chinese artificial intelligence research and development began in late 1970s after Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening up. China's first national conference on AI occurred in 1979. Academic journals in the late 1970s began publishing literature reviews of Western research on AI topics. In the 1980s, a group of Chinese scientists launched AI research led by Qian Xuesen and Wu Wenjun. However, during the time, China's society still had a generally conservative view towards AI. In the early 1980s, Science Press published translated versions of Western textbooks such as Patrick Winston's Artificial Intelligence and Nils John Nilsson's Principles of Artificial Intelligence. In 1980, a journal of the Chinese Academy of Sciences convened its first annual National Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, which included national and international scholars like Herbert A. Simon. The Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence (CAAI) was founded in September 1981 and was authorized by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. CAAI has continued to be the largest AI association in China as of 2025. In 1982, CAAI began publishing the Artificial Intelligence Journal, which published early AI research by Chinese academics. In the 1980s, Chinese research on AI was influenced by the field of cybernetics, particularly the work of Norbert Weiner and his text Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine. Chinese researchers at the time sought to situate AI as part of a broader "Intelligence Science" field which would include disciplines like mathematics, computer science, cognitive science, social sciences, and philosophy. In 1987, Tsinghua University began a research publication on AI. Beginning in 1993, smart automation and intelligence have been part of China's national technology plan. Since the 2000s, the Chinese government has further expanded its research and development funds for AI and the number of government-sponsored research projects has dramatically increased. In 2006, China announced a policy priority for the development of artificial intelligence, which was included in the National Medium and Long Term Plan for the Development of Science and Technology (2006–2020), released by the State Council. In the same year, artificial intelligence was also mentioned in the 11th Five-Year Plan. In 2011, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) established a branch in Beijing, China. At same year, the Wu Wenjun Artificial Intelligence Science and Technology Award was founded in honor of Chinese mathematician Wu Wenjun, and it became the highest award for Chinese achievements in the field of artificial intelligence. The first award ceremony was held on May 14, 2012. In 2013, the International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI) was held in Beijing, marking the first time the conference was held in China. This event coincided with the Chinese government's announcement of the "Chinese Intelligence Year," a significant milestone in China's development of artificial intelligence. === Late 2010s to early 2020s === AI became a major issue of commercial, public, and political focus in China in the latter half of the 2010s. Various interpretations of the primary cause for this increased focus exist, with some analyses focusing on the 2016 Go match between Google's AlphaGo and Lee Sedol, others emphasising the U.S. increasing trade restrictions on China's technology industries and the desire to achieve national technological self-sufficiency. The State Council of China issued "A Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan" (State Council Document [2017] No. 35) on 20 July 2017. In the document, the CCP Central Committee and the State Council urged governing bodies in China to promote the development of artificial intelligence. Specifically, the plan described AI as a strategic technology that has become a "focus of international competition".:2 The document urged significant investment in a number of strategic areas related to AI and called for close cooperation between the state and private sectors. It set the goal of China becoming the preeminent country for AI research and application by 2030. During the general secretaryship of Xi Jinping, artificial intelligence has been a focus of the CCP's military-civil fusion efforts. On the occasion of Xi's speech at the first plenary meeting of the Central Military-Civil Fusion Development Committee (CMCFDC), scholars from the National Defense University wrote in the PLA Daily that the "transferability of social resources" between economic and military ends is an essential component to being a great power. During the Two Sessions 2017,"artificial intelligence plus" was proposed to be elevated to a strategic level. The same year witnessed the emergence of multiple application-level usages in the medical field according to reports. In 2018, Xinhua News Agency, in partnership with Tencent's subsidiary Sogou, launched its first artificial intelligence-generated news anchor. In 2018, the State Council budgeted $2.1 billion for an AI industrial park in Mentougou district. In order to achieve this the State Council stated the need for massive talent acquisition, theoretical and practical developments, as well as public and private investments. Some of the stated motivations that the State Council gave for pursuing its AI strategy include the potential of artificial intelligence for industrial transformation, better social
Report generator
A report generator is a computer program whose purpose is to take data from a source such as a database, XML stream or a spreadsheet, and use it to produce a document in a format which satisfies a particular human readership. Report generation functionality is almost always present in database systems, where the source of the data is the database itself. It can also be argued that report generation is part of the purpose of a spreadsheet. Standalone report generators may work with multiple data sources and export reports to different document formats. Information systems theory specifies that information delivered to a target human reader must be timely, accurate and relevant. Report generation software targets the final requirement by making sure that the information delivered is presented in the way most readily understood by the target reader. == History == An early report writer was part of NOMAD developed in the 1970s. The evolution of reporting software has a rich history dating back to the mid-20th century, driven by the increasing need for businesses to efficiently analyze and present data. Initially, manual extraction and tabulation were commonplace, but the advent of computers in the 1960s marked a transformative phase with the emergence of basic reporting tools. The 1980s saw the widespread adoption of database management systems, laying the groundwork for more sophisticated reporting capabilities. Notable dedicated reporting software, such as Crystal Reports and BusinessObjects, gained prominence in the 1990s amidst the growing demand for business intelligence. The 21st century witnessed a paradigm shift towards web-based reporting solutions and the rise of self-service BI tools, empowering users to create reports independently. Presently, reporting software continues to evolve with a focus on data visualization, integration of artificial intelligence, and the imperative for real-time analytics in decision-making.
Information pollution
Information pollution (also referred to as info pollution) is the contamination of an information supply with irrelevant, redundant, unsolicited, hampering, and low-value information. Examples include misinformation, disinformation, junk e-mail, and media violence. The spread of useless and undesirable information can have a detrimental effect on human activities. It is considered to be an adverse effect of the information revolution. == Overview == Information pollution generally applies to digital communication, such as e-mail, instant messaging (IM), and social media. The term acquired particular relevance in 2003 when web usability expert Jakob Nielsen published articles discussing the topic. As early as 1971 researchers were expressing doubts about the negative effects of having to recover "valuable nodules from a slurry of garbage in which it is a randomly dispersed minor component." People use information in order to make decisions and adapt to circumstances. Cognitive studies demonstrated human beings can process only limited information before the quality of their decisions begins to deteriorate. Information overload is a related concept that can also harm decision-making. It refers to an abundance of available information, without respect to its quality. Although technology is thought to have exacerbated the problem, it is not the only cause of information pollution. Anything that distracts attention from the essential facts required to perform a task or make a decision could be considered an information pollutant. Information pollution is seen as the digital equivalent of the environmental pollution generated by industrial processes. Some authors claim that information overload is a crisis of global proportions, on the same scale as threats faced by environmental destruction. Others have expressed the need for the development of an information management paradigm that parallels environmental management practices. == Manifestations == The manifestations of information pollution can be classified into two groups: those that provoke disruption, and those that damage information quality. Typical examples of disrupting information pollutants include unsolicited electronic messages (spam) and instant messages, particularly in the workplace. Mobile phones (ring tones and content) are disruptive in many contexts. Disrupting information pollution is not always technology based. A common example are newspapers, where subscribers read less than half or even none of the articles provided. Superfluous messages, such as unnecessary labels on a map, also distract. Alternatively, information may be polluted when its quality is reduced. This may be due to inaccurate or outdated information, but it also happens when information is badly presented. For example, when content is unfocused or unclear or when they appear in cluttered, wordy, or poorly organised documents it is difficult for the reader to understand. Laws and regulations undergo changes and revisions. Handbooks and other sources used for interpreting these laws can fall years behind the changes, which can cause the public to be misinformed. == Causes == === Cultural factors === Traditionally, information has been seen positively. People are accustomed to statements like "you cannot have too much information", "the more information the better", and "knowledge is power". The publishing and marketing industries have become used to printing many copies of books, magazines, and brochures regardless of customer demand, just in case they are needed. Democratised information sharing is an example of a new technology that has made it easier for information to reach everyone. Such technologies are perceived as a sign of progress and individual empowerment, as well as a positive step to bridge the digital divide. However, they also increase the volume of distracting information, making it more difficult to distinguish valuable information from noise. The continuous use of advertising in websites, technologies, newspapers, and everyday life is known as "cultural pollution". === Information technology === Technological advances of the 20th century and, in particular, the internet play a key role in the increase of information pollution. Blogs, social networks, personal websites, and mobile technology all contribute to increased "noise". The level of pollution may depend on the context. For example, e-mail is likely to cause more information pollution in a corporate setting, whereas mobile phones are likely to be particularly disruptive in a confined space shared by multiple people, such as a train carriage. == Effects == The effects of information pollution can be seen at multiple levels. === Individual === At a personal level, information pollution affects individuals' capacity to evaluate options and find adequate solutions. This can lead to information overload, anxiety, decision paralysis, and stress. It can disrupt the learning process. === Society === Some authors argue that information pollution and information overload can cause loss of perspective and moral values. This argument may explain the indifferent attitude that society shows toward topics such as scientific discoveries, health warnings, or politics. Pollution makes people less sensitive to headlines and more cynical toward new messages. === Business === Information pollution contributes to information overload and stress, which can disrupt the kinds information processing and decision-making needed to complete tasks at work. This leads to delayed or flawed decisions, which can translate into loss of productivity and revenue as well as an increased risk of critical errors. == Solutions == Proposed solutions include management techniques and refined technology. Technology-based alternatives include decision support systems and dashboards that enable prioritisation of information. Technologies that create frequent interruptions can be replaced with less-"polluting" options. Further, technology can improve the presentation quality, aiding understanding. E-mail usage policies and information integrity assurance strategies can help. Time management and stress management can be applied; these solutions would involve setting priorities and minimising interruptions. Improved writing and presentation practices can minimise information pollution effects on others. == Related terms == The term infollution or informatization pollution was coined by Dr. Paek-Jae Cho, former president & CEO of KTC (Korean Telecommunication Corp.), in a 2002 speech at the International Telecommunications Society (ITS) 14th biennial conference to describe any undesirable side effect brought about by information technology and its applications.