Artificial intelligence, or AI, has been applied in a wide range of fields to perform specific tasks, including education, finance, heavy industry, transportation, and so on.

There are a number of companies that create robots to teach subjects to children ranging from biology to computer science, though such tools have not become widespread yet. Advancements in natural language processing, combined with machine learning, have also enabled automatic grading of assignments. AI has also led to an explosion in popularity of MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, which allows students from around the world to take classes online.

Use of AI in banking can be tracked back to 1987. Banks use artificial intelligence systems to organize operations, maintain book-keeping, invest in stocks, and manage properties. Also, systems are being developed, like Atria, to translate complex data into simple and personable language. There are also wallets, like Wallet AI, which monitor an individual’s spending habits and provides ways to improve them.

Robots have become common in many industries and are often given jobs that are considered dangerous to humans. Robots have proven effective in jobs that are very repetitive which may lead to mistakes or accidents due to failure in concentration and other jobs which humans may find degrading.

Today’S cars can have AI-based driver assist features such as self-parking and advanced cruise controls. AI in transportation is expected to provide safe, efficient, and reliable transportation while minimizing the impact on the environment and communities.

Companies like Mattel have been creating AI-enabled toys for kids as young as age three. Using proprietary AI engines and speech recognition tools, they are able to understand conversations, give intelligent responses and learn quickly. AI has also been applied to video games, for example video game bots, which are designed to stand in as opponents where humans aren’t available or desired.

When 1 was a boy we used to live across the road from a big hill with huge oak trees growing out of it．When winter arrived，thick，heavy snow would fall，and my two brothers would grab their sleds heading over to the hill for a day of fun．I remember watching them with envy because 1 was still too small to go sledding．Finally，one winter 1 was considered big enough and joined my brothers as they carried their sleds up the long hill and prepared to ride down it．

The first few trips I rode with one of my brothers and had the time of my life．It was so exhilarating when the wind whipped across my face as I flew down the hillside on the wooden sled．Near the end of the day 1 was overjoyed too when my oldest brother decided to let me try riding the sled all by myself．I climbed on it full of excitement and lay on my stomach．Then with one big push my brother sent me down the snowy hillside．1 was doing pretty well too until I hit an old stump hidden by the snow and went off course，straight towards one of those big oak trees．My heart pounded in my chest and I could hear myself screaming．At the last possible second I rolled off and the sled crashed into the tree．I could hear my brothers running down the hill yelling，“You have to steer(操控)!You have to steer!”

The popular TV program Readers has prompted more people in China to practice reading aloud in booths (小间) set up in big cities across the country.

As the latest TV show to help people’s love for literature recover, the CCTV program Readers invites people from all walks of life to read aloud their favorite poems, essays and books, or even personal letters they wrote to their loved ones. Just as the weekly show has been well­received, its reading booths, equipped with professional recording devices and cameras, have become instant hits.

A crowd of more than 200 people were pictured lining up outside the Shanghai Library at 11 am on March 4—the first day of the booth’s opening to the public in Shanghai. The deadline for registrations was brought forward to 2 pm instead of the scheduled 5:30 pm, as the number of waiting readers continued to grow. Some waited more than nine hours for a tryout in the booth, according to library management.

“There is an old photo in the late 1970s capturing people lining up outside the Shanghai Library before it opens. If that was a spring of reading in Shanghai, now I think another spring has arrived again,” library manager Zhou Deming, told The Paper.

The reading booth is the only one of its kind in the city of economic center at the moment, but more are expected to be put into use in the coming months, according to the library’s website.

The program has also led to booths in other cities including Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Xi’an to appeal to more people to read and share their life stories.

With the recent boom of culture­themed TV shows such as Readers and Chinese Poetry Congress, some are optimistic that this will help the country love literature and reading again in general.

Following the crowd may not always be in a person’s best interest．But new research suggests that teens who go along with their friends may end up healthier as adults．

Scientists have known that close friendships help boost health．That’s true for both teens and adults．The finding inspired Joseph Allen，a psychologist at the University of Virginia，and his team to study whether experiences during teen years would influence adult health．

So they followed 171 teens，starting when the kids were just 13．They interviewed each one every year for five years，and also spoke to these teens’closest friends，who provided additional information about the quality of their friendships．The same 171 people were interviewed again at ages 25，26 and 27．This time，the questions surveyed each person’s overall health．When the researchers analyzed the data they found a strong connection between a teen’s behavior and adult health．Teens who had close friends grew up to be the healthier adults．Whether teens held back their feelings or expressed them to a close friends also influenced later health．Those who held back were more likely to be sick as adults．The connection held up even after the scientists accounted for other possible influences on health．Weight，family income and drug use were all examined．So were mental health issues，such as anxiety and depression．And in these people，such other factors did not explain adult health as well as teen friendships did．

Going along with the crowd may have benefits，says Allen，but there are also drawbacks．Teens who are more independent tend to do better at school and work．And peer pressure may lead some kids to engage in risky behavior，such as smoking，drinking or using drugs．Dealing with it is an ongoing challenge，Allen acknowledges．“Finding the right balance is the key．Teens shouldn’t lose heart for not finding this easy．”And，he adds，“Parents need to be understanding about the pressures teens face.”