Yahoo! is now using real-time automated algorithms to select news stories on its famous front page, claiming a 25 to 30 per cent increase in click through rate - and millions of dollars in additional yearly revenue. In other words, Yahoo! is making more money than ever from shameless celebrity gossip. Senior research …

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Friday 11th July 2008 01:02 GMT Stephen Stagg

Deepak Agarwal $$$

I'd say that Deepak Agarwal's end of year bonus is safe for a few years then.

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Friday 11th July 2008 11:48 GMT Chris C

AI replacing NI

I seriously hope the industry can accurately get AI working in the not-too-distant future. With a growing lack of Natural Intelligence, the Artificial kind starts to look good. But I must say, I do find it amusing that Yahoo is turning to Artificial Intelligence to reign in users lacking in Natural Intelligence.

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Friday 11th July 2008 11:48 GMT JC

If only I could see it

I mean see the look on Bill Gates face when he has to be called back to MS to babysit Ballmer because he's throwing chairs again at the news that Yahoo is now picking up steam after rejecting him.

What would you say if you were Bill? "C'mon Steve, settle down and have a banana or we'll have to tranquilize you again." ?

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Friday 11th July 2008 11:48 GMT JoePritchard

AI my arse

Gotta agree with John McCarthy.

As well as dumbing down our expectations for the present, we've now started dumbing down our aspirations for the future.

Paris...because at this rate she'll be smarter than HAL and Skynet put together.

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Friday 11th July 2008 11:48 GMT Parax

AI is missleading - its just too dumb.

So for each article; divide click rate by screen area to determine click density, give highest click density article biggest billing.

can i have £5Gazzillion now?

Wheres the Dollars Icon?

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Friday 11th July 2008 11:48 GMT Anonymous Coward

25-30% increase?

But are they sure this system is really that great, and it's not just that the old system was so poor? The only way to truely test it is to allow a team of chimpanzees to select the "featured" news stories for several months and compare new and old figures with those.

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Friday 11th July 2008 11:48 GMT AC

I bet ...

this has got Microsoft salivating

"MOAR CASH MONIES !!! MUST! BUY! YAHOO!"

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Friday 11th July 2008 11:48 GMT Eddie Edwards

John McCarthy?!

The inventor of LISP was there? 'Nuff respect! He must be *old* by now ...

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Friday 11th July 2008 11:48 GMT DZ-Jay

Practical AI

>> "Over the past 50 years, we've lowered the bar for what we consider AI," Stephan Nusser[.]

Of course, AI now means "automatic product placement", which to me seems suspiciously more and more like Artificial Stupidity.

-dZ.

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Friday 11th July 2008 11:48 GMT Antony C. Roberts

Cokeheads! slip! AI! onto! Yahoo! front! page!

Surely that should read "Cokeheads! slip! AI! onto! Yahoo! front! page!". Standards must be upheld - we must be diligent!

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Friday 11th July 2008 12:44 GMT Anonymous Coward

hmm

I keep reading that as cockheads

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Friday 11th July 2008 13:38 GMT Anonymous Coward

A job for amanfrommars!

He/she/it would make a great job of choosing the best stories and could add intelligent editorial comment as well

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Friday 11th July 2008 15:08 GMT hans

@amanfrommars!

He usually comments just after me, so we shall see.....

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Tuesday 15th July 2008 19:40 GMT rick buck

yahoo changes

Yes, I noticed a change in the layout today.While I liked Yahoo's layout before, I resent them changing (without notification) it to suit them, not me.

I AM THE CLICKER!

And the automatic placement of "what everyone else likes", has never worked for me or my buying/viewing habits. The only thing worse than being barraged by ads for feminine products or having my news pre-selected for me (is Brittany really news?), is mICROsOFT in charge of Yahoo.

PS: Mr Icann, please sell your yahoo stock, and buy ms, since you love it so much.

Keep your mICROsOFT out of my Yahoo.

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