Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes (i) obtaining, by a computing system, structured data; (ii) generating, by the computing system using a natural language generator, a textual description of the structured data; (iii) transforming, by the computing system using a text-to-speech engine, the textual description of the structured data into synthesized speech; and (iv) generating, by the computing system using the synthesized speech, a synthetic video comprising the synthesized speech.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes (i) obtaining a set of user attributes for a user of a content-presentation device; (ii) based on the set of user attributes, obtaining structured data and determining a textual description of the structured data; (iii) transforming, using a text-to-speech engine, the textual description of the structured data into synthesized speech; and (iv) generating, using the synthesized speech and for display by the content-presentation device, a synthetic video of a targeted advertisement comprising the synthesized speech.

Abstract: A method and system for collecting context information in response to prediction of an emergency event. A cloud-based computing system could determine that an emergency event is predicted to impact a customer premises at an upcoming time. Responsive to that determination, and before the upcoming time, the cloud-based computing system could then cause or more on-premises computing devices at the customer premises to collect and report context information, such as a count of people present at the customer premises and/or an operational state of one or more utilities or other systems at the customer premises, that may assist in responding to the emergency event. Further, the cloud-based computing system could select a given such device at the customer premises to function as a coordinating device to work with one or more other devices at the customer premises to collect and report the context information.

Abstract: A method and a system for using crowdsourcing as a basis to predict and respond to emergency impact. An example method includes (i) a computing system receiving emergency-state reporting provided by multiple customer premises in a region, (ii) the computing system determining, based on the received emergency-state reporting provided by the multiple customer premises in the region, that a region-wide emergency situation exists in the region, and (iii) the computing system taking action, in response to the determining, based on the emergency-state reporting provided by the multiple customer premises in the region, that the region-wide emergency situation exists in the region.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes (i) receiving, from a content-distribution system, video comprising a watermark; (ii) extracting the watermark from the video; (iii) based on the extracted watermark, determining a content-creation attribute of the video that indicates a process by which the video was created, wherein the determining comprises using the watermark to select the content-creation attribute from among a set of two or more content-creation attributes comprising organically-generated video and synthetically-generated video; and (iv) in response to determining the content-creation attribute of the video, causing a content-presentation device to perform an action.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes (i) obtaining a first segment of video content; (ii) outputting for presentation, the obtained first segment; (iii) after outputting for presentation the obtained first segment, causing a user to be prompted for user-input data; (iv) receiving user-input data provided in response to the prompting; (v) using at least the received user-input data to synthetically generate a second segment of the video content, wherein the generated second segment is static, non-interactive content; and (vi) outputting for presentation, the generated second segment.

Abstract: A method and system for collecting context information in response to prediction of an emergency event. A cloud-based computing system could determine that an emergency event is predicted to impact a customer premises at an upcoming time. Responsive to that determination, and before the upcoming time, the cloud-based computing system could then cause or more on-premises computing devices at the customer premises to collect and report context information, such as a count of people present at the customer premises and/or an operational state of one or more utilities or other systems at the customer premises, that may assist in responding to the emergency event. Further, the cloud-based computing system could select a given such device at the customer premises to function as a coordinating device to work with one or more other devices at the customer premises to collect and report the context information.

Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes (i) obtaining a set of user attributes for a user of a content-presentation device; (ii) based on the set of user attributes, obtaining structured data and determining a textual description of the structured data; (iii) transforming, using a text-to-speech engine, the textual description of the structured data into synthesized speech; and (iv) generating, using the synthesized speech and for display by the content-presentation device, a synthetic video of a targeted advertisement comprising the synthesized speech.