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Growing up, I'm betting most of us read all or at least part of "The Diary of Anne Frank."
The book – an account kept by the teenaged Anne of the two years she and her family spent in hiding during the Nazi occupation of the Amsterdam, Netherlands – is an acclaimed account of World War II and is on many lists of the most important books of the 20th century.
It was translated from the original Dutch into more than five dozen languages and has been adapted into plays, radio dramas, documentaries, and a Hollywood movie.
The diary also points to one of the great unsolved mysteries of the era: Just who was it that betrayed Anne and seven other Jews who were hiding in the "secret annex" behind a hinged bookcase in an unassuming Amsterdam office building?
Or was the discovery and arrest of those eight people just bad luck?
Either way, the 1944 discovery was disastrous: All eight were arrested and taken to concentration camps, where all but one – Anne's father, Otto – would die before the camps were liberated.
Now, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent hopes to solve the 74-year-old mystery – helped by one of the most advanced technologies available today.
I'm talking about artificial intelligence (AI).
I wanted to share this story with you for one very good reason.
AI is one of those technologies whose complexity makes it a real challenge to "get your head around."
But it's also an incredibly powerful innovation – meaning it's a technology that you, as an investor, have to buy into.
And this saga – about as important and meaningful as you'll find – is also a tale that will help you understand just what AI actually is.
About the Author
Before he moved into the investment-research business in 2005, William (Bill) Patalon III spent 22 years as an award-winning financial reporter, columnist, and editor. Today he is the Executive Editor and Senior Research Analyst for Money Morning at Money Map Press. With his latest project, Private Briefing, Bill takes you "behind the scenes" of his established investment news website for a closer look at the action. Members get all the expert analysis and exclusive scoops he can't publish... and some of the most valuable picks that turn up in Bill's closed-door sessions with editors and experts.
Fabulous article!