The AI Times is a weekly newsletter covering the biggest AI, machine learning, big data, and automation news from around the globe. If you want to read A|I before anyone else, make sure to subscribe using the form at the bottom of this page.
Mindbridge.AI named BNN’s Top Disruptor (BETAKIT)
Targeted to financial auditors, governments, and not-for-profit organizations, the company raised $4.3 million in June with lofty ambitions of generating $100 million in revenue in four years.
Our stories – firing sucks(RBC)
The worst part of Jonathan Ehrlich’s career? Having to personally fire 150 employees.
Botler.AI’s new chatbot analyzed 300,000 court documents to help sexual harassment and assault survivors (BETAKIT)
According to the YWCA, there are 460,000 reported sexual assaults in Canada every year.
Google has released an AI tool that makes sense of your genome(TECHNOLOGYREVIEW)
DeepVariant was developed by researchers from the Google Brain team, a group that focuses on developing and applying AI techniques, and Verily, another Alphabet subsidiary that is focused on the life sciences.
Wandelbots wants to reinvent the way we program robots (TECHCRUNCH)
Its first product is a sensor-laden suit that a person can wear to demonstrate actions so that a robot can then replicate what they do. Basically, it’s a system through which robots can “learn” what they need to without requiring that the person “teaching” them be an experienced robotics programmer.
Salesforce report: Fifty-six percent of SMBs say they’re not ready for AI(BETAKIT)
According to the report, SMBs are depending on technology to fuel growth, but they are finding it difficult to purchase, implement, or scale it. The data suggests that leaders of these businesses don’t have the time or expertise to address long-term needs.
Inside Baidu’s Bid to Lead the AI Revolution(WIRED)
Like America’s Big Five, Baidu has substantial computing brawn, a suite of AI-powered services called Baidu Brain, and a fast-improving voice assistant platform called DuerOS.
IBM’s new Power9 chip was built for AI and machine learning (ZDNET)
The company has designed the new chip specifically to improve performance on common AI frameworks like Chainer, TensorFlow, and Caffe, and claims an increase for workloads running on these frameworks by up to almost 4x.
Create more value than you capture: An oral history of Toronto’s product development(BETAKIT)
BetaKit’s first #longform piece tracks the last 15 years of Toronto tech.