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Toronto’s Almon completes development of autonomous vehicle technology (BETAKIT)
Almon received close to $1 million for this project over the course of last year, including $253,000 from the Ontario government.
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Waymo CEO John Krafcik is leaving the Google self-driving affiliate (WALL STREET JOURNAL)
Krafcik said he is stepping down from his role, bringing an end to the former auto executive’s more than five-year tenure leading Google parent Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous-vehicle unit. Meanwhile, Waymo vehicles are still causing problems in Arizona.
How America’s surveillance networks helped the FBI catch the Capitol mob (WASHINGTON POST)
Federal documents detailing the attacks at the U.S. Capitol show a mix of FBI techniques, from license plate readers to facial recognition, that helped identify rioters.
Microsoft wins U.S. Army contract for augmented reality headsets, worth up to $21.9 billion over 10 years (CNBC)
The deal, which could be worth as much as $21.88 billion over 10 years, follows a contract Microsoft received to build prototype headsets for the Army.
Microsoft expanding Canadian presence with cloud hub, data centre, 500 hires in Vancouver (BETAKIT)
“Microsoft is committed to helping Canada emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever,” said Kevin Peesker, president of Microsoft Canada.
Beauty filters are changing the way young girls see themselves (MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW)
The most widespread use of augmented reality isn’t in gaming: it’s the face filters on social media. The result? A mass experiment on girls and young women.
BlackBerry launches $50 million fund to work with AutoTech startups (BETAKIT)
BlackBerry IVY was first announced in December 2020 as part of a multi-year agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The foundations of AI are riddled with errors (WIRED)
The labels attached to images used to train machine-vision systems are often wrong. That could mean bad decisions by self-driving cars and medical algorithms.
Deloitte spin-out company Arteria AI raises $13.7 million CAD Series A round (BETAKIT)
Arteria initially began with a team of 17 people. According to a report from The Globe and Mail, the company’s team now sits at 40 technologists, lawyers, data scientists, and subject matter experts.
Utah gave $20 million contract to AI surveillance firm that didn’t have AI (VICE)
The state audit of Banjo came after investigations by Motherboard and OneZero.
Three barriers to innovation in insurance (BETAKIT)
Duuo’s Director, underwriting argues insurance companies face compliance risks when developing new products to serve Canadians in the digital economy.