A|I: The AI Times – Inside Google’s commitment to Québec tech

Montréal's google office
Plus: TuSimple fires its CEO amid federal probes.

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Google opens new Montréal office, commits $2.75 million to Québec tech (BETAKIT)

Fabrice Jaubert, the Montréal site lead for Google Canada, said that the Viger office will be home to a variety of teams that will work on some of “the most crucial” Google products and services such as cybersecurity, AI research, Chrome, and Cloud.


TuSimple Fires CEO Xiaodi Hou Amid Federal Probes (THE WALL STREET JOURNAL)

Mr. Hou was fired in connection with a continuing investigation by members of the board, the release said. “Fundamentally, we lost trust and confidence in Dr. Hou’s judgment, decision-making, and ability to lead the company as CEO,” TuSimple’s independent board of directors said in a statement.


CCI laments lack of detail on SR&ED, innovation agency as feds share economic update (BETAKIT)

That’s the federal government’s latest update in its Fall Economic Statement on two of its innovation promises from April 2022’s budget. However, at least one technology association has made it clear that it’s losing patience with the limited details of what it views as key budget items to the innovation sector.


Colorado quantum startup ColdQuanta lands $110M Series B to usher in a new era of quantum computing (TECH STARTUPS)

The internet has changed over the years. But the groundwork for today’s internet was laid in 1973 by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). At the time, the goal was to develop communication protocols that would allow networked computers to communicate transparently across multiple, linked packet networks.


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How startup CFOs can prepare for their rapidly changing role expectations (BETAKIT)

With global turbulence as a driver, the role of the CFO in a growing, tech-enabled business has now fundamentally changed. In a webinar hosted by Sage Intacct, Daniel Oh, VP of Medium Segment, Sage Canada, and Pamela Steer, President and CEO, CPA Canada, discussed the evolving role of the CFO and the challenges that come along with change.


Inside Eric Schmidt’s push to profit from an AI cold war with China (PROTOCOL)

Today the AI tech investor and former Google CEO is more determined than ever to urge government decision-makers to pick up the pace, but not just when it comes to buying more software for the Defense Department.


Check out these Q3 Canadian tech venture funding reports:

Investor sentiment goes from FOMO to fussy as deal volume falls to three-year low.
2022 has still already surpassed the previous three years in Alberta venture funding.
Early-stage deals were nowhere to be found. So what comes next?
Amid uncertain climate, investors favour tending existing crops over sowing new seeds.
A flurry of headwinds pummeled Québec’s tech sector into its lowest investment quarter in three years.

AMP Robotics’ recycling robots bring in $91M (THE ROBOT REPORT)

AMP Cortex, AMP Robotics’ robotic system, can automate the identification and sorting process for recyclables from mixed material streams. It picks out plastic from other materials, like cardboard, paper, cans and cartons. AMP Cortex can perform up to 80 picks per minute with up to 99% accuracy.


With VCCI commitment, Kensington Capital Partners targets $290 million third venture fund (BETAKIT)

This amount, which will go primarily towards other Canadian venture funds that make direct investments in companies, is nearly double the size of Kensington’s last fund of funds, which was $150 million.


DALL-E API released by OpenAI in public beta, potential boon for app builders (VENTURE BEAT)

Companies such as Cala, a fashion design platform, and Mixtiles, which prints online photos on lightweight decorative tiles, have already implemented and tested the API for their specific use cases.


How Canada can get a big slice of the trillion-dollar global semiconductor market (BETAKIT)

A mix of record-low venture investment for software companies and the economic opportunity of hardware has put renewed importance on building things (literally). And it’s an opportunity Canada can’t afford to miss.


Google plans giant AI language model supporting world’s 1,000 most spoken languages (THE VERGE)

It’s an ambitious project in its early stages, but Google thinks it will have benefits across its entire product ecosystem.


Three big takeaways from BFUTR 2022 (BETAKIT)

Now in its fourth year, the Summit introduced its diverse panel of leaders in banking and business to untapped talent in tech—Black startup founders or prospective employees trying to get their foot in the door. The idea is to create opportunities for Black tech talent in a way that recognizes the opportunity quotient runs both ways.


Can A.I. Write Recipes Better Than Humans? We Put It to the Ultimate Test. (THE NEW YORK TIMES)

Researchers are using artificial intelligence to create recipes, complete with appetizing photos and back stories. But Thanksgiving poses a challenge.


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Michael Edgar

Michael Edgar

Michael is a multimedia journalist working out of the U.K. and a staff writer for BetaKit.

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