Daily Archives: March 18, 2021

Smart speakers are known for playing your favorite music, telling you the weather or reminding you when to get up and take a walk. They also could be an important tool in cardiology.

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a form of contentless monitoring, allowing smart speakers to identity and monitor individual heartbeats using sonar technology. Machine learning (ML) makes this technology possible. The UW researchers published the findings on March 9 in the journal Communications Biology.

Co-senior author Shyam Gollakota, a UW associate professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, says its not detecting heartbeats that is a surprising smart speaker skill but the fact that it can detect irregular heartbeats.

Regular heartbeats are easy enough to detect even if the signal is small because you can look for a periodic pattern in the data, Gollakota said in a statement. But irregular heartbeats are really challenging because there is no such pattern. I wasnt sure that it would be possible to detect them, so I was pleasantly surprised that our algorithms could identify irregular heartbeats during tests with cardiac patients.

The algorithms can detect motion of the chest wall and separate signals from breathing motions and ambient noise, according to the study.

RELATED:Google expands into health tracking using smartphone cameras to monitor heart, respiratory rates

Specifically, the speaker emits an inaudible high-frequency sound that gets reflected back by the user's chest and received by the microphone array, lead author Anran Wang, a doctoral student in UWs Allen School, told Fierce Healthcare. We designed a self-supervised learning algorithm to analyze the signal and obtain the tiny skin vibration caused by the heartbeat.

Some study participants wore a Polar H10 Sensor System that outputs heart rate and intervals of R waves, called RR intervals. Others wore a CorSense monitor on their fingertip. They transmitted data to their smartphone using Bluetooth. Researchers compared results from the smart speaker to that of an ECG monitor. They found the difference in data to be not medically relevant, according to The Washington Post.

If a smart speaker could offer an inexpensive test for people, it could help diagnose cardiac arrhythmias, which cause strokes, according to co-senior authorArun Sridhar, M.D., assistant professor of cardiology at the UW School of Medicine.

Availability of a low-cost test that can be performed frequently and at the convenience of home can be a game-changer for certain patients in terms of early diagnosis and management, Sridhar said in a statement.

Researchers used ML to take signals coming from a smart speakers multiple microphones to spot an "elusive heartbeat signal, according to the researchers. Just as a smart speaker like Alexa can spot a persons voice even if a TV is playing or several people are in the room, the smart speaker can also pick out a heartbeat among other sounds.

The self-supervised learning algorithm learns the spatial locations of the heartbeat by their characteristics meanwhile minimizing otherinterferences,such as environmental noise and respiratory motion, Wang said. It then focuses on the heartbeats and derives the beat-to-beat intervals.

RELATED:Doctor Alexa will see you now: Is Amazon primed to come to your rescue?

The news follows a proof-of-concept tool UW researchers introduced last year that uses a smart speaker like Google Home or Alexa or a smartphone to detect if someone is gasping for air, which is known as an agonal breathing event. The app can then call 911.

In the future, medical professionals could use smart speakers to monitor heart rhythms as part of telehealth systems and to track people that require a contactless test due to skin sensitivity. The technology is also valuable for people in quarantine like during a health crisis such as COVID-19.

Doctors and nurses can set up screening procedures using smart speakers in an empty room without worrying about spreading the diseases, Wang said.

Telehealth and remote monitoring have grown significantly during the COVID health crisis, and companies such as Tyto Care have received new investments to help them ramp up remote monitoring systems.

RELATED:Smart devices can detect cardiac arrest by monitoring breathing: study

Now our techniques enable heart rhythms detection using smart speakers, which is a step forward to achieve telemedicine, Wang said. It can potentially benefit millions of peoplewho live far from medical services or do not have the necessary resources to check their health conditions to detect potential cardiac diseases at home.

Smart speakers like Alexa have received attention from the healthcare industry before. Last year health insurer Anthem launched an enhanced version of its Alexa skill across 13 commercial insurance markets. The skill lets customers get in touch with an Anthem customer service agent or order prescription refills. People with any Alexa device or the Alexa mobile app can use the skill.

Tech giant Google also is leveraging its smart devices as health monitoring tools. The company just announced its updated Nest Hub smart home device has a sleep tracking feature. The smart display uses radar-based sleep tracking in addition to an algorithm for cough and snore detection.

Going forward, research with smart speakers will draw on work that allows the sensors to detect sleep apnea and cardiac arrest.

We believe more and more medical applications can be developed in the future, Wang said.

Originally posted here:

Alexa, do I have an abnormal heart rhythm? UW researchers use AI and smart speakers to monitor irregular heartbeats - FierceHealthcare

Sleep is asfoundational to hotel guest satisfaction as it is to people's health and wellness, yet there has previously been very little a hotelier can offer to actively improve sleep for their guests.

As consumers continue to prioritize their health and well-being, Bryte provides an opportunity for hotels to differentiate their wellness offering by delivering more restorative sleep as the centerpiece of their in-room wellness portfolio.

Luxury destinations including Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, Cavallo Point San Francisco, The London West Hollywood, Park Terrace Hotel on Bryant Park, and Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa have partnered with Bryte to introduce The Restorative Bed, and develop enhanced sleep programming for their guests, including sleep suites and health retreats.

The Restorative Bed by Bryte was developed with leading sleep scientists, including Dr. Matthew Walker, bestselling author of Why We Sleep and founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science at UC Berkeley, to deliver the quality of sleep the human body needs to restore critical infrastructures of physical, mental and emotional health.

"Hotels strive to personalize the guest experience and provide a service level beyond expectations. This is exactly what the Bryte Restorative Bed offers, by transforming the overlooked hotel bed into an in-room wellness experience," stated Francisco Levine, a former hotelier who now leads Bryte's hospitality business.

'The strong reception from our hotel partners confirms our vision: a personalized, restorative sleep experience will inevitably become the new industry standard for luxury hotels and wellness resorts. It elevates the whole guest experience and continues the relationship over many visits, as travelers can save their profile, login to any bed on a future visit to retrieve their preferences and effectively "travel with their bed."'

Sleep as It Should BeFrom the first night guests can expect to fall asleep faster, sleep longer and more soundly and wake naturally feeling refreshed and restored. Over subsequent nights the bed continues to fine tune settings such as temperature and firmness to each individual, leading to significant gains in all measures of restorative sleep, including body-restorative deep sleep and mind-restorative REM sleep. Travelers can also create a portable profile that saves their preferences and continues this optimization journey over future stays at any hotel with a Restorative Bed.

"As the hotel industry emerges from the pandemic downturn and people seek wellness as part of travel, The Restorative Bed is a key differentiator of the luxury hotel guest experience." said Ely Tsern, CEO of Bryte, who co-founded the company in 2016 and was pivotal in merging sleep science and technology to create its signature product.

"Wellness hospitality is clearly moving beyond the spa and there is no better way to deliver wellness at scale than through every guest room. We are honored to partner with so many prestigious hotels as the centerpiece of their in-room wellness portfolio. "

The Restorative BedThe Restorative Bed is purpose-built to actively improve restorative sleep. An embedded sensory network detects biometrics such as heart rate and breathing patterns to identify when a sleeper enters the first stage of sleep, triggering cooling features to lower the body's core temperature and gently lull sleepers into the critical stages of deep sleep.

Meanwhile, 100 computer-controlled air cushions within The Restorative Bed alleviates pressure points by continually recalibrating the support a body needs, encouraging longer and more restorative sleep. Bryte's technology further leads sleepers naturally out of sleep with warming temperatures and lighting that mimics the glow of sunrise, while also offering the option of movement to gently nudge and softly awaken sleepers at just the right time.

Additional information about Bryte can be found at Bryte.com. Media assets can be found at Bryte.com/press.

About BryteFounded in 2016 by Silicon Valley veteran John Tompane, Ely Tsern and Jonathan Farringdon, Bryte is the leading restorative sleep technology platform powered by AI. Bryte's turn-key hardware, software and services platform is available for licensing to select mattress manufacturing partners. The Restorative Bed is now available to consumers through Bryte.com and select hotel and resort partners. For more information, visit Bryte.com.

SOURCE Bryte

https://www.bryte.com/

Read the rest here:

Bryte Revolutionizes Sleep Experience At Luxury Hotels With AI-Powered Restorative Bed - PRNewswire

Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU), one of China's largest multinational technology companies, has completed a fundraising round on its artificial intelligence (AI) chip, Kunlun, that would value the business at $2 billion, a source told Reuters. The round, which generated an undisclosed amount of funding, was led by CITIC Private Equity Funds Management (CPE), and is said to include IDG Capital, Legend Capital and Oriza Hua.

The Kunlun chip has been praised for its development of autonomous vehicles and is used to improve mobile phone camera quality, speech and voice recognition. With AI capabilities, the device can perform offline and still perform system duties like driving, without having to reach out to the cloud for transportation data. The imitation-learning chip is preferred by some users because their data stays on their device rather than being transmitted over the cloud.

Following the report on Monday, Baidu announced it has received qualifications from the Cangzhou traffic authorities in China to operate 35 different commercialized autonomous driving operations and 10 vehicles for driverless testing.

This guidance from Cangzhou will allow Baidu Apollo to conduct the first open-road, driverless testing within the city. The program has received permission previously from Chinese cities Changsha and Beijing, as well as from California in 2020.

The Baidu Apollo fleet consists of 500 vehicles, with open-road tests conducted in 30 cities around the world. The company's Robotaxi service has carried 210,000 passengers and is available in Beijing, Changsha and Cangzhou, with plans to move into 30 more cities over the next three years.

Earlier in March, Baidu announced it had won a bid to build a 30-kilometer smart highway in the Singapore-Sichuan Hi-Tech Innovation Park. This 5G intelligent driving zone would promote the city of Chengdu's commitment to bring together smart transportation, industrial Internet and intelligent health care services to become the benchmark for smart city developments.

Story continues

Will the US catch up to China's AI dominance?

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) recently issued a 756-page report to the United States government warning that "America is not prepared to defend or compete in the AI era." The commission stated that the government was not ready to confront the potential of AI technology and sophisticated cyber weapons China could create.

The report described areas of development necessary to make progress comparable to China's achievements. The NSCAI suggested ways to recruit digital talent into the government and boost domestic microelectronic manufacturing, diminishing U.S. reliance on foreign-made electronics. The committee urged the U.S. government to pay close attention to foreign investment in American technology and to double the country's AI research and development budget to $32 billion a year.

This AI gap did not happen by chance; it was a goal the Chinese government set out to achieve.

In 2017, China announced its ambition to develop the skills and educational resources to accomplish these breakthroughs by 2025, with a desire to be a global leader in AI by 2030.

China's AI power does not just come from Baidu. Other technology leaders have contributed to China's dominance. In 2020, Alibaba (NYSE: BABA), the Chinese leader in e-commerce sales at $72 billion, partnered with autonomous taxi companies. ByteDance, the TikTok creator, and Tencent (HKG:0700), the creator of WeChat, use AI-powered platforms to integrate products and services into the user's daily life.

"We are at the beginning of the beginning of this new era of competition," the NSCAI report explained. "The United States should invest what it takes to maintain its innovation leadership, to responsibly use AI to defend free people and free societies, and to advance the frontiers of science for the benefit of all humanity. AI is going to reorganize the world. America must lead the change."

See more from Benzinga

2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Original post:

Baidu Chip Unit Reported At $2B Valuation; China Dominates AI, Report Finds - Yahoo Finance

The studio will support Industry 4.0 use cases for everything from autonomous vehicles to collaborative robots and 3D augmented reality.

The opening of the IBM Industry 4.0 Studio in Singapore.

Image: Samsung Electronics

A new IBM Industry 4.0 Studio opened Tuesday in Singapore, and it combines 5G connectivity with artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud and edge computing capabilities for 5G trials for the enterprise.

The Industry 4.0 Studio will develop, test and benchmark actual Industry 4.0 use cases for autonomous guide vehicles, collaborative robots, 3D augmented reality and real-time AI visual and acoustic recognition that can use 5G for real-time analysis of production line defects, according to a press release.

SEE: Future of 5G: Projections, rollouts, use cases, and more (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

"The opening of the studio in Singapore is an important milestone in applying 5G-enabled mobile and network solutions with Industry 4.0 capabilities to help transform manufacturing. Mobile and 5G capabilities like these are empowering workers and changing the way factories and warehouses operate, bringing new efficiency and productivity to operations. Samsung is pleased to be collaborating with IBM, IMDA, and M1 in this groundbreaking project to help make 5G a reality for customers," said KC Choi, Samsung Electronics executive vice president and global head of B2B business, mobile communications business, in a press release.

M1 is one of the three major full service communications providers in Singapore.

"5G is a potential game changer for Industry 4.0. It is the critical connectivity layer that can enable smart manufacturing. I would like to congratulate IBM for the opening of its 5G-enabled Industry 4.0 studio here in Singapore. It is important for Singapore to be the place where innovative 5G solutions can be developed and deployed globally. A strong 5G ecosystem will provide more opportunities for businesses and our people. We will work with industry to forge ahead with 5G, as we architect Singapore's digital future," said Lew Chuen Hong, chief executive of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), which is a statutory board of the Singapore government, in a press release.

There are several focus areas for testing that will be part of the studio, according to the release:

At the studio, Samsung's standalone 5G network solutions and mobile devices pair with IBM's hybrid cloud, edge computing and AI technologies, as well as M1's engineering and network services experience. The use cases are built on Red OpenShift and they employ IBM's AI solutions for visual and acoustic analysis and augmented reality technologies, according to the release.

"5G presents an enormous opportunity for enterprises to drive new value and transform their operations to harness the next era of industrial connectivity. This project builds on IBM's longstanding strategic partnership with Samsung, and a shared vision with M1 and IMDA, to help businesses tap into emerging hybrid cloud and AI technologies that will define their future success," said Brenda Harvey, general manager of IBM APAC, in a press release.

The studio is hosting Singapore's first 5G Industry 4.0 trial by testing real-world applications that can be used in manufacturing, while measuring and optimizing the performance of enterprise 5G for industrial use.

At least half of Singapore is expected to have full-fledged 5G standalone capability by the end of 2022.

5G networks and devices, mobile security, remote support, and the latest about phones, tablets, and apps are some of the topics we'll cover. Delivered Tuesdays and Fridays

Go here to see the original:

New 5G and AI studio opens as part of collaboration with IBM, Samsung and M1 - TechRepublic

New Relic, Inc., the observability company, is offering new capabilities in New Relic Applied Intelligence to help engineers detect, understand, and resolve incidents faster than before.

This latest update to New Relic One allows engineers to uncover anomalies automatically, now enabled by default and available for free to all users.

Engineers can now also see the probable root cause of every incident from any data source automatically, with guidance on suggested responders on their team who may be best equipped to revolve each issue.

Also available in public beta, engineers can quickly spot patterns and outliers in all of their log data using machine learning (ML) to dramatically reduce troubleshooting time.

AIOps has promised engineers the ability to harness AI and machine learning to predict possible issues, determine root causes, and intelligently drive automation to resolve them, said Bill Staples, president and chief product officer at New Relic. Despite the hype, many DevOps and SRE teams have struggled to achieve the value of AIOps, as steep learning curves, long implementation and training times, prohibitive pricing, and lack of confidence in AI and machine learning have stood in the way. With our next-gen AIOps capabilities launched today, New Relic is solving these challenges, putting the power of observability in the hands of every engineer to finally deliver the promised value of AIOps to everyone.

The modern capabilities now available in New Relic Applied Intelligence are designed to deliver on the promise of AIOps with speed of deployment, out of the box integrations, ease of use, and simplicity to help engineers quickly and easily:

New Relics new AIOps capabilities are generally available today to all New Relic Applied Intelligence customers.

Anomaly detection is available now and enabled for all customers at no additional charge, including New Relic free tier users. Log Patterns is now available in public beta.

For more information about this release, visit https://newrelic.com/.

See the original post:

New Relic to Provide Next Gen AI-Ops Capabilities - Database Trends and Applications

Lionel Messi may be one of the most famous people on the planet, but now fans can send their friends a personalised message from the Barcelona star. Well, sort of.

With legions of current and former footballers now making money selling individual videos on Cameo along with other sports stars and celebrities (with "Inbetweeners" star James Buckley topping the earnings chart in 2020 with an estimated $415,000), many of us are well used to having famous faces addressing us directly on our phone screens.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)- ESPN+ viewer's guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more

But still, the sight of six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi looking up at you and saying "hey" is an arresting one, although all is not what it seems.

In partnership with potato chip brand Lay's, the "Messi Messages" service allows fans to create and share their very own message from the Barcelona superstar -- or rather a "face-mapped" version of him.

After entering a few pertinent details, the message is produced using advanced lip-synching technology from AI and facial mapping specialists Synthesia make it appear as though Messi is speaking directly to the recipient.

The resulting clip sees the Barca forward offer a personal greeting in a synthesised voice (which can be relayed in one of 10 languages) before inviting everybody to watch "the big match" together.

"Hey [insert name here], what's up? [Insert name] has invited us to watch the big game on [insert day]. I hope I can make it. If I can't be there, enjoy the game. Ah, and don't forget to bring the snacks. Ciao!"

You'd think, being a multi-millionaire with an endorsement deal from a potato-chip manufacturer, Messi could offer to provide the snacks himself. But, as he can't guarantee he'll definitely make the watch party, it's probably best to make other arrangements anyway.

2 Related

While the technology is undoubtedly impressive, the end result is a video that sits within "uncanny valley," where the effect is not quite realistic enough to be satisfying and can actually be a little unsettling.

And there is no scope at all to truly personalise the message beyond the limited options to select names and days. And even then, the list of names to choose from is simultaneously both arbitrary and carefully selected (there is no option to send a message to "Cristiano," for example).

Which all makes sense, given the Internet's fondness for abusing any invitation to contribute online to basically anything (Boaty McBoatface, anyone?).

Still, you can't help but wonder what fans would like to hear Messi's AI alter ego say if they had the power:

"Hey Cristiano, what's up? UEFA has invited us to watch the Champions League quarterfinals together. I hope we can make it. Well, I know we can, because neither of us will be playing. Ciao!"

"Hey Xavi, what's up? Did you hear I equalled your old Barcelona appearance record last night? 767 not out, and only 576 goals more than you managed. Ciao!"

"Hey Pep, what's up? Sure I'd love to come join you at the Etihad next season. I hope I can make it. If I can't be there, there's every chance I'll be in MLS instead. Ciao!"

"Hey Barca fans, what's up? Sure I'd love to sign a giant contract that keeps me at the club until the day I retire. I hope I can find my pen. If I can't be there, use the money to buy an entire new team. Ciao!"

"Hey Kylian, what's up? Of course I'd love to see you at Barca next year. I hope it can happen. I might not be there, but you have fun carrying the whole club for the next two decades. Ciao!"

Read more:

Messi Messages: Fans can send personalised video from AI version of Barca star, and it's weird - ESPN

"Rising demand for consumer-centric services and tools in Europe's healthcare system is leading to the development of new business models," said Chandni Mathur, Healthcare & Life Sciences Senior Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "Adoption of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality, blockchain, the internet of medical things (IoMT), wearables, and cloud computing is expected to disrupt the telehealth market. 5G will feature as a key enabler to boost the adoption and effective utilization of these disruptive technologies."

Mathur added: "From a product type perspective, virtual visits will lead the overall telehealth market, registering growth at an astounding CAGR of 41.2% over the forecast period, followed by remote patient monitoring (RPM) at 20.4%. Further, mhealth and personal emergency response systems (PERS) will also contribute significantly to the market, garnering revenue at 27.5% and 7.7% CAGR, respectively."

Telehealth equipment makers, service providers, and technology enablers have an uphill task catering to the pandemic-driven sudden demand, which will require business model revision across the telehealth ecosystem. As a result, telehealth market participants have the following growth opportunities:

Innovative Business Models Powering the Telehealth Market in Europeis the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan's Healthcare & Life Sciences research and analyses available through the Frost & Sullivan Leadership Council, which helps organizations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future.

About Frost & Sullivan

For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Innovative Business Models Powering the Telehealth Market in Europe

MFBD

Contact:Mariana FernandezCorporate CommunicationsE: [emailprotected]http://ww2.frost.com

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

http://www.frost.com

The rest is here:

AI and Cloud to Empower the European Telehealth Market Securing Efficient Access to Essential Healthcare Services - PRNewswire

Since last January, when we launched our AI for Health program, weve been dedicated to using AI and data science to help improve the health of people and communities worldwide. As we reflect on how the world has changed this past year due to the pandemic, we want to take a moment to shed light on the great work our grantee partners are doing to tackle some of the most difficult health challenges.

Our AI for Health programs commitment is to empower grantees. To date, we have awarded over 180 grants in four areas of focus, which include accelerating medical research, increasing global health insights, addressing health equity and building research capabilities. Access to Microsofts technology such as Azure High Performance Computing, Azure Machine Learning, Power BI, Return to School Power Platform solution and the SmartNoise differential privacy platform have accelerated the progress made in grantee research.

You can see some of our grantee projects below as well as on the AI for Health website:

Covid-19 research

Shortly after the launch of Microsoft AI for Health, Covid-19 struck, leading to a dramatic shift in the world as we knew it. Recognizing the global impact of this disease, the AI for Health program focus shifted to helping those on the front lines of Covid-19 research including a focus on:

Grantees to support this research include a range of disciplines including researchers, academia, policymakers and nonprofits leaders. Weve awarded more than 150 grants toward their endeavors. Below are the latest grantees whose work is using AI and Azure High-Performance computing in partnership with our AI for Health data scientists and MSR researchers:

Also, for the past 12 months, weve created several interactive visualizations to provide transparency into Covid-19 trends globally as part of our pledge to support policymakers and the public.

Click here to load media

The latest is a Vaccine Tracking dashboard that tracks toward the U.S. federal goal of100 million vaccine doses in 100 days and allows for comparisons between U.S. states and countries. The dashboards standardized look at the vaccination progress can be explored, synced, saved and shared openly. This dashboard, produced in partnership with the Brown University School of Public Health, pulls from publicly available data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to gather state-level figures on how vaccinations are progressing. Globally, the vaccination data is pulled from Our World in Data. This work builds on other dashboards weve created forCovid-19 cases, infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths.

Our grantees inspire and motivate us to continue our commitment and support against some of the worlds most complex health problems. We are humbled by their incredible efforts and honored to be part of their journey.

Tags: AI, AI for Health, artificial intelligence, Azure, COVID-19, Kinect, Microsoft Philanthropies, Open Data, vaccine dashboard, Washington state

Excerpt from:

AI for Health a year of innovations from grantees across the globe - Microsoft On the Issues - Microsoft

Sherpa, a startup from Bilbao, Spain that was an early mover in building a voice-based digital assistant and predictive search for Spanish-speaking audiences, has raised some more funding to double down on a newer focus for the startup: building out privacy-first AI services for enterprise customers.

The company has closed $8.5 million, funding that Xabi Uribe-Etxebarria, Sherpas founder and CEO, said it will be using to continue building out a privacy-focused machine learning platform based on a federated learning model alongside its existing conversational AI and search services. Early users of the service have included the Spanish public health services, which were using the platform to analyse information about COVID-19 cases to predict demand and capacity in emergency rooms around the country.

The funding is coming fromMarcelo Gigliani, a managing partner at Apax Digital; Alex Cruz, the chairman of British Airways; and Spanish investment firms Mundi Ventures and Ekarpen. The funding is an extension to the $15 million Sherpa has already raised in a Series A. From what I understand, Sherpa is currently also raising a larger Series B.

The turn to building and commercializing federated learning services comes at a time when the conversational AI business found itself stalling.

Sherpa saw some early traction for its Spanish voice assistant, which first emerged at a time when efforts from Apple in the form of Siri, Amazon in the form of Alexa, and others hadnt really made strong advances to address markets outside of those where English is spoken.

The service passed 5 million users as of 2019 customers using its conversational AI and predictive search services include the Spanish media company Prisa, Volkswagen, Porsche and Samsung.

But as Uribe-Etxebarria describes it, while that assistant business is still chugging along, he came up against a difficult truth: the biggest players in English voice assistants eventually did add Spanish, and the conversational AI investments they would make over time would make it impossible for Sherpa to keep up in that market longer-term on its own.

Unless we did a big deal with a company, we wouldnt be able to compete against Amazon, Apple and others, he said.

That led the company to start exploring other ways of applying its AI engine.

It came on to federated privacy, Uribe-Etxebarria said, when it started to look at how it might expand its predictive search services into productivity applications.

A perfect assistant would be able to read emails and know which actions to take, but there are privacy issues around how to make that work, Uribe-Etxebarria said. Someone suggested to him to look at federated learning as one way to teach its assistant to work with email. We thought, if we put 20 people to work, we could build something to read and respond to emails.

The platform that Sherpa built, Uribe-Etxebarria said, worked better than they had anticipated, and so a year later, the team decided that it could use it for more than just triaging email: it could be productized and sold to others as an engine for training machine learning models with more sensitive data in a more privacy-compliant way.

Its not the only company pursuing this approach: TensorFlow from Google also uses federated learning, as does Fate (which includes cloud computing security experts from Tencent contributing to it), and PySyft, a federated learning open-source library.

Sherpa is working with several companies under NDAs in areas like healthcare, and Uribe-Etxebarria said it plans to announce customers in other areas like telecoms, retail and insurance in the near future.

Early Stage is the premier how-to event for startup entrepreneurs and investors. Youll hear firsthand how some of the most successful founders and VCs build their businesses, raise money and manage their portfolios. Well cover every aspect of company building: Fundraising, recruiting, sales, product-market fit, PR, marketing and brand building. Each session also has audience participation built-in theres ample time included for audience questions and discussion. Use code TCARTICLE at checkout to get 20% off tickets right here.

See original here:

Sherpa raises $8.5M to expand from conversational AI to B2B privacy-first federated learning services - TechCrunch

The IBM Opportunity

IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna says that the companys latest investments have IBM poised to continue with capturing cloud share. In a new letter to investors, Krishna outlined areas where IBM has invested in hybrid cloud and artificial intelligence and discussed how the company is driving growth going forward. Ultimately, IBM is positioned to lead as we enter the era of hybrid cloud and AI, Krishna said.

Every company in every industry wants to build a much stronger digital foundation to fundamentally change the way its business works, Krishna said in the letter. There is no going back. In the next two to three years, we expect to see digital transformation at a rate that, before 2020, we thought would take 5 to 10 years.

IBMs cloud-related revenue grew 20 percent to $25.1 billion, excluding the impact of currency and divestitures, and now represents more than a third of the companys total revenue, Krishna said. The urgency for digital transformation continues to fuel momentum for our business.

Hybrid cloud and AI are the two next great shifts in the technology landscape, and IBM is positioning itself to play a key role in this swift and massive transformation, he said. We see the hybrid cloud opportunity at $1 trillion.

What follows are IBM CEO Arvind Krishnas six reasons for how IBM is positioned to lead the industry in hybrid cloud and AI.

Originally posted here:

Arvind Krishna: 6 Reasons IBM Is 'Positioned To Lead' Hybrid Cloud, AI - CRN