Microsoft recently released the newest version of its machine learning framework ML.NET, ML.NET 3.0. With the ML.NET new edition 3.0 from Microsoft, programmers can fully take advantage of resource acceleration calculations during training because of several body acceleration improvements from previously released ML.NET 2.0.
ML.NET 3.0 offers algorithmic building blocks for the entire machine learning process and enhanced workload efficiency when installed alongside Intel’s oneDAL (oneAPI Data Analytics Library) beta kit. Installing them together accelerates the process by using 64-bit architectures standard to AMD and Intel CPUs for better performance.
With ML.NET 3.0, one can import more machine learning capabilities to existing .NET applications and directly create predictions using application data. This feature cuts the requirement of undertaking comprehensive programming steps to generate prediction models.
Additionally, developers can import previously trained TensorFlow and ONNX models or train a new custom model by inputting algorithms.
TensorFlow, ONNX, and OneDAL integration into ML.NET in the newest ML.NET 30 version further the model in analyzing massive datasets and generating more accurate predictions. This development of more advanced ML.NET integrations is a beginning point for machine learning, and developers can expect more such updates.
Refer to the ML.NET 3.0 (prerelease) documentation for more information.
Universal Business School has launched India’s 1st AI university, the Universal AI University, near its location in Karjat, Mumbai. Being the foremost artificial intelligence university, it will offer degree programs in AI and ML, liberal arts and Humanities, Design, Law, Sports, Management, and a few other domains.
Arundhati Bhattacharya (Salesforces’ CEO and Chairperson) and Bharat Puri (Managing Director of Pidilite Industries) unveiled the Universal AI University, claiming it to promote AI-driven skill development in the upcoming generation.
Tarun Anand, Universal Business School’s Chairman, elaborates that Universal AI University will be a management school where students will get excellent industrial training with placement assistance. Universal AI University will also have labs for students to learn and experiment with IT 4.0 technologies like augmented reality, mixed reality, IoT, blockchains, and more.
Many tech-focused companies, like Tata Capital, NSE, L&T, Wipro, Xiaomi, etc., have visited the campus and are willing to assist with hiring and placements. Tarun added, “The AI University enhances our positioning as one of India’s most innovative educational institutions and will deepen our relationships with corporations further.”
Universal AI University is another milestone in Universal Business School’s success as a ‘Made in India’ initiative. It is the first business school to publish its own ESG (environmental, social, and governance) report and turn campus waste into “black gold.” Moreover, more than 70% of the energy requirements of the university are generated on campus using solar panels.
It is a significant initiative to prompt sustainable AI developments and make students responsible.
In today’s digital era, technology has significantly shaped and influenced businesses in ways most of us couldn’t imagine just a few years ago. It has redefined how businesses operate, from the management of employees to the delivery of customer service. Even better, high-performing IT teams and efficient tech support for startups have directly impacted business growth and innovation trajectory.
However, building, optimizing, and enhancing an in-house technical support team can be stressful and expensive for most startups and mid-sized businesses, especially with limited resources. Let’s overview how an AI-based startup called SigiloTech is addressing the latter with its state-of-the-art offerings.
SigiloTech
Founded in 2018, SigiloTech is a leading provider of cutting-edge technological services, offering scalable solutions to companies of all sizes. The startup provides technical assistance in domains such as cloud, big data and analytics, and application development. SigiloTech provides training, consulting, and development on Crystal reports, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, RestAPI, JQuery, D3.JS, HighCharts, NPM, MS Forms, and many more.
SigiloTech was co-founded by Qudir Ansari and his wife, Tamanna Parvin. Having worked for about ten years, anchoring and supervising multiple transformation programs with Machine First, AI First, and Cloud First in corporate companies like TCS and Infosys, Ansari finally wanted to return to India and create an impactful company in Kolkata.
Just like any other IT startup, SigiloTech started to solve a problem that the founders believed needed to be addressed immediately. IT resources with quality commitment are rare in current conditions, and SigiloTech started solving that problem with their own expertise in application development. Founded by the couple by scribbling their ideas onto a piece of paper, today, the startup offers intelligent and innovative services to dozens of clients worldwide.
“I’ve been working in IT for almost ten years and automation for the last four years. Being an automation enthusiast, when I started automation, I thought it could change how the IT industry works. Millions of people work in IT, and engineers are forced to do repetitive manual tasks that most of them dislike. My idea was to leverage AI and automation to help more startups and companies cut their operational costs by adopting automation and cloud services,” said Ansari
Ansari added, “Seeing the growth of startups in India and outside, after doing market research, I found that 70% of startups do not have the technical expertise they need in this ever-changing technology-driven world. Seeing this space for growth, we started our company to facilitate such a startup.”
Behind The Scene
According to Ansari, SigiloTech is a completely bootstrapped company. “Profitable since the day it started, our startup is seed funded with an annual turnover of INR 50 million, as per our last quarter,” he said. SigiloTech has built its solutions by closely listening to its potential clientele and understanding their expectations of SigiloTech’s product. The startup analyzes this information and customizes its offerings to changing market needs.
“Big organizations are not willing to work with startups. But we work especially with small and medium-sized startups with limited seed funding. Until now, we have helped more than four startups to build their products and scale quickly. They are now working with clients like Microsoft, Google, and Facebook,” said Ansari.
Optimistic Future
SigiloTech helps companies of all sizes to automate their manual process, minimizing operational costs and offering scalable solutions using cutting-edge technologies and services. “AI is a very fascinating term. Everyone in the world is trying to solve a problem. We are especially focused on addressing manual labor, cost-cutting, and leveraging cloud services for clients. Moreover, our client retention is 70-90%, which shows the technical capability and value we have created for them. Clients who have been working with us for the past two years still consider us their first option,” said Ansari.
According to Ansari, SigiloTech is building its own product and is currently pitching its roadmap. “We plan to launch it by next year’s first or second quarter. Besides that, we also plan to double our revenue and the team size on a quarterly basis,” he said.
Louisiana authorities’ use of facial recognition technology has led to a mistaken identity arrest of a Georgia black man on a fugitive warrant, an attorney said. This case renews racial disparities in the use of AI-based digital tools.
According to The New Orleans Advocate, Randall Reid was jailed in November in DeKalb County, Georgia. His attorney, Tommy Calogero, said authorities mistakenly linked Reid to purse thefts in Baton Rouge and Jefferson Parish. Reid, arrested on November 25, was released on December 1.
Reid is Black, and his arrest is bringing new attention to the use of technology, resulting in higher misidentification of people of color compared to white people.
Calogero said Reid was falsely connected to the June theft of luxury purses from a shop in Metairie. Reid’s case has brought up renewed attention to the usage of facial recognition equipments in Louisiana and elsewhere.
Facial recognition tools have been criticized for their mass surveillance features, which raise privacy concerns. Some studies have shown that the tech is far more likely to misidentify Black people and other people of color, resulting in mistaken arrests.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Patna launches a BTech course in artificial intelligence and data science that will allow students to handle large volumes of data and develop AI-powered solutions.
Besides IIT Patna, IIT Guhawati and IIT Hyderabad have also offered the BTech course in artificial intelligence and data science. The course is a refined version of the BTech computer science course specially designed for students interested in learning the dynamics of AI algorithms. IIT Patna offers a total of 36 seats for the course.
The BTech artificial intelligence and data science course is a four-year full-time undergraduate course divided into eight semesters. Students will have to study 6 to 7 subjects and elective options each semester. In the first semester, they must also participate in National Social Service (NSS)/National Cadet Crops (NCC) or other cultural activities.
In the first semester, students will be introduced to the core branches of engineering, such as electrical sciences, engineering mechanics, machine learning, data science, artificial intelligence, operating systems, computer networks, big data, data analytics, data security, and computer architecture. Admission to the course will be made on the basis of JEE advanced score, and candidates also need to complete class 12th or any equivalent examination from a recognized central or state board.
You.com, an AI search engine that debuted last year with the promise of more incredible customizability, started a ChatGPT-style chatbot, YouChat, on its website on Friday. The chatbot can solve questions, have conversations, and bring more exposure to artificial intelligence for ordinary people.
The new search engine function is modeled after ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that gained popularity earlier this year for providing original answers to challenging questions. However, You.com claimed that it expects to stand out by providing solutions to more recent queries.
When we asked about the inflation rate in 2023 during the first quarter, YouChat answered:
However, as per Google, the metric will be about 6.5%. Evidently, the factual answers are not very reliable, just like in ChatGPT’s case. This is why people should be cautious while using YouChat to get detailed answers, specifically the ones having factual data.
You.com says, “This product [YouChat] is in beta, and its accuracy may be limited,” and adds that it is not accountable for the answers YouChat generates.
ChatGPT, YouChat, and other similar chatbots are a part of a significant technological change wherein artificial intelligence algorithms are increasingly used to produce new genres of writing, music, and even art. Their popularity and progress have caused some to wonder what constitutes art and whether computers can create original works from a pool of knowledge.
Only time will tell whether such AI services will replace humans or only reduce their involvement in activities.
The Turkish government intends to integrate blockchain technology into the sign-in process for online public services. Turkish citizens will be verified when logging in to E-Devlet – the digital government portal used in Turkey to access various public services – using a blockchain-based digital identity.
This development comes after South Korea revealed last month that three-quarters of a million South Koreans are already using its blockchain-based national mobile digital identity system. Citizens are using digital identity for credentials like the mobile driving license (mDL), and people with a particular status in the country have digitalized their national ID. However, the system is not expected to be fully operational until 2024.
Interest in blockchain technology has developed consistently and quickly over the past several years, spurred on by its myriad advantages. One of its key applications is blockchain-based digital identity. The individual digital identity which is linked to websites becomes more crucial to govern and authenticate as business and communication shift to the digital realm. There are several problems with current identification systems (textual, biometric, etc.) as they are fragile, isolated, and prone to errors and theft. However, blockchain technology can address these problems and provide a consolidated source for asset and identity verification.
The vice president of Turkey, Fuat Oktay, made the announcement at the Digital Turkey 2023 event that users of e-wallet applications will be able to access blockchain-based digital identities. They described the blockchain-based application as a revolution for e-government initiatives and added that it would make online services safer and more accessible.
Fuat said, “With the login system that will work within the scope of the e-wallet application, our citizens will be able to enter the e-Devlet with a digital identity created in the blockchain network.”
Turkey has been actively pursuing blockchain-based projects in recent years. The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) announced in October that it will develop a digital central bank currency based on the blockchain (i.e., a central bank digital currency, or CBDC). In a news statement last month, the central bank reported that the first transactions involving the digital lira had been completed successfully. In addition, CBRT stated that it will carry out limited, closed-circuit pilot testing for the digital lira until the first quarter of 2023. Additionally, non-blockchain services such as Turkey’s Instant and Continuous Transfer of Funds (FAST) System and digital identification technologies will be connected with the digital lira.
Seoul-based Deep Brain AI launched a paid service called Re;memory for those who would like to speak again with their deceased loved ones, even if it is just virtually.
When a loved one dies, a family is often left with only digital memories such as photos and videos. However, these are only one-way modes of communication where one can see or hear their loved ones but cannot interact back with them.
DeepBrain AI takes this trove of information and a pre-interview to put together a private virtual meeting in their studio where one can have unfinished conversations with their loved ones.
The company’s AI-based image synthesis technology can create an AI human that is complete in non-verbal parts such as facial expressions, lip-syncing, and movements. It also uses conversational AI technology that makes use of speech recognition technology and natural language processing to make real-time conversations possible.
The Re;memory service can provide a 30-minute reuniting experience with the deceased loved ones after hours of data processing, where one can talk to them or have a videotaped message delivered from them on special events like anniversaries or birthdays.
One can also generate biographic videos personalized for each individual in the family or even hold a memorial service in the presence of the AI-human. Re;memory services are offered via a memorial showroom where a high-quality sound system and a large 400-inch screen make your experience more realistic.
Persistent Systems, an IT company, announced Monday that it is strengthening its work with Microsoft to prepare for its growth. It has set up a business unit focusing on Microsoft Azure with over 3000 Azure certifications, 50 IPs, and assets.
According to Sangita Singh, general manager of IT & ITES at Microsoft India, the partnership will allow both businesses to develop innovative capabilities for the cloud-native and AI-first world.
In addition to this business unit, Persistent Sytems would use the powerful analytics of Microsoft’s Viva platform to enhance employee experience. It believes that the Viva platform would change its employee perception and interaction in real-time, primarily due to the remote working arrangements made possible after the pandemic.
Utilizing Microsoft Azure’s cloud data lake services, Persistent is also constructing an organization-wide data fabric. Persistent will broaden its go-to-market offerings and provide the cloud data lake to its industrial verticals.
The Azure-focused unit is one of many growth-centric projects Persistent Systems is working on. To aid its growth phase, the company has also acquired Data Glove, a Microsoft partner that implements expert Azure-enabled transformations. The acquisition will allow Persistent Systems to leverage more business and government services as a technology partner.
Pony.ai, a startup sponsored by Toyota Motor Corp. and Baidu Inc., announced on Friday that they had been issued the first licenses by the Beijing Intelligent Connected Vehicle Policy Pilot Zone. Both Baidu and Pony.ai said they would each start testing 10 completely autonomous test vehicles across a 20 square kilometer region in Yizhuang, Beijing, including various complicated urban traffic conditions.
The autonomous vehicles will be tested without anybody inside; a safety officer will remotely oversee the test vehicles. In the last year, the Beijing Intelligent Connected Vehicle Policy Pilot Zone has sequentially unveiled a series of industry-leading autonomous driving laws. The pilot zone began conducting unmanned road tests for autonomous driving in October 2021 and separated “autonomous” testing across three phases:
There is no one behind the wheel, but there is a safety operator in the passenger seat.
No one is in the front seat; however, there is a safety operator in the back row. Pony.ai was given permission to conduct tests with a safety operator in the rear seat in November 2022.
Fully driverless, where the safety officer will monitor the vehicle remotely (this covers the permit for autonomous testing in Beijing.) AV test vehicles must comply with strict technical and operational standards, including test miles and disengagement rate, in order to advance to the third stage.
This is the first time that companies are permitted to operate a fully driverless service in China, despite the fact that multiple cities in the country have already permitted autonomous car firms to test their vehicles without a human safety operator behind the wheel. Further, it is evident from both Pony’s and Baidu’s milestones that the nation is advancing with regulation to commercialize autonomous technology.
Pony.ai received a taxi license in Guangzhou in April 2022 to operate and charge for autonomous ride-hailing, which requires a safety operator to remain in the driver’s seat. By reaching this milestone, it became the first and only AV company to be granted a taxi license in China at the time. Pony.ai is also testing autonomous drive vehicles in Arizona and California, but as a precaution, it employs safety drivers in the vehicles.
Read Also: The Rise of China in the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Meanwhile, Baidu has been providing ride-hailing services without using human drivers since August 2022, in the cities of Chongqing and Wuhan, where they travel over hundreds of square kilometers. This year, the company plans to add 200 more robotaxis to its network throughout China. Last month, Baidu announced its plans to expand its completely autonomous robotaxi service in Wuhan, tripling its operation area, boosting its fleet size, and extending its running hours to cover peak evening hours.
