Bakery chain Panera Bread started to deploy artificial intelligence-powered robots developing company Miso Robotics’ new automated coffee brewing system named CookRight Coffee at its outlets.
According to the company, Miso Robotics’ new system is currently being tested at two locations of Panera Bread.
The novel robot ensures a quality cup of coffee and a more efficient team member experience by monitoring indicators such as volume, temperature, and time data and combining it with predictive analytics.
Moreover, an additional feature of the CookRight Coffee system is that it can automatically evolve as it learns from its environment and add new enhancements over time.
With the deployment of this new technology, Panera Bread aims to further accelerate and increase the reach of its coffee and tea subscription program. Users can enjoy the benefits of this program, including the option to drink unlimited tea or coffee at a price of $8.99 per month.
Adoption of new-age technologies is now not limited to selected industries, multiple sectors, including retail, food & beverage, and several others, have started to deploy AI-powered tech and have integrated those systems into their daily operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also played a vital role in accelerating this shift as consumers worldwide are looking for no-contact services to minimize the chances of acquiring the virus and eliminate cross-contamination.
The company believes that its partners will show an overwhelming response to its CookRight Coffee system and deploy the tech at scale by the end of this year. “In order to meet the needs of the rapidly evolving restaurant industry, we want our products to come to market quickly and maintain a high level of flexibility,” said CEO of Miso Robotics, Mike Bell.
With the debut of voice-controlled chatbots and assistants, the world witnessed a new chapter unfolding before them where things could get done by mere voice. Powered by voice recognition AI software, the world slowly prepared itself for keyword-less reality. The launch of voice-controlled devices like Apple Siri and Amazon Echo was met by unpredicted market demand. Customers were intrigued by the features and benefits these gadgets offered them. Following these, we had automotive voice assistants like BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, Amazon Echo Auto, Apple CarPlay, Google Android Auto, and more. Today, we also rely on voice-based biometrics for user identification. All these developments are now creating new demand in the Voice AI industry, i.e., voice-driven coding.
Voice-driven coding will not only render the software development industry more accessible by eliminating entry barriers, but it will also allow individuals with injuries or chronic illnesses to continue working. Many programmers suffer from repetitive strain injury (RSI) caused by repetitive motions causing damage to muscles, tendons, and nerves. Voice-driven coding can be a blessing to them. The concept is simple: artificial intelligence is used to produce code from natural language descriptions of what users want to accomplish by telling them in easy-to-understand spoken language. Voice coding involves two types of software: a speech recognition engine and a voice coding platform. A good microphone is also required for voice coding, especially if you wish to reduce background or non-stationary noise.
An example of a speech recognition engine that allows voice coding is Dragon, a powerful engine developed by a Massachusetts-based speech-recognition software company – Nuance. Dragon has different versions for Windows and Mac versions available. Examples of voice coding platforms include VoiceCode, Talon, and Aenea. While VoiceCode and Talon are suitable for Mac OS; Aenea which is a client-server library for using voice macros from Dragon NaturallySpeaking and Dragonfly on remote hosts runs on Linux.
The difference between popular voice assistants like Siri and voice-driven coding platforms like VoiceCode and Talon, is that the latter do not process natural language, thus spoken commands must precisely match the directives that the system already understands. Further, these voice drive coding platforms employ continuous command recognition, which eliminates the need for users to stop between instructions, which happens in the case of voice assistants. The majority of VoiceCode instructions are made up of terms that aren’t in the English language. Talon and Aenea, however, have dynamic grammar, which continually refreshes which words the program can detect based on which applications are open. This implies that users may provide commands in English without creating misunderstandings. Talon can also imitate navigating with a mouse by moving a pointer across the screen based on eye movements and producing clicks based on lip pops.
There are voice-to-code software too, like Serenade, which includes a speech-to-text engine created exclusively for coding, unlike standard conversational speech-based speech-to-text API (e.g., Google). Serenade’s engine passes the code spoken by the user into its natural-language processing unit, which uses machine-learning models to recognize and transform common programming structures into syntactically correct code.
Serenade is compatible with a number of major IDEs, including Visual Studio Code and IntelliJ IDEA. The Serenade app identifies your IDE and integrates with its capabilities when you install and activate it. By delivering specific directives, you can get started quickly. Most of these software also offer visual options that can help users resolve issues faced while interpreting voice commands.
Salesforce is also exploring a voice-driven programming approach named CodeGen. In an exclusive interview with TechCrunch, Silvio Savarese, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist at Salesforce, revealed that CodeGen is based on a large autoregressive model with 16 billion parameters that is trained on a tremendous quantity of data. It divides the use cases with model samples based on whether the user is an expert programmer or a non-coder.
While the study is currently in the proof-of-concept stage, Savarese plans to share his findings at an internal developer Salesforce conference later this month.
The future of voice drive coding looks promising so far. However, the possibility of such technology entering mainstream consumption depends on user demand and user transition from keyboard-mouse-based coding to voice coding.
Global technology and services providing company Bosch announces that it has acquired autonomous driving software developing company Five AI.
The acquisition will allow Bosch to further strengthen its expertise in software development for self-driving cars.
However, neither company revealed any information regarding the valuation of this acquisition deal, which was signed earlier this month, and the deal is yet to be approved by the antitrust authorities.
With this acquisition, Five AI will become a part of Bosch’s Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division. According to the official statement, Five AI preferred Bosch over other bidders as it felt both the companies had a shared vision of automated driving and safe automated driving systems.
This new acquisition is a step towards achieving Bosch’s goal of developing SAE Level 4 automated driving systems as Five AI is a leading self-driving software developer in the region.
Dr. Markus Heyn, a member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector, said, “Scale matters in building automated driving technology. Bosch is a global leader in driving assistance technologies, with core technologies and vast data lakes that will be essential in bringing safe self-driving systems to market.”
He further added that they are looking forward to Five becoming a part of Europe’s most powerful SAE Level 4 player and contributing to Bosch’s long-term success.
Earlier this year, Bosch also acquired high-definition maps providing firm Atlatec to increase its autonomous vehicle offerings to its customers. Bosch officials mentioned that the company had acquired Atlatec as it provides all of the necessary solutions for data recording, processing, map generation, and quality control.
United Kingdom-based urban mobility software platform designer Five AI was founded by Ben Peters, John Redford, Simon Walker, Stan Boland, and Steve Allpress in 2015. The firm specializes in providing a solution for urban mobility in public transport to complex urban environments for autonomous vehicles using machine learning and artificial intelligence.
To date, Five AI has raised more than $78 million from investors like Sistema VC, Trustbridge Partners, Direct Line Insurance, Lakestar, and several others over three funding rounds.
Energy storage technology solutions providing company Fluence announces that it plans to acquire artificial intelligence-powered Software as a Service (SaaS) firm Nispera.
According to the official statement, Nispera’s acquisition deal is valued at $30 million, including an all-cash buyout provision. Additionally, Fluence will also issue restricted stock to Nispera’s management team.
This acquisition will allow Fluence to integrate its technology with Nispera’s portfolio of capable applications, including its SaaS platform, portfolio management application, predictive maintenance app, and operations management platform, to provide better services to its customers.
Fluence’s IQ Digital Platform is machine learning-powered software that offers hourly and daily recommendations on when and how much to bid into auctions for energy and grid services. The competent platform allows users to make better real-time decisions based on historical data and forecasting metrics.
Chief Executive Officer and President of Fluence, Manuel Perez Dubuc, said, “With this acquisition, we are primed to expand our portfolio of digital products and services for customers around the world. Furthermore, it represents a powerful cross-selling opportunity to offer energy storage products to owners of existing renewable energy assets and portfolios.”
Perez added that he is very excited to welcome Nispera, a customer-centric organization that shares its values and mission of transforming the way the world is powered.
Switzerland-based company working in the energy management sector, Nispera, was founded by Antonio Notaristefano, Ernesto Pizza, Gianmarco Pizza, and Jaakko Manninen in 2015. The organization specializes in providing an artificial intelligence and machine learning-powered SaaS platform that allows customers to monitor, analyze, forecast, and optimize the performance and value of renewable energy assets.
“As we build a comprehensive digital product suite for customers to better understand, control, dispatch, optimize, and maintain their renewable energy and storage assets, Nispera’s use of machine learning and AI will be highly complementary to the advanced applications already being developed at Fluence,” said Chief Digital Officer of Fluence, Seyed Madaeni.
He further mentioned that Nispera’s innovative technology would also benefit the Fluence ecosystem of energy storage products, services, and digital applications.
Intelligence workforce platform Observe.ai raises $125 million in its recently held series C funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Other existing investors and Zoom also participated in Observe.ai’s funding round.
According to the company, it plans to use the fresh funds to expand the Intelligent Workforce Platform, invest in R&D functions, and scale the go-to-market team, including direct and channel-based motions.
Priya Saiprasad, a Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers, will join Observe.ai’s board of directors as a part of this investment.
“We believe the company has built an intelligent, flexible platform with endless use cases, from healthcare companies seeking to enhance the patient experience to financial institutions aiming to boost revenue,” said Saiprasad.
She further added that they are excited to collaborate with Swapnil Jain and the team to accelerate a paradigm shift in the contact center industry. The company says that this funding further proves the trust Observe.ai has built over the years with its products in a market where consumer needs and demands change at a rapid pace.
This new funding round will help Observe.ai develop the next generation of product innovations, such as harmonizing real-time with post-interaction agent coaching, scaling the company’s go-to-market strategy, becoming IPO-ready, etc.
United States-based artificial intelligence company Observe.ai was founded by Akash Singh, Sharath Keshava Narayana, and Swapnil Jain in 2017. The organization specializes in offering a platform that transforms contact centers by embedding AI into customer conversations, optimizing agent performance, and automating repeatable processes that accelerate revenue and retention.
To date, Observe.ai has raised $214 million from multiple investors such as SoftBank Vision Fund, Zoom, Emergent Ventures, Steadview Capital, Nexus Venture Partners, NGP Capital, and others over six funding rounds.
“This fresh round of funding is further validation that Observe.AI is uniquely positioned with our industry-leading product innovations and offerings, robust services expertise and partner ecosystem, and intimate understanding of and execution on the evolving needs at the intersection of AI and CX,” said Co-founder and CEO of Observe.ai, Swapnil Jain.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), online learning platform Udacity, and Intel have collaborated to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) Scholarship program.
Under this program, 2000 students will receive scholarships from the companies to help them acquire the required skills to kick start their careers in the AI and ML industry, one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world.
The Amazon Web Services Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Scholarship program seeks to aid students from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds in technology to learn foundational machine learning concepts.
The program has been divided into three phases in which the first phase requires students to enroll in AWS DeepRacer Student, where learners get 20 hours of AWS AI & ML content at launch, 10 hours of model training, and 5 GB of storage per month to compete in the AWS DeepRacer Student League.
In the second phase of the program, Udacity will award 2000 selected students with scholarships for the Udacity AI Programming with Python Nanodegree program. The third phase would require selected students from both winter and summer cohorts to appear for an assessment.
The qualifying 500 students will then receive a second Udacity Nanodegree Program Scholarship to help further prepare them for a career in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The scholarships are equally divided for both Summer and Winter Cohort.
Udacity has started accepting applications for the Summer Cohort, and the last date of submission is on 13th July 2022.
However, the deadline to complete prerequisites on the AWS DeepRacer Student website to earn Summer cohort scholarship access on Udacity is 30th June 2022. Any individual above the age of 16 coming from an underrepresented section can readily apply for this program.
Interested students can start the application process on Udacity’s website.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announces that Everest Group’s PEAK Matrix has recognized the company as a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) services.
TCS’ comprehensive portfolio of artificial intelligence services, built on an approach focused on business transformation, is highlighted as a critical strength of the company.
According to the report, TCS is taking a partnership approach to developing greenfield capabilities in emerging Al, forming an alliance with hardware players to work on Al sustainability.
The company’s proprietary solutions include TCS Decision Fabric, TCS Datom, TCS ADD Safety, ignio, and TwinX.
Apart from the company’s high-end services, the report also pointed out a significant strength of the company is its approach of collaborating with academic and research institutes to drive innovation in next-generation technologies such as artificial intelligence, federated learning, and others.
Global Head Analytics and Insights at TCS, Dinanath Kholkar, said, “Our AI-driven solutions help organizations leverage their ecosystem-wide data to personalize customer experiences, hyper-automate operations, drive competitive differentiation and accelerate business growth.”
He further added that this honor recognizes their vision, technological expertise, investments in cutting-edge research, comprehensive portfolio of AI-based intellectual property, and market success.
Everest Group’s report suggests that customers have expressed appreciation for TCS’ deep domain knowledge, access to industry experts, accuracy and accountability in Al engagements, and proactive account management.
“TCS has differentiated itself by complementing its extensive portfolio of AI services with deep domain knowledge and industry expertise to help clients achieve the desired outcomes,” said Nitish Mittal, Partner at Everest Group.
He also mentioned that TCS’ emphasis on responsible AI adoption and AI sustainability has helped TCS strengthen its position as a Leader in Everest Group’s Artificial Intelligence Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2022.
Prayagraj’s Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBVs) will now use an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered application to mark the attendance of students in schools.
The newly announced technology will use AI-powered facial recognition to smoothen the attendance marking process and will be initially deployed at 20 such KGBVs across the region. Officials said that each of the AI systems would cost nearly Rs 12,000.
Similar kinds of technology are already being used in developed countries like the United States and Japan for attendance marking.
This is a bold step toward modernizing and digitizing the Indian education system, as most of the country’s top-tier schools also do not use this technology.
Earlier, the governments of Assam and Tamil Nadu had also introduced artificial intelligence-powered attendance marking systems in government schools to lessen the burden on teachers and increase the accuracy of the process.
The AI-powered system consists of a server containing student information, a mobile face-reader app, and a message delivery setup, said Basic Siksha Adhikari (Prayagraj) Praveen Kumar Tiwari told TOI.
According to officials, the AI system will be rolled out through a mobile application with pictures and student data stored in its database. The AI application will automatically recognize the students present in the school and update the information on the server to mark attendance.
The application will scan and register the attendance of students while they attend morning prayer, making the attendance marking process much simpler when compared to traditional methods, which take a lot of manual effort and time of teachers.
Moreover, this newly announced system will improve the process’s transparency and minimize the chances of any error.
The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bodh Gaya announces the launch of its three new executive courses in digital marketing, business management, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML).
IIM Bodh Gaya has partnered with Times Professional Learning to design and offer the newly announced courses.
The certification courses will not only involve full-fledged campus experience but also provide learners with IIM Bodh Gaya executive alumni status.
According to the institute, TPL-IIM Bodh Gaya plans to introduce several courses in supply chain analysis and other new fields in the future to serve the needs of various industries.
Director of IIM Bodh Gaya, Dr. Vinita S Sahay, said, “It is a pleasure and privilege to associate with Times Professional Learning and embark on a new journey in learning. We are the custodians of one of the two biggest brands that India has produced – the IITs and IIMs.”
She further added that they had inherited a heritage and a significant obligation to ensure that the country’s youth achieve a bright future. They are also committed to equipping and enabling their young leaders to be future-ready.
The new courses will impart critical skills that the industry currently demands. Therefore learners of these programs will benefit from the curriculum as it would help them in entering the new-age industry. The faculty of IIM is dedicated to contributing to the nation’s development by imparting knowledge along with modern skills and setting high learning standards.
TPL mentioned, “IIM Bodh Gaya’s state-of-the-art 119-acre facility provides a unique experience and imbibes modern-day skills through technological interventions to its learners. It earns a proud distinction of being established in the land of Nalanda, renowned for attaining knowledge and enlightenment.”
TPL and IIM Bodh Gaya want to carry on the tradition by investing in talent, innovation, youth, and technology, as well as offering new-age programs through digital platforms, all of which will help to strengthen the nation, added TPL.
Information Technology equipment and services providing company Fujitsu announces the launch of its offering named Fujitsu Computing as a Service (CaaS) in Japan.
The newly launched service will now allow users to access the world’s leading computing technologies through the cloud.
CaaS’s broader appeal has been constrained by high costs and implementation problems, resulting in limited commercial usage of advanced computing technologies.
According to the company, its new technology features advanced computing resources such as Fujitsu’s quantum-inspired Digital Annealer technology and multiple software applications that enable users to solve problems using artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The CaaS cloud services portfolio is one of Fujitsu’s “Uvance” brand’s primary pillars for creating a sustainable society and resolving societal concerns through digital innovation. The company will begin taking preorders for its Fujitsu Cloud Service HPC at the initial stage.
Fujitsu’s tech will allow users to enjoy the processing capabilities of Fujitsu’s Supercomputer PRIMEHPC FX1000, which uses the same CPU as the supercomputer Fugaku. The Japanese market will be able to order Fujitsu’s new CaaS from October 2022, and the company says it will roll out the product for international markets in the coming months.
Chief Technology Officer of Fujitsu, Vivek Mahajan, said, “CaaS will provide customers with seamless access to services on the public cloud to meet rapidly increasing computing demands, leveraging Fujitsu’s world-leading advanced computing technologies. In the future, we look to further expand the portfolio with access to technologies like quantum computing.”
He further added that this development is a significant step toward democratizing high-performance and quantum computing and will help Fujitsu fulfill its purpose of making the world more sustainable by fostering confidence in society through innovation.
“Fujitsu further aims to contribute to resolving various social issues by supporting customers in managing, digitizing, and integrating ever-increasing amounts of complex data in their business through secure 5G and beyond 5G networks and to provide advanced AI,” said the company.
