Artificial Intelligence
Microsoft Discover AI Upskilling Journey 2020: Fostering learning, connection and growth in upcoming AI innovators
This summer, students from around the world took on Microsoft’s Discover AI Upskilling Journey to learn about AI across several industries and themes. In collaboration with Agorize, Microsoft provided over 500 participants from 39 countries with the opportunity to use the Microsoft Learn platform to improve their AI skills and apply them to creative technical and business-case projects. Ultimately, the challenge highlighted both the immense passion and potential of young innovators in the world of AI.
MONTREAL, Dec. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As a leader in new technologies, Microsoft has long encouraged innovation and learning of youth in the field. Through its latest challenge: the Discover AI Upskilling Journey, Microsoft hoped to democratize the use of AI and provide participants, regardless of academic background and technical skills, the tools to discover AI their own way.
Previously, Microsoft partnered with Agorize for the Discover AI: Smarter and Sustainable Economies Challenge in early 2020. The Upskilling Journey was the logical next step, one which further opened AI for all students and young professionals around the world.
In early May, as Microsoft opened the challenge and participants began to register, neither side knew of the incredible innovations and success the opportunity would bring.
A Learning Journey Like No Other
The Microsoft Discover AI Upskilling Journey, launched in May 2020, was designed to be just that: a multi-step journey through which young participants could expand their knowledge of AI and gain hands-on experience in applying what they learned.
The challenge, which consisted of six themed “mini-sprints” and a final Cloud Skills Challenge, contained two tracks for competitors to choose from: a technical track focused on AI tools and a business track highlighting new business models to harness AI’s potential.
Participants earned Experience Points (XPs) by completing Microsoft Learn modules and were given the opportunity to showcase the new skills they gained through that round during the mini-sprints’ final events. Top performing participants were invited to present their learnings at the Cloud Skills Challenge Final in August to a panel of expert judges from Microsoft and Agorize.
By designing the challenge in this multifaceted way, Microsoft aimed to give participants the freedom to leverage AI solutions in a way that was fun and meaningful to them.
“Each participant came to the journey with a unique perspective and interest in AI,” said Sarah Muma, a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft and judge of the mini-sprints, of the event. “Whether it was someone’s first experience with AI, or they were just looking to apply it in a different way, there was something for everyone.”
The success of this approach was reflected in the varied formats, styles and tones of submissions that highlighted the creativity, ambitions and personalities of each team. Final projects ranged from traditional presentations to animated videos, songs, commercials and skits.
“I was always blown away by the creativity of the participants and how they applied the AI concepts for the week to various industries,” Muma noted.
An opportunity for impact in a time of global crisis
In a world placed on stand-by due to COVID-19 related restrictions, the Upskilling Journey was especially valuable. It provided students with a unique opportunity to stay engaged in meaningful work, connect with peers around the globe and partake in hands-on learning, all while staying safe at home.
“The Upskilling Journey is an amazing opportunity for people and young professionals to gain new skills during this challenging time,” remarked Wemba Opota, Artificial Intelligence Enterprise Solutions Lead at Microsoft. “Participants could learn more or deepen their knowledge of AI-enabled solutions and have some fun while learning and creating concrete, real-world projects and meeting new people from around the world.”
Winning Teams and Takeaways
With the high quality and vast creativity of projects, selecting winners was no easy task. Finalists and winning teams were selected based on their project’s creativity, innovativeness, presentation, practical application and learning outcomes (XPs):
SPRINT 1: Microsoft and AI / Introduction to AI
- AInnovators – An educational song about key functions and applications of AI.
- Boro – Increasing efficiency of a civil engineer’s use of various platforms.
SPRINT 2: AI in Healthcare / Azure and Earth Wildlife
- Spicy Water – Using AI to decrease patient risk of surgical site infections (SSIs).
- Juliette – Differentiating animal and human images with AI for ecological studies.
SPRINT 3: AI for Social Good and Sustainability
- Waste Wise – Decreasing food waste through AI predicting consumer food habits.
- Jul-AI – A web app including a chat bot for accessible mental health resources.
SPRINT 4: AI in Finance / Machine Learning
- Double Trouble – A conversational AI system for financial traders.
- Goblet of AI – Using AI to detect toxic comments in online conversation
SPRINT 5: AI in Electric Mobility / Language and Speech in AI
- Aidzy – AI-enabled emergency response using satellite data and electric mobility.
- Jul-AI – An interactive AI chat bot to facilitate online classrooms.
SPRINT 6: AI in Manufacturing, Retail and Education / Responsible AI
- Chi-Hong (With ASL Demo) – an AI system to gather retail insights from video data.
- Team Lopez AI – Using Microsoft cognitive services to alleviate traffic in Colombia.
Based on final XP counts and after much deliberation, winners of the final Cloud Skills Challenge were announced:
- Chi-Hong (with ASL Demo) (Chi-Hong Cheung) – Shared key takeaways and demonstrated an AI system that understands American Sign Language (ASL).
- Priyanshu (Priyanshu Mahey and Larina Chen) – Presented her key learnings and AI applications in fields of wildlife, mental health, pet care and space exploration.
Despite their vast geographic, time and cultural differences, participants left the challenge having advanced their skills and learned something new.
While all participants walked away with valuable experience and new knowledge of AI, winners were also awarded Microsoft Surface Go and Surface Pro tablets as well as vouchers for Microsoft Learn certifications and other Microsoft accessories.
The challenge was a big hit not only for participants, but for the judges, mentors and speakers at Microsoft.
“I had a blast these past few months,” said Muma. “Gathering with the participants to see how they were applying their learnings were highlights of my week!” To participants, she added: “Your participation, your energy, and your collaboration with each other inspired me and taught me new ways of seeing things.”
Hubert Duan, a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft and a second judge and mentor throughout the event, echoed her conviction.
“It has been such a pleasure to see the amazing achievements and demonstrations by the participants. As a practitioner of technology for many years, I most certainly see the promising, bright future ahead as this new generation solves the world’s most challenging problems.”
Like Muma, he thanked everyone who made the event so rewarding.
“A special thank you to the participants, volunteers, and Agorize for making this Discover AI challenge an incredible success.”
As our world shifts and evolves, so too do the applications of AI. Based on the Microsoft AI Upskilling Journey’s success, one thing is clear: the possibilities and passion of the next generation of innovators, when enabled with the right tools, are limitless.
The learning continues with the Upskilling Journey #2
Building upon the success of the first edition, Microsoft will launch the Upskilling Journey #2 in January 2021 to continue its mission to democratize the use of AI solutions among students, young professionals and the general public.
More than developing insightful projects and having access to numerous workshops held in the scope of the initiative, participants will have the opportunity to obtain industry-recognized Microsoft certifications, so click here to find more information and stay tuned as the learning journey undoubtedly continues!”
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/269e8aea-4842-441e-8b89-8b9697dbe2d0
A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5fe8652a-5dfb-423c-9e29-d35610542dbb
Artificial Intelligence
CUBE acquires global regulatory intelligence businesses from Thomson Reuters
LONDON, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — CUBE, a global leader in Automated Regulatory Intelligence (ARI) and Regulatory Change Management (RCM), announces today its acquisition of the Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence and Oden products and businesses.
The acquisition of these global businesses represents a major step forward in CUBE’s growth plans. It will deliver significant scale across many of the world’s leading and systemically important financial institutions. CUBE’s existing global customer base will be expanded to total approximately 1,000 customers in banking, insurance, asset and investment management, payments and adjacent regulated industries.
CUBE’s global employees will expand to 600, of which close to 250 are highly qualified regulatory subject matter experts, legal and compliance professionals.
Ben Richmond, founder and CEO of CUBE said: “Thomson Reuters is known to be the biggest and best in the industry for providing regulatory expert analysis and subject matter expertise, alongside world-leading journalism and news. The combination of CUBE’s purpose-built AI, with the years of content curated by Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence and Oden expert analysts, will accelerate innovation. Together, we will deliver regulatory transformation capabilities for our global customers that could only have been imagined before.”
Richmond continues: “This combination will provide tremendous scale and depth across CUBE’s regulatory content and technology. It is a significant step toward creating an industry-defining regulatory compliance and risk platform that will benefit all customers and elevate the industry as a whole.”
Through this acquisition, CUBE will provide an expanded and comprehensive selection of specialized regulatory intelligence and regulatory change services, committed to excellence, quality, and highly contextualised and meaningful regulatory content for customers. By combining cutting-edge technology and subject matter expertise at scale CUBE will set a new bar for the industry in regulatory automation and content.
Chris Maguire, General Manager, Risk and Fraud, Corporates, Thomson Reuters said: “It was clear to us that CUBE had established itself as a leading regulatory intelligence provider for global enterprise clients in the financial services and insurance sectors. We wanted to ensure our customers and employees could work with an organisation that would continue to innovate and significantly invest in solutions like Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence and Oden. We are working tirelessly to ensure a seamless and value-enhancing transition for customers and employees, and we are looking forward to working with the CUBE team during this transition.”
Christopher Fielding, Hg, said: “We’re delighted to further extend our market reach, bringing in two high quality and complementary global businesses to the CUBE platform.”
Thomas Martin, Hg, added: “We see these acquisitions as enabling further innovation in the regulatory intelligence and change management sector, leading to strengthened demand for these quality solutions across the globe.”
The terms of the transaction will not be disclosed.
About CUBE
CUBE provides a highly comprehensive and robust source of classified, and meaningful AI-driven regulatory data to power its Automated Regulatory Intelligence (ARI) and Regulatory Change Management (RCM) solutions. CUBE’s purpose-built regulatory technology including its AI engine (RegBrain) and software platform (RegPlatform) tracks, analyses, and monitors laws, rules, and regulations in every country and in every published language to create an always up-to-date regulatory footprint that transforms visibility and compliance capability for customers across the globe.
With operations across Europe, North America, Canada, Asia, and Australia, CUBE serves a diverse and global base of customers and partners including the largest financial institutions in the world who leverage CUBE’s platform to streamline their complex regulatory intelligence and change management processes.
Following the strategic partnership with Hg in March 2024, CUBE announced the acquisition of US-based Reg-Room in May 2024.
About Hg
Hg supports the building of sector-leading enterprises that supply businesses with critical software applications or workflow services, delivering a more automated workplace for their customers.
This industry is characterised by digitisation trends that are in early stages of adoption and are set to transform the workplace for professionals over decades to come. Hg’s support combines deep end-market knowledge with world class operational resources, together providing compelling support to entrepreneurial leaders looking to scale their business – businesses that are well invested, enduring and serve their customers well.
With a vast European network and strong presence across North America, Hg’s 400 employees and around $70 billion in funds under management support a portfolio of around 50 businesses, worth over $140 billion aggregate enterprise value, with over 110,000 employees, consistently growing revenues at more than 20%.
About Regulatory Intelligence
Regulatory Intelligence is a proactive, connected, and comprehensive solution that tracks and analyses regulatory changes within ~2,000 regulatory bodies and rulebooks for more than 20 countries. It enables banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sectors to manage exposure to operational, regulatory, and compliance risk.
About Oden
Oden State Rules and Regulations (SR&R), Oden Policy Terminator/Sentry PT, and OdenTrack provide repositories and automated solutions for complying with state rules and regulations on the provisioning of Personal and Business Insurance in the US.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cube-acquires-global-regulatory-intelligence-businesses-from-thomson-reuters-302147604.html
Artificial Intelligence
Cayman Enterprise City Publishes Socio-Economic Impact Assessment by Economist and Leading Advisor on the Caribbean, Marla Dukharan
The Impact of Cayman Enterprise City’s Socio-Economic Development Project Nears USD $1 Billion
GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Cayman Enterprise City (CEC) has released a Socio-Economic Impact Assessment by Marla Dukharan. The report illustrates that CEC is increasing its impact by supporting higher earnings for Caymanians and is driving a shift towards a knowledge-based economy by focusing on high productivity sectors. The release by Dukharan reads, “Caymanian resourcefulness and private sector-led innovation have been the driving force behind the islands’ outstanding socio-economic success. Cayman Enterprise City underpins the next generation of Cayman innovation and dynamism.”
With an economic impact of USD $130 million in 2023, contributing just under USD $1 billion to the local economic activity in 12 years since inception, “CEC is helping the nation to diversify economically, in terms of sectors and jobs, ensuring locals have economic and employment opportunities that match the nation’s progress,” the report reads.
The CEC socio-economic development project is now home to 352 Special Economic Zones Companies (SEZCos), many of which are globally recognised institutions led by top executives and industry experts. “CEC member companies are providing high-value employment with salaries exceeding those typically found outside of the special economic zone,” said Charlie Kirkconnell, Chief Executive Officer at CEC. “The CEC community is fully invested in Cayman and the report illustrates that the CEC socio-economic development project is making a very significant impact on Cayman’s economy and community.”
“As CEC continues to grow, it continues to create significant employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for Caymanians and we encourage anyone that might be interested in finding out how they might get involved, whether as a member of the community and/or as a volunteer in our Enterprise Cayman non-profit organisation (NPO).”
77% of Caymanian-held jobs at CEC member companies, are in sectors with high social returns and increasing global demand. “By putting skills first and prioritizing learning, CEC is enabling new industries to take root,” the release by Dukharan reads.
CEC, through its Enterprise Cayman NPO, is a first-mover in private sector-facilitated education and training in the Caribbean, making it a leading force to boost youth participation in the economy. By offering training in specialised skills, Enterprise Cayman is helping to close the gap in higher education and earnings for Caymanians. “Through Enterprise Cayman we’ve set out to strategically support meaningful employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for Caymanians, by providing internship and mentorship opportunities, by hosting skill-building and career focused training, and by providing invaluable networking and community engagement opportunities,” said Kirkconnell.
In 2023 individuals took advantage of 4,226 opportunities to participate in education, training, and career development events and, since launching entrepreneurial programming in 2021, Enterprise Cayman has worked with 41 new Cayman-born business ventures. “We’re helping to develop a local talent pool that meets the demand of Cayman’s growing digital innovation and technology sectors while, in parallel, offering exciting opportunities for individuals to launch new business ventures within an innovative business environment,” said Kirkconnell.
With CEC’s new campus and state-of-the-art facilities, Signal House, the project “holds the promise of deep, continued economic impact,” the report concludes.
To access CEC’s economic impact assessments and Enterprise Cayman’s annual reports please visit https://www.enterprisecayman.ky/reports. For more information on how to get involved and for upcoming programmes and events visit www.enterprisecayman.ky.
Website: www.caymanenterprisecity.com LinkedIn: @CaymanEnterpriseCityTwitter: @CEC_CaymanInstagram: @CaymanEnterpriseCityFacebook: @CaymanEnterpriseCityYouTube: @ceccayman
About Cayman Enterprise City
Cayman Enterprise City (CEC) is an award-winning development project which consists of three special economic zones (SEZs) focused on attracting knowledge-based and specialised-services businesses to set up a genuine physical presence in the Cayman Islands. The zones included within CEC are Cayman Tech City, Cayman Commodities & Derivatives Centre, and Cayman Maritime & Aviation City. With a dedicated Government Authority, licensing fee concessions and guaranteed fast-track processes, CEC enables international companies to quickly and efficiently establish a Cayman Islands office, which in turn enables them to generate active business income within a tax neutral environment.
About Enterprise Cayman
Enterprise Cayman is a non-profit organisation (NPO) powered by Cayman Enterprise City in partnership with Cayman Islands’ special economic zone companies (SEZCos). The organisation, which applies the Theory of Change (TOC) methodology, provides Caymanians and residents with access to high-quality learning experiences and opportunities to develop and launch new business ventures, to pursue careers within the technology and innovation sectors, and to join a dynamic network of industry professionals. Let’s grow the next generation of Caymanian innovators and entrepreneurs with Enterprise Cayman!
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1317764/2860789/Cayman_Enterprise_City_Logo.jpg
FOR MORE INFORMATION:Contact: Kaitlyn Elphinstone Email: [email protected]
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cayman-enterprise-city-publishes-socio-economic-impact-assessment-by-economist-and-leading-advisor-on-the-caribbean-marla-dukharan-302148206.html
Artificial Intelligence
Strava Unveils New Chapter of Accelerated Product Development at Brand’s Flagship Event
The Company introduces increased product velocity, leveraging advancements in Artificial Intelligence, in service of its vision of a world connected through movement
LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Strava, the leading digital community for active people with more than 125 million athletes, today showcased its latest initiatives and product developments at its annual event, Camp Strava. With the theme of Progress, Together company leaders announced how the platform will empower its global community to make progress in the way they explore, move, and connect on Strava.
“Strava is gaining momentum to realize our vision of a world connected through movement,” said Michael Martin, chief executive officer of Strava. “We are focused on two fundamental shifts to accelerate how we deliver value to 125 million people globally– building for women and leveraging Artificial Intelligence – which will unlock new community-and-partner-powered experiences across the platform.”
A New Era of Product VelocityStrava, with new leaders at the helm, is ushering in its next era of product velocity. The company listened closely to feedback from its global community and announced three of the most requested features coming to the platform by the end of the year.
The first of these updates, AI-enabled Leaderboard Integrity, will harness machine learning to automatically flag irregular, improbable, or impossible activities recorded to the platform. Trained by millions of activities, this feature allows all users on Strava to play fair and have more fun.
Additionally, the company announced a new Family Plan Subscription, the sister of the company’s Student Plan. With Family Plan, it’s easier to make a fitness commitment with your community by sharing an annual subscription with up to three other people – friends, family, or fitness family. Launching in select countries this summer, with plans to roll out globally by the end of the year, Strava’s newest annual subscription option offers the best value for groups (up to four), with a discount off the regular subscription price for each member.
Strava also implemented an updated design system, an initiative that is integral in driving a heightened pace of product innovation at the company. Through this work, Strava announced the launch of one of the company’s most requested features, Dark mode. Dark mode will improve the in-app experience for all users, reducing eye strain and improving accessibility while they record activity or scroll through the feed. Athletes can expect a rollout later this summer with options to keep their mobile settings always dark, always light, or match their device settings.
Company leaders highlighted several other features and updates to current products like Flyover, with its next iteration offering an overlay with activity stats and off-platform sharing capabilities. The overlay is available today for Strava subscribers and an off-platform sharing option will be released later this year.
Build for Her, Build for ManyStudies show that women of all ages participate in sports at a far lower rate than men, and overall, despite wanting to be active, find less time to dedicate to an active lifestyle. As the company continues on its mission to motivate people to live their best active lives, building for women on the platform will ultimately serve everyone in the Strava community. Several new features and initiatives were announced as a part of this strategic focus, which includes:
Night Heatmaps: Night Heatmaps show only activities between sundown and sunrise – so athletes can get an idea of which roads, trails, and paths are well-trafficked after hours. Since Night Heatmaps filter for after-hours routes, it can be a helpful tool for female athletes training before sunrise and after sunset.Quick Edit: For active women, having control over what is shared with the Strava community that cheers them on – like what time a run is logged – is important. Quick Edit makes it easier to make the most common edits – like activity name, and privacy settings so you can hide your start time, your map, or other workout stats.Strive for More®: The company announced a new phase of its Strive for More® initiative, created in 2022 to promote and support women in movement and sport. Today, Strava unveiled an official partnership with media company TOGETHXR to encourage more women to watch – and play – women’s sports. As part of the partnership, Strava will also donate $100,000 to the Alex Morgan Foundation, started by co-founder of TOGETHXR, Alex Morgan, to support their mission to help girls and women find confident paths forward in sports and life.Athlete IntelligenceToday, Strava announced the start of an accelerated product roadmap, outlining how Strava will implement the latest technological enhancements in AI and machine learning, to transform the athlete experience.
One key advancement to the platform includes the company’s latest development, Athlete Intelligence. Strava is introducing its beta AI-powered feature which turns each subscriber’s training data into an easily digestible summary that contextualizes their accomplishments and fitness goals. Unlike other AI-powered training services, Strava connects with thousands of devices, wearables, and fitness apps, so an athlete’s insights can consider their entire fitness story across multiple sports and modalities.
The features shared at Camp Strava will be released on a rolling basis through the end of the year. To view the full list of product releases and further details, visit www.press.strava.com.
For more information on Strava, to create a free account, or to start a free subscription trial visit www.strava.com.
About Strava Strava is the leading digital community for active people with more than 125 million athletes, in more than 190 countries. The platform offers a holistic view of your active lifestyle, no matter where you live, which sport you love and/or what device you use. Everyone belongs on Strava when they are pursuing an active life. Join the community, find motivation and discover new experiences with a Strava subscription.
Visit www.strava.com for more information and connect with Strava on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Media Contact: [email protected]
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2413914/Darkmode_STRAVA.jpgPhoto – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2413915/Flyover_STRAVA.jpg Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2413913/Athlete_Intelligence_STRAVA__INC.jpg
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/strava-unveils-new-chapter-of-accelerated-product-development-at-brands-flagship-event-302147068.html
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