Coffee Briefings are timely deliveries of the latest ITWC headlines, interviews, and podcasts. Today’s Coffee Briefing is delivered by IT World Canada’s editorial team!
Missed last week’s Coffee Briefing? We’ve got you covered.
Western University researchers are developing the next phase in self-driving cars
A team at Western University’s faculty of electrical and computer engineering is working on a project aimed at developing more ‘people-focused’ self-driving cars.
This project uses a simple, inexpensive camera that tracks the driver’s pupil size and facial expressions while the car is in level three autonomous driving mode, where drivers have the option to relinquish control of the vehicle in specific road conditions. The system will be able to detect signs of stress, anger, distraction, and monitor blood pressure.
“If the cognitive load of the driver is high, for example, it means they are incapable of correctly analyzing the unexpected situation that caused their self-driving car to alarm in the first place, and that means either the automated system should either maintain control, perform a safe, emergency stop, or call 911 depending on the situation,” explained professor of electrical and computer engineering Soodeh Nikan.
“The more control the automated system has, the more freedom the driver is given,” she said. “Yet, when the car encounters something unexpected, it will still alert the driver to intervene and our goal is to make sure the driver is in the right state to resume that control when it does happen.”
This project is also making use of Harshita Mangotra’s expertise. She is an undergraduate student in electronics and communication engineering at Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, and her experience with developing AI algorithms was important in creating a computer vision system that accurately detects and calculates changes in pupil size in real time.
This project is expected to be ready for simulated driver testing later this year.
IPC releases lesson plans for media literacy and privacy education
The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) and MediaSmarts, Canada’s centre for digital media literacy released four new lesson plans to help educators teach students elements of media literacy and privacy.
The lesson plans range from grades two to eight and come with a corresponding activity booklet. The topics covered include:
- What is Privacy? (Grades 2 – 3)
- Protecting Your Privacy (Grades 4 – 5)
- The Value of Privacy (Grades 6 – 7)
- My Privacy, Your Privacy (Grades 7 – 8)
“It’s essential to allow children to participate in a digital world, while also supporting them as they navigate through it,” said Matthew Johnson, director of education at MediaSmarts, Canada’s Centre for Digital Media Literacy. “These lesson plans are a valuable resource in teaching children the life and digital media literacy skills they need to exercise their privacy rights online.”
Dr. Phone Fix announces its new partnership with Apple as an independent repair provider
Canadian electronic devices repair chain Dr. Phone Fix has announced its new position as an Apple independent repair provider.
Piyush Sawhney, Dr. Phone Fix’s chief executive officer (CEO), said, “We’re delighted our technicians can now do out-of-warranty repairs using genuine Apple parts, sourced from Apple, and Apple diagnostics, tools and processes for iPhone customers. Our goal is to make sure all repairs are done reliably and safely. We will also continue to provide premium non-OEM repair options for iPhone and Mac users.”
Former Salesforce executive launches Astrlive, a new ecommerce experience
Live Media Technologies Corp. has announced Astrlive, a live video platform designed to enhance the e-commerce customer experience. It aims to bridge the gap between AI-driven engagement and authentic human interaction, offering an in-store-like shopping experience in the digital realm.
Company co-founder Akshit Kandi, whose professional background includes collaboration with brands such as Adidas and Nike during his tenures at Salesforce and MediaMath, leads the Astrlive initiative. Kandi’s expertise in AI, machine learning, and marketing technologies contributed to the development of Astrlive’s interactive features.
Antler Venture Capital’s support will facilitate Astrlive’s platform expansion, bolstering its presence in retail live-streaming, and broadening its team of experts.
ChatGPT set to generate one billion dollars in revenue by 2024
With ChatGPT exploding in popularity over the past nine months, a recent report by BanklessTimes stated that the company’s user base jumped from 57 million to 200 million monthly active users within this time period.
The United States holds the biggest share of users – currently around 12 per cent – with India and Japan making up nearly eight percent and four per cent, respectively.
The report states that ChatGPT’s current revenue model will see a turnover of “US$200 million in revenue by the end of 2023.” However, due to its increase in users, it’s expected “that as soon as 2024, ChatGPT will have generated one billion dollars in revenue, a staggering 500 per cent year-on-year increase.”
Bankless Times estimates that by 2025, more than one in every four Americans will be using ChatGPT regularly.
More to explore
TuringBot is not your average AI assistant: Forrester assesses the budding technology
TuringBots are going to be a game changer for development teams, with early adopters claiming increased software development productivity of 15 per cent to 30 per cent, Forrester reveals in a new report.
On Friday, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) released the 2023-2027 Spectrum Outlook report, highlighting the new guidelines and objectives for increasing the availability of spectrum in Canada.
How the fledgling INC ransomware gang struck one victim
The new INC ransomware group took no more than a week — and possibly less — to enter and encrypt an organization’s IT systems, according to researchers at Huntress.
Solution to hardware flaw in Intel CPUs may cause large performance hit
A hardware flaw in Intel Core and Xeon CPUs lets attackers steal data from other users on the same system, including on servers that use Intel’s SGX memory protections, according to a Google researcher.
Alberta dental plan administrator paid ransomware gang after attack
An agency that administers dental benefit plans for Alberta’s disabled children, seniors and low-income residents has paid the 8base ransomware gang an undisclosed amount of money after the crooks showed they had deleted the data the group stole in a recent attack.
Ditch SMS-based MFA, urges board investigating Lapsus$ gang’s successful attacks
Many organizations victimized by the Lapsus$ extortion gangs through SIM swapping and tricking employees through social engineering have only themselves to blame for being hacked, suggests a U.S. government report.
Advocacy group raises privacy concerns as facial recognition technology booms
Safety, efficiency and profitability are touted as the key drivers behind the growing popularity of digital ID technologies like facial recognition, but they present important privacy risks, Calgary-based legal advocacy organization Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) reveals in a new report.
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Trending
Hashtag Trending Aug.15-IBM unveils a prototype “brain-like” chip; Most Americans want greater regulation of AI; Tech firms cut back on remote work job listings.
Listen to the latest episode of Cybersecurity Today
Cyber Security Today, August 14, 2023 – A huge insurance company hack, presentations at the Black Hat conference, and more.
Listen to the latest episode of Hashtag Tendances
If you live in Québec, or prefer to consume the latest technology news in French, our sister publication Direction Informatique has you covered. Follow them on Twitter as well.
