The Big Data & AI Conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre brought several start-ups, speakers, and presenters this October, to discuss game-changing innovations and disruptive technology. Exhibitors spanned the market of cloud computing, business intelligence, artificial intelligence, and the latest in app technology.
Nuralogix boasted its Anura product as “the world’s first smartphone app that can inform you about your general wellness in 30 seconds.” It’s a contactless way to do a basic medical check-up. With one real-time face scan, it can sense heart rate, blood pressure, glucose level, stress, and 30 other vital signs. To back up their science, Nuralogix has 13 patents and 75 scientists, plus global peer-reviewed publications and clinical studies.
Akshay Kaye.
Among the dozens of speakers were Akshay Kalle, CTO of Elastic Care, who gave a talk on “Ethics in AI: Empathy, Product, and Balance.” He referred to the “calculus of considerations,” where he cautioned the problem of Big Tech listening in to our conversations through mobile devices, web searches, and verbal searches. “Just because you’re big, doesn’t mean you’re good,” he warned.
Rohaan Ahmed.
Rohaan Ahmed, product manager of Mission Control, gave a lecture called “Artificial Intelligence on the Edge in Space.” In just a few months, the first AI moon mission will take place that has its production in Ottawa. He said to expect that space exploration will quickly go from “typically governed by large corporations like NASA and the military,” to “entering the phase of private investment,” including satellite-based internet and independent space flights.
Adam Thornsteinson from Bitstrapped held a session called “Supercharge Your Data Science Team.” He outlined two challenges data scientists have faced: the first is the need to defer to engineers to complete projects, making it inefficient. The second is the sudden change of data from unpredictable outside circumstances. “COVID changed our shopping habits,” he said, “so that any computing model that was trained to predict shopping habits pre-COVID will start to have its predictions be less accurate.”
Jared Lindzon.
Jared Lindzon, columnist for Fast Company and The Globe and Mail, shared the stage with former U.S. presidential candidate Andrew Yang. Lindzon shared these thoughts about the conference: “It was a great opportunity for Big Data to come together to consider the various opportunities, to press the industry forward, and discuss the years ahead,” he noted.
“All this in Toronto, a city that is quickly emerging as a big data centre with other high-tech products and services. Events like this conference certainly help with that reputation. It goes to show that high-tech exists, not in some silo or far-flung corner, but top-of-mind for policy makers and decision makers in every industry. Woven in everything we do. It is a valuable opportunity for the industry and the city itself.”
Dave Gordon | Associate Editor
