Author: Art Ryan

Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission is considering nixing a prior consent requirement when obtaining sensitive personal information for the development of artificial intelligence. The move by the government agency is intended to make it easier for AI-related businesses to utilize personal information. The personal information protection law is reviewed every three years. “In light of the creation and development of new industries, a study is being made while balancing the protection of personal rights and interests and the utilization of personal information,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news conference on Friday. Under the law, information such as…

As big tech developers race to roll out the next generation of artificial intelligence, some people are already enlisting an army of AI helpers to check off their daily to-do lists. These are called agents: AI systems that automatically come up with a plan and execute it at your request. They can take the form of a shopping assistant, a video gaming coach or even a fully self-driving car. “This notion that we will have our own personalized assistant, if you will, is one way to think about it,” Tammy Madsen, professor of strategy & innovation at Santa Clara University,…

Tech giant Meta is reportedly expanding its presence in India with a new office in Bengaluru and is looking to hire engineers and product specialists for artificial intelligence (AI). With this move, Meta follows in the footsteps of major tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, which have already established strong engineering and product teams in Bengaluru and across India. According to a job listing on Meta’s website, the company is hiring an engineering director who will be responsible for building a strong technical team in Bengaluru. This role will play a key part in shapin .. As per posts by Meta employees on LinkedIn,…

📍 Location: Doha Exhibition & Convention Center, Qatar📅 Dates: February 23-26, 2025 The wait is over—Web Summit Qatar 2025 officially kicks off today, marking the beginning of one of the most anticipated global technology conferences of the year. Over the next four days, visionary entrepreneurs, investors, tech leaders, and innovators from across the world will gather in Doha to explore the latest advancements in AI, fintech, Web3, and emerging technologies. This premier event will serve as a global stage for groundbreaking discussions, startup innovations, and exclusive industry insights that will shape the future of technology and business. 🌍 What to…

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are helping improve sales, operational efficiency and customer service at The RealReal, executives said Thursday (Feb. 20) during the company’s quarterly earnings call. The online marketplace for resale luxury goods is either using or preparing to use AI to help identify potential consignors, authenticate items, determine optimal pricing, list items, improve search results and enhance customer service. “Our rich data and tech capabilities enable us to benefit from recent advancements in AI,” The RealReal President and CEO Rati Levesque said in prepared remarks for the earnings call. “We’ve used these capabilities to drive efficiency and accelerate our path to profitability.” In…

Microsoft and OpenAI share a vision for AI’s future, but with different execution speeds. While OpenAI is moving aggressively to secure massive computing resources, Microsoft appears to be taking a slightly more measured approach. According to investor documents reviewed by The Information, OpenAI plans to source about 75% of its computing power from the “Stargate” data center project by 2030. This joint venture with SoftBank and Oracle would effectively replace Microsoft as OpenAI’s primary infrastructure partner. The scale of this ambition is striking – OpenAI aims to build data centers with 8 gigawatts of total capacity, putting it on par with the entire…

France-based Genial raised 1.8 million euros (about $1.9 million) in its first funding round to develop artificial intelligence agents for tourism and leisure businesses. The funding round was led by Huttopia and Crédit Agricole, via Crédit Agricole Aquitaine Expansion and Crédit Agricole La Réunion – Mayotte, according to an EU-Startups report reposted on LinkedIn Friday (Feb. 21) by Genial. Genial helps businesses implement AI solutions by training them about AI, helping them discover the technology’s uses and develop their own projects, customizing its own existing AI solutions to meet the needs of the business, and managing the business’ AI agents through its agents-as-a-service platform, according to Genial’s website, as translated by Google.…

The Artificial Intelligence Movement for National Sovereignty Resilience (GARUDA) program, a collaboration initiated by tech firm Binar and the State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Foundation, is set to educate 100,000 civil servants with AI technology materials provided by Microsoft. This program serves as a strategic initiative to strengthen national resilience through AI utilization. “Binar’s vision is to be a facilitator in AI transformation. The GARUDA program is a concrete step toward realizing that goal,” Binar president director Alamanda Shantika Santoso said in Jakarta on Wednesday, as reported by Antara news agency. Alamanda said that Indonesia currently ranks 38th out of 120 countries in…

Large language models (LLMs) have shown remarkable advancements in reasoning capabilities in solving complex tasks. While models like OpenAI’s o1 and DeepSeek’s R1 have significantly improved challenging reasoning benchmarks such as competition math, competitive coding, and GPQA, critical limitations remain in evaluating their true reasoning potential. The current reasoning datasets focus on problem-solving tasks but fail to encompass domains that require open-ended reasoning. Moreover, these datasets suffer from limited diversity in both scale and difficulty levels, making it challenging to evaluate and enhance the reasoning capabilities of LLMs across different domains and complexity levels. Previous attempts to enhance LLM reasoning…

Doha, Qatar: Today, Web Summit, the world’s largest global technology event series, announced that Oscar-winning Hollywood superstar Will Smith will be speaking at the second edition of Web Summit Qatar, taking place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC) from February 23-26, 2025. Web Summit Qatar is set to gather over 25,000 technology and business leaders, founders, 600 world-leading investors, 600 media, and a record 1,500+ startups for its highly anticipated return. As well as his onscreen stardom, Smith is also a business founder and entrepreneur. In 2019, he and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith founded Westbrook, an entertainment…

Vodafone Qatar has announced its participation in this year’s Web Summit Qatar, slated from February 23 to 26 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC). As a prominent telecommunications provider, Vodafone Qatar remains dedicated to spearheading digital innovation and fostering technological advancements. The company’s presence at the summit signifies its commitment to maintaining industry leadership and exploring new avenues for growth and collaboration. During the summit, Vodafone Qatar will exhibit its latest developments in 5G technology, Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, and digital transformation tools aimed at enhancing office solutions, unified collaboration, and critical communication. Attendees will have the…

📅 Dates: February 23-26, 2025📍 Location: Doha Exhibition & Convention Center, Qatar⏳ Countdown: Just one day to go! The wait is over! Web Summit Qatar 2025 begins tomorrow, bringing together visionary entrepreneurs, investors, and global tech leaders for one of the most anticipated technology events of the year. Over the next four days, industry pioneers will explore the latest advancements in AI, fintech, Web3, and emerging technologies, shaping the future of digital innovation. This game-changing event offers exclusive insights, unmatched networking opportunities, and a global stage for startups to showcase their cutting-edge solutions. 🌍 Why You Can’t Miss Web Summit…

“HandySense B-Farm” will enable farmers to utilise digital technology to enhance their capabilities and promote sustainability Thailand has unveiled a new smart farming platform, “HandySense B-Farm”, which harnesses the power of smart sensors, artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) to help farmers control and manage their farms efficiently. It will help reduce cost and boost the Thai agricultural sector’s competitiveness at the global level. HandySense B-Farm was recently launched by the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (NECTEC) as part of the digital agriculture promotion policy of the National Science and Technology Development Agency. “The launch of HandySense…

After a strong finish last week, markets stumbled sideways through the ongoing uncertainties of a breakneck restructuring of federal financial systems. The S&P 500 stuck to support at its 10-week moving average. The Nasdaq and Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped narrowly below that line. But within that stasis, a rotation away from growth stocks caused some serious chart damage in the stock market among many of the leading names in the sector. The Innovator IBD 50 ETF (FFTY) shed more than 12% for the week. But that followed a two-week advance, so that the fund ended the week down only…

Hospitals across the nation are adopting AI at an increasing rate, but there are still plenty of kinks to work out when it comes to measuring the success of these tools and scaling them across an enterprise, according to Kiran Mysore, chief data & analytics officer at Northern California-based health system Sutter Health. “The challenge we have today is most pilots don’t think about ROI upfront. It’s ‘let’s go — just solve the problem and go do it.’ The danger there is that you go too far without having a conversation about AI value. You have to have that conversation up…

You’re reading AL-Monitor City Pulse — Doha, the latest from Doha’s culture and lifestyle scene and the influence of Qatari history on the city’s expanding arts landscape. To get this newsletter in your inbox each week, sign up for free here. One of the region’s most anticipated tech events, Web Summit Qatar 2025, is returning to Doha, bringing top innovators to the city. Meanwhile, music lovers won’t want to miss the 25N 51E Music Festival, featuring Tiesto and Black Coffee. Leading the week: Web Summit Qatar 2025 Doha is gearing up to host one of the most influential tech gatherings in the region: Web…

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) is preparing to participate in Web Summit Qatar 2025, being held from February 23-26 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre. MCIT will showcase three of its key programmes supporting digital entrepreneurship and startups: the Digital Incubation Centre, the Tasmu Accelerator, and the recently launched Scale Now programme. Additionally, 48 incubated startups will present their digital solutions to summit visitors, with 16 startups showcasing their innovations daily. The summit will also feature four Masterclasses that explore the latest trends in technology and entrepreneurship. These sessions will include discussions on the MCIT’s Digital…

Riding the wave of an unprecedented comeback, Triller is poised to continue to reshape the creator economy. The short-form video app’s CEO Sean Kim will take center stage at Web Summit Qatar 2025 to unveil game-changing product updates, exclusive partnerships, and a brand-new community project launch. The highly anticipated keynote, “AI and the New Era of the Creator Economy,” is set for February 24 at 3:20 p.m. at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC). Kim will be joined by A-list influencers and celebrities, reflecting Triller’s unique positioning at the intersection of music, culture, and cutting-edge technology. With brand new features and exclusive creator collaborations, Triller…

Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), in partnership with Web Summit and the Government Communications Office, hosted ‘Runway to Web Summit Qatar 2025’, yesterday in anticipation of the Web Summit Qatar 2025 next week. The event, which brought together prominent industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators witnessed the participation of Paddy Cosgrave, CEO of Web Summit; Dr. Jack Lau, President of QSTP; Hayfa Al Abdullah, Innovation Director, Qatar Science & Technology Park; Amna Khalid Al Kaabi, Head of Emerging Technologies, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT); and Dr. Ahmed K. Elmagarmid – Executive Director, Qatar Computing Research Institute. The event…

Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council has unveiled an exciting and comprehensive agenda for the upcoming Web Summit Qatar, set to take place from February 23 to 26, 2025. As both a strategic partner of the Web Summit Qatar and the exclusive partner of the Corporate Innovation Summit, QRDI Council has curated a series of dynamic and engaging activities for attendees. Including panel discussions, presentations, and knowledge-sharing sessions hosted at QRDI Council’s pavilion, located at E202, designed to provide an immersive, interactive experience. QRDI Council’s Secretary-General, Omar Al Ansari, will participate in a key panel discussion on the Innovation Ecosystem.…