Find here a listing of the latest industry news in genomics, genetics, precision medicine, and beyond. Updates are provided on a monthly basis. Sign-Up for our newsletter and never miss out on the latest news and updates. As 2019 came to an end, Veritas Genetics struggled to get funding due to concerns it had previously taken money from China. It was forced to cease US operations and is in talks with potential buyers. The GenomeAsia 100K Project announced its pilot phase with hopes to tackle the underrepresentation of non-Europeans in human genetic studies and enable genetic discoveries across Asia. Veritas Genetics, the start-up that can sequence a human genome for less than $600, ceases US operations and is in talks with potential buyers Veritas Genetics ceases US operations but will continue Veritas Europe and Latin America. It had trouble raising funding due to previous China investments and is looking to be acquired. Illumina loses DNA sequencing patents The European Patent ...

Quick: what do you get when you combine an AI, a dozen electrodes and the human brain? Specifically, verbal memory that helps you remember a list of random words, a speech or maybe parts of a book you recently read. Plus it happens without any effort on your part or outside interference. Duh, you're probably thinking, I've heard this before. Yes, brain stimulation has been on a roll for the past few years.

At a Legaltech of long ago, I was given a demonstration of the discovery software of the company then called eDiscovery Tools. I asked if the software included a particular feature, and the demonstrator thought for a while and said "We don't have that yet. Ask me again in two weeks". I was rather impressed by this reply from what was then a small software company, with the ability to assess a suggestion and implement it quickly. That company, now called EDT, is no longer so small.

The contact centre is changing. In the past, call centre agents had to process a large volume of standard calls, really quickly. But with the deployment of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA) these agents no longer have to carry out incredibly repetitive tasks and can rather focus their attention on tackling more complex customer concerns. For call agents, RPA makes it possible to complete simple tasks across back-end systems, which reduces the amount of time spent on admin, says Adriaan van Staden, senior sales manager at call centre tech vendor Genesys South Africa. RPA is in its broadest sense an application that is governed by business logic and structured inputs, aimed at automating business processes.

A briefing from the European Parliament [1] provides accessible introductions to some of the key techniques that come under the Artificial Intelligence banner, grouped into three sections to give a sense the chronology of its development. The first describes early techniques, described as'symbolic AI' while the second focuses on the'data driven' approaches that currently dominate, and the third looks towards possible future developments. By explaining what is'deep' about deep learning and showing that AI is more maths than magic, the briefing aims to equip the reader with the understanding they need to engage in clear-headed reflection about AI's opportunities and challenges. In 2019, community groups, researchers, policymakers, and workers demanded a halt to risky and dangerous AI. AI Now's 2019 report [2] spotlights these growing movements, examining the coalitions involved and the research, arguments, and tactics used.

Federal agencies and the private sector would have new guidelines for developing artificial intelligence technologies, such as AI-powered medical devices and autonomous vehicles and drones, under a draft set of principles from the Trump administration. The 10 principles released Tuesday by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy would direct federal agencies to develop consistent policies on AI technology, including soliciting public engagement from academics, nonprofits, industry and civil society, while also ensuring the products are safe for the public and don't discriminate. "We believe that consistency is really, really important and it sends a very important and very powerful message to industry so that they actually have clarity on the way that they should be thinking about bringing forth products which fall under some sort of regulatory oversight," Michael Kratsios, U.S. chief technology officer, said on a press call yesterday. "With this consistency, we think we can spur greater innovation around the country, and we can also help all of our regulators across all of our agencies be more consistent and be more aware of what they need to do to promulgate regulations at a good clip and speed," Kratsios added. Kratsios and Lynne Parker, the U.S. deputy chief technology officer, are expected to speak further about the the AI regulatory principles during separate panels on Wednesday at CES, the year's largest tech show, taking place in Las Vegas.

I'll miss it as I'll be in Dubai at the AI Everything Conference that week. Otherwise I'd be groveling and begging Professor Jim to let me hang out with the cool kids. The moral of this rant is that, as George Pullen was saying the other day, everyone needs to be aware and engaged in the artificial intelligence conversation. Don't let the #AINerds skip making #Skynet and do something far more deciduous. Deny your children of a secure, private, data sovereign future.

The International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE), set to take place March 30 to April 3, will key in a number of industry topics, including 5G, FirstNet, drones, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, wearables and push-to-talk communications. IWCE will also feature a drone demonstration area and safe cities section. The event is designed for those in the critical communications industry, including first responders, police enforcement, fire departments and government. According to show organizers, more than 7,000 people are expected to attend the five-day event. IWCE will also include educational workshops, short courses, power sessions, keynote addresses, town hall meetings and networking events.

A few months after taking part in Tampa Bay Wave's TechDiversity accelerator, TheIncLab has established an office in Ybor City. The company, headquartered in Washington, D.C. and with an office in Nashville, develops artificial intelligence-based systems designed to learn and collaborate with humans. On Monday, the company moved into The Undercroft, a cybersecurity guild and development center in Ybor City. Local civic, business and government leaders have been pushing to grow the technology sector, so the TheIncLab's decision to open an office here comes as welcome news. "TheIncLab's announcement is further proof that Tampa's reputation as a rising tech market is gaining national attention and attracting some really innovative companies," said Marie Chinnici-Everitt, managing director of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. and chair of the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council.

The new decade opened with some intriguing news: The journal Nature reported that artificial intelligence was better at identifying breast cancers on mammograms than radiologists. Researchers at Google Health teamed up with academic medical centers in the United States and Britain to train an AI system using tens of thousands of mammograms. To understand why, it helps to have a sense of how AI systems learn. In this case, the system was trained with images labeled as either "cancer" or "not cancer." From them, it learned to deduce features -- such as shape, density and edges -- that are associated with the cancer label.