In the past few years, the lack of diversity in the technology startup ecosystem has become a well-known point of rightful criticism. The collective voices of women, people of color and LGBTQ founders and VCs has given this issue national attention, as well as exciting solutions. From Backstage Capital to SoGal Ventures and many other firms, investors and organizations, diversity in tech is not only becoming more common but also finally recognized as a necessary part of a proper business model. There has been much discussion of diversity in tech in general, and of course, having people from varied backgrounds/experiences - especially those who are committed to equality - in all companies and organizations is important. Perhaps now is the time to begin discussing where having a variety of experiences could have the most impact - not only for building better technologies and businesses, but also for building better societies as a whole.

As far as rivalries go, R vs Python can almost reach the levels of the glory days of Barca vs Madrid, Stones vs Beatles, or Sega vs Nintendo. Just dare to venture onto Twitter asking which language is best for data science to witness two tightly entrenched camps. Or at least that's what seemingly hundreds of Medium articles would like you believe. In reality, beyond some good-natured and occasionally entertaining joshing, the whole debate is rather silly. Because the question itself is wrong.

TF Encrypted aims to make encrypted deep learning accessible. For this reason, we are pleased to share with the community that TF Encrypted now offers a high level API, TF Encrypted Keras, which matches a subset of Keras's features. This is an important first step to supporting complex neural network architectures and use cases. François Chollet, the creator of Keras, aimed to provide the best user experience possible when designing the Keras API. As he explained in this blog post, good UX reduces cognitive load (e.g., remembering how things work).

Founded in 2015, Agility Robotics is developing highly capable bipedal robots for a range of different uses – such as last-mile logistics, telepresence, automated inspection, entertainment, and academic research. By supplying legged machines that can go anywhere a person can go, Agility aims to create a dramatic new mobility option to automate applications never before thought possible. The company, based in Albany, Oregon, USA, has just revealed the latest iteration of its'Digit' robot. This machine (version 2.0) now features a ground-up torso redesign, a foot with two degrees of freedom, active cooling and expanded environmental range, a larger battery, and improved perception. In the video below, Digit can be seen demonstrating shared autonomy, with picking/placing and footstep placement using a combination of autonomous navigation while under local teleoperation.

Artwork for the online video game'League of Legends,' which turns 10 in October 2019. When it comes to video games, "League of Legends" is in a league of its own. The popular online PC game, launched by publisher Riot Games in October 2009, is hitting its 10th anniversary. Typically, after a decade a video game is likely to have been retired – a victim of technological advances and competing releases. However, even though relative newcomer shooters such as "Fortnite,""Apex Legends" and "Overwatch" get a lot of attention, "League of Legends" maintains plenty of clout in the growing esports arena.

Imagine being able to know the probability of whether a persistent headache that you are experiencing is a symptom of something much worse through a simple blood test. Researchers affiliated with ClinSpec Diagnostics Limited, a spin-off from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, and their colleagues developed patented technology that can detect brain cancer from blood samples. Using an innovative combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and spectroscopy, the U.K. researchers developed a method to detect brain cancer from a blood biopsy, and published their study on October 8, 2019 in Nature Communications. Headaches are one of the most common symptoms of brain tumors, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. But while headaches are very common, brain cancer is not.

He and his team have played a key part in weaving ML into the very fabric of Workday's underlying platform, which is critical to delivering compelling experiences and outcomes without customers even needing to realize it is there. Earlier in his career, while at a number of Silicon Valley companies, he played a part in making the technology we rely on everyday--GPS, and wifi, for example--so ubiquitous that most of us take these revolutionary technologies for granted. Chakraborty also co-founded and served as chief operating officer at GridCraft, a company that developed simple-to-use data analytics tools that Workday acquired in 2015. Now, as senior vice president of tools and technology at Workday, Chakraborty is responsible for the infrastructure on which our applications are built. In particular, he's leading the charge to make sure that machine learning helps customers make faster, better decisions using all of Workday's products.

After several decades of progress, AI technology is now poised to become a significant source of value for a wide range of businesses. However, companies are not yet realizing the value from AI, according to this study from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group. This study of more than 2,500 business executives, managers, and analysts from around the world reveals that although executives consider AI to be a critical business opportunity, many leaders are increasingly worried about the strategic risks associated with AI.

After several decades of progress, AI technology is now poised to become a significant source of value for a wide range of businesses. In the 2019 MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Artificial Intelligence Global Executive Study and Research Report, 9 out of 10 respondents agree that AI represents a business opportunity for their company. In addition, a growing number of leaders view AI as not just an opportunity but also a strategic risk: "What if competitors, particularly unencumbered new entrants, figure out AI before we do?" In 2019, 45% perceived some risk from AI, up from an already substantial 37% in 2017. This shift suggests an increasing awareness of and concern with competitors' use of AI.

Bidgely is an AI-powered SaaS Company that enables utilities to create greater business value and accelerate our path towards zero carbon by delivering personalized customer experience. Powered by our unique patented technology, Bidgely's UtilityAI platform transforms multiple dimensions of customer data - such as energy consumption, demographic, and interactions - into deeply accurate and actionable consumer energy insights. We leverage these insights to empower each customer with personalized recommendations, tailored to their individual personality and lifestyle, usage attributes, behavioral patterns, purchase propensity, and beyond. From smart thermostats to EV chargers, solar PVs or personalized / ToU tariffs, UtilityAI recommends new value-added products and services to the right customer at the right time. With roots in Silicon Valley, Bidgely has over 14 energy patents, $50M in funding, retains 30 data scientists, and brings a passion for AI to utilities serving residential customers around the world.