Hopes for Canada’s future as an AI innovation centre are shining more brightly this week. The Dalhousie University robotics team, CYRUS, became the first Canadian team to win the international RoboCup competition. The competition is the robotics World Cup of soccer simulations. The Dalhousie team is led by research assistant Nader Zare and PhD student Mahtab Sarvmaili. The team used a variety of AI and machine learning models to train autonomous ‘players’.
“This is an incredible achievement for Team CYRUS and for Dalhousie,” says Dr. Stan Matwin, Canada Research Chair and director of the Institute for Big Data Analytics. “It demonstrates that Nova Scotia is really starting to lead the way in areas of AI and machine learning research.”
Press release: https://www.dal.ca/news/2021/06/28/dal-team-wins-2021-robocup-world-championship.html
The newly launched Automotive Transformation Group has acquired industry software supplier SalesMaster. The Automotive Transformation Group launched mid-July to drive further digitalization of the vehicle sales process. They envision offering the industry’s first global and scalable solution for automated vehicle lifecycle management.
“We already had an excellent working relationship with the team at SalesMaster, having collaborated on a series of successful, leading-edge GForces client projects,” said Giles Smith, Chief Product Officer, Automotive Transformation Group. “They are true industry vehicle data specialists who have worked in a dealer sales environment and therefore understand the complexities of managing various data sources for both new and used vehicles. Their digital know-how and client base are an ideal fit.”
Press release: https://www.telematicswire.net/automotive-transformation-group-acquires-leading-industry-software-supplier-salesmaster/
Canada Protection Plan sends a reminder that 1-in-5 Canadians still have insufficient life insurance coverage. The industry saw a small increase in people taking our coverage over the past year and half.
The company believes the insurance industry will see one of two scenarios emerge at the end of the pandemic. Either we’ll see a ‘return to normal’ where not enough Canadians prioritizetheir health and insurance needs, or the new importance of life insurance brought about by the pandemic will remain.
Michael Aziz, Chief Distribution Officer and Co-President at Canada Protection Plan believes insurance industry professionals need to consider the following points:
- How insurers can penetrate underserved markets in a post-pandemic world and continue generating greater awareness and understanding of the core value of their products
- Comprehensive shifts needed in life insurance education/advice, product proposition and customer experience strategies as the pandemic ends
- The need for insurers to continue advancing their digitization efforts and effectively address customer needs virtually
More information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmaziz?originalSubdomain=ca
