Is immigration the secret to AI dominance? If so, is it Canada’s secret weapon? Google tries to fix the damage done by Reddit’s moderator strike and two Windows updates you don’t want to miss.
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These and more top tech news stories from Hashtag Trending and Tech News Day. I’m your host Jim Love, CIO of IT World Canada and Tech News Day in the US.
Immigrants are playing a significant role in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the United States, according to a new study from the National Foundation for American Policy. The study reveals that 65 per cent of the top AI companies in the U.S. were founded or co-founded by immigrants, and 70 per cent of full-time graduate students in AI-related fields are international students.
Stuart Anderson, the study’s author, emphasizes the importance of immigrants in the AI sector. Anderson states, “Foreign-born individuals play a crucial role in AI as researchers and experts consider retaining international students after graduation, vital to America’s leadership in artificial intelligence.”
The study also highlights the diverse origins of these immigrant founders, with notable individuals hailing from countries such as South Africa, Canada, Poland, India, Israel, Argentina, Syria, Lebanon, the U.K., Taiwan, France, Iran, Brazil, Mexico, and even Colombia.
This report comes at a time when the U.S. tech industry is grappling with a talent shortage in the AI field and advocating for immigration policies that attract more workers from abroad. However, the process of securing funding for better training programs to nurture homegrown talent is slow.
The study underscores the importance of immigrants in maintaining the U.S.’s competitive edge in the global AI landscape. It also serves as a reminder of the need for policies that support the retention of international students and skilled workers in the U.S.
Sources include: Axios
Canada is implementing a ‘digital nomad’ strategy to attract highly skilled tech workers, according to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser. Speaking at the Collision Conference in Toronto, Fraser outlined plans to launch a dedicated pathway for permanent residents in the STEM sector and a ‘digital nomad strategy’ for tech workers.
Fraser stated, “Over the course of this year, Canada is going to be developing a specific stream for some of the world’s most highly talented people that will be able to come to Canada and work for tech companies, whether they have a job offer or not.” He further explained that the ‘digital nomad strategy’ would allow people with a foreign employer to work in Canada for up to six months, and if they receive a job offer during that time, they can continue to stay and work in Canada.
In addition, Fraser announced that temporary foreign workers with valid work permits but no study permits will now be able to enroll in an educational institution without a limit on the length of the study program. This move aims to help these workers develop their skills and seek better employment opportunities.
These initiatives come as Canada faces a labor shortage, with a recent Statistics Canada report indicating that businesses across the country are struggling to fill job vacancies. The government’s strategy to address this issue involves bolstering immigration, as immigrants are projected to make up 30 per cent of the country’s population by 2036.
Sources include: Global News
Google is addressing user frustrations with search results following recent Reddit blackouts, according to statements made by company executives at an all-hands meeting. Prabhakar Raghavan, Google’s senior vice president in charge of search, acknowledged that users were not quite happy with the search experience and that the company needs to improve.
Raghavan stated, “Many of you may wonder how we have a search team that’s iterating and building all this new stuff and yet somehow, users are still not quite happy. We need to make users happy.”
One solution is a new feature called Perspectives, which promises to surface discussion forums and videos from social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and Quora. This feature is now available on mobile web and the Google app in the U.S.
CEO Sundar Pichai also commented on the issue, stating that users want “more comprehensive answers” rather than just “blue links.” He noted that this is why users add the name of forum sites like Reddit to their searches.
The company is also experimenting with generative artificial intelligence to provide more sophisticated and conversational answers to text-based queries. However, Raghavan emphasized that generative AI is only one aspect of the solution and won’t fully solve the issue.
Sources include: CNBC
Microsoft is planning to move Windows fully to the cloud, according to an internal presentation revealed as part of the ongoing FTC v. Microsoft hearing. The company has been gradually shifting Windows to the cloud with Windows 365 for commercial use, but now aims to extend this to consumers as well.
The presentation outlines Microsoft’s intention to build on “Windows 365 to enable a full Windows operating system streamed from the cloud to any device.” The company sees moving “Windows 11 increasingly to the cloud” as a long-term opportunity in its “Modern Life” consumer space, with the aim of using “the power of the cloud and client to enable improved AI-powered services and full roaming of people’s digital experience.”
Windows 365 is a service that streams a full version of Windows to devices. A future update will include Windows 365 Boot, which will enable Windows 11 devices to log directly into a Cloud PC instance at boot instead of the local version of Windows. Windows 365 Switch is also built into Windows 11 to integrate Cloud PCs into the Task View (virtual desktops) feature.
Microsoft is also investing in custom silicon partnerships and working on its own AI chips. The company recently announced Windows Copilot, an AI-powered assistant for Windows 11, which can summarize, rewrite, or explain content viewed in apps. This is part of a broader AI push for Windows, with Microsoft working with AMD and Intel to enable more Windows features on next-gen CPUs.
Sources include: The Verge
An anonymous developer, known as @dialupdotnet on Twitter, has created a ChatGPT client for Windows 3.1, demonstrating a unique blend of past and future technologies. The client, named WinGPT, was written in C, using the standard Windows API and compiled with Open Watcom v2. It is compatible with any 16-bit or 32-bit version of Windows from Windows 3.1 onward, including Windows 95, 98, Me, XP, and 7.
However, the program won’t run without Winsock, a dialup-era essential that enables Windows to communicate using TCP/IP. The developer noted that “WinGPT connects to the OpenAI API server natively with TLS 1.3, so it doesn’t require a proxy on a modern machine to terminate TLS,” but also warned that the program is not secure.
The developer faced challenges due to the limited set of standard controls available for Windows 3.1, which didn’t allow for the inclusion of a status bar. However, using ChatGPT helped them find a UI library that provided a workaround. The creation of an icon for the app also required a nostalgic journey, leading to the use of Borland’s Image Editor.
The same developer is also responsible for Windle, a Wordle clone for Windows 3.1. This project serves as a testament to the enduring appeal of retro computing and the creative ways in which old and new technologies can intersect.
So what would you call this new AI for Windows 3.1? I’d call it ClippyAI
Sources include: The Register
That’s the top tech news stories for today.
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Have a Wonderful Windows 3.1 Wednesday!