TechNX

The Business Development Bank of Canada’s (BDC) top economist says artificial intelligence (AI) adoption by small and medium-sized businesses will ultimately spur more human hiring. The assurance comes days after Canada’s federal government released a new national artificial intelligence strategy without estimates for potential layoffs.

PowerBank's Cramahe project in Ontario, a 4.99-megawatt energy storage system. (Courtesy PowerBank Corporation) PowerBank Corporation (PBK-Q), a Toronto-based solar and energy storage developer, is focusing its efforts on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and modular data centres as demand for computing infrastructure continues to rise.

RBC has more than 101,000 employees and is Canada’s biggest bank. (Courtesy WikiMedia Commons) Canadian banking giant RBC (RY-T) has an ambitious plan to grow its AI research institute hub, the Vancouver Borealis AI hub, the company announced recently. The bank said it has a goal to achieve $700 million to $1 billion in enterprise value generated from AI-driven benefits by 2027.

Software and artificial intelligence are expected to have a more importance in the robotics field, a survey of 1,000 engineers and software developers by QNX found. (Courtesy QNX) Software is expected to have an increased role in robotics during the next three to five years, 85 per cent of engineers and software developers surveyed by QNX said, indicative of its growing presence in the field.

Will partner with newly-formed Canadian Startup Capital Association Startups Life sciences Ontario John Dujay Editor, new publications Mark Lawrence, executive chair Angel Investors Ontario. (Courtesy NorthCrest Partners) In order to address some investing gaps, an Ontario-based organization of angel investors is joining a similar organization which operates on a national level. “Angel investing is really a core critical, non-negotiable part of the ecosystem right now.

TD Bank (TD-T) has released its first agentic artificial intelligence (AI) model, geared toward streamlining the application process for its lending services. The AI model automates the pre-adjudication process for mortgage and home equity line of credit applications. It generates application summary memos for underwriters by performing tasks such as classifying client documents, drawing critical information, calculating client income and searching for discrepancies.

Joel Leetzow has been named the new chief executive officer of Sylogist (SYZ-T), a SaaS (software as a service) company for nonprofits, governments and educational institutions. Leetzow brings more than 35 years of leadership experience with software and technology businesses to the role, including serving as both a director and chief executive officer of public companies.

Ottawa-based company provides software for robots, automobiles Software QNX Software International John Dujay Editor, new publications As robots move out from behind separated areas, the need for security and safety becomes even more acute. (Courtesy QNX) For those firms wishing to deploy robots alongside humans in an industrial setting, safety is clearly a critical concern. One Canadian company promises that its operating systems for robotic applications are secure enough to be trusted.

(Courtesy 1Password) With more firms now deploying AI agents across their enterprises, the need to deploy them securely and safely is becoming critical. Toronto-based 1Password’s newly launched Unified Access platform allows for the secure deployment of AI agents and automated workflows without companies losing control over credentials, identities and machines. Such agents will need access to API keys, credentials and other secure information to work, creating a host of security challenges.

Stacey Tozer, director of partnerships and alliances with ShareGate. (Courtesy ShareGate) Montreal-based ShareGate is continuing its international expansion with the announcement it is deepening its partnership with the U.K.-based QBS Technology Group to offer Microsoft 365 migration services in the Middle East.