dealerscope

Fully vaccinated Americans have been given the okay to visit the European Union this summer by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The news comes five months ahead of IFA Berlin, the world’s leading event for consumer electronics and appliances, which runs from September 3-7 in Berlin. IFA will be held as a full-scale, in-person event for the first time since 2019, and these easing travel restrictions will allow for greater participation. “The Americans, as far as I can see, use European Medicines Agency-approved vaccines,” von der Leyen said, according to the Times report. “This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union.” The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 28% of Americans are now fully vaccinated, and that number is continuing to grow. “What the world is basically saying is, they’re looking at the US, they’re looking at the success of our vaccination program, they’re looking at the reduction of disease, and ...

In partnership with IFA Berlin, Tech Up For Women kicked off its first International TECH UP TALKS Webinar Series around the hot topic of Artificial Intelligence. Host, Faye Holland, Founder, and Director of Cognitive, welcomed Khadija Mustafa, Sr. Director, Head of Global Partnerships for Autonomous Systems, AI & Research Division of Microsoft, who spoke about how AI is changing the workforce and why diversity in this industry is so important. “AI fundamentally impacts the way we live our lives,” says Mustafa, adding that we are using some form of AI every day, whether we realize it or not. Its most basic use cases are within voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Netflix suggestions, but AI also extends into countless other areas of life like music and art, and even, she says, to make the “perfect Cheeto.” “AI is becoming pervasive,” Mustafa admits, “and it is only going to keep growing.” This notion has given rise to the concept of singularity and fear that jobs will suddenly be...

Homes are getting smarter every day. Throughout the pandemic, consumer adoption of “smart” devices – those with connectivity and remote monitoring and management features – has risen steadily. By the end of 2020, 40 percent of U.S. broadband households had  at least one  smart device. The right push could accelerate the category’s steady growth of the past few years into a period of rapid adoption and proliferation. Smart consumer electronics are already powerful and capable; the push they need is increased convenience. Convenience is a powerful motivator. Once consumers have found an easier way of doing something, they won’t willingly go back to doing it the hard way. The litany of recent announcements from the makers of leading AI assistants are compelling not only because they’re cool, but also because they dramatically increase the convenience of smart devices. For example, the Ring Doorbell’s ...