KEY TERMS AND DEVELOPMENTS
AUTONOMOUS
Machines that are intelligent enough to make decisions when faced with new or unexpected situations are known as “autonomous”. “Autonomous” or “automated”? The words are easily confused. Here’s the difference: autonomous machines can learn from experience as they deal with new problems. Automated machines, on the other hand, are computer-controlled and can perform a set of specific tasks by following precise instructions with minimal or no human help. The meanings of the two words tend to get mixed up when people talk about autonomous self-driving vehicles (SDVS) and automated guided vehicles (AGVS). Each system operates with fundamentally different technology, however, from navigation software to on-board sensors.
TIMELY
This is an offer that sounds hard to refuse: “Move to Norway. Free healthcare, free public education, stunning nature and a fluent English-speaking population. You’ll love it. And did we mention it’s been named the happiest place on earth on several occasions?” The offer comes from Memory, an Oslo start-up that is developing Ai-powered time-tracking and time-management solutions. Its first product, Timely, is currently being used by more than 4,000 paying customers across 160 countries. The tool automatically tracks the user’s computer, location, mobile calls and calendar events, and then suggests the best times for getting things done. Memory is hiring. www.memory.ai
INSURTECH
Here’s another hot word: “insurtech”. It refers to the technology that’s designed to make the insurance industry more efficient. German insurtech start-up omni:us raised $22.5 million (about €19.8 million) in a funding round late last year and it plans to use the money to expand into the US. The omni:us platform for automatic claim processing and quotation process optimization is already used by big insurance companies, including Allianz, Baloise and Amtrust. The system automatically categorizes incoming documents, improving insurance companies’ internal processes. “We know the insurance industry will move from process to data-driven over the coming years,” Sofie Quidenus-wahlforss, founder of omni:us, told Tech.eu. www.omnius.com