Madison McLauchlan
@madisonmcla.bsky.social
Reporter at @betakit.com / Tiohtià:ke/Montréal / Views are my own
Who else is Odyssey-maxxing? I spoke with IMAX’s global president about the 🇨🇦 innovation behind Christopher Nolan’s summer blockbuster, and if the company can get the IMAX experience into more theatres.
Q&A: How The Odyssey’s new IMAX cameras were designed right here in Canada | BetaKit
IMAX Theatres’ global president says the Canadian film company wants to redesign its projection technology next.
betakit.com
Nova Scotia startup Elle MD is developing a new birth control device that it hopes will deliver the same effectiveness with fewer side effects. It just raised $1.1 million to move forward with first-in-human trials. betakit.com/elle-md-rais...
Elle MD raises $1.1 million to develop non-hormonal, easily removable birth control ring | BetaKit
Nova Scotia femtech startup plans for Ottawa Hospital clinical trials in the fall.
betakit.com
NEW: Anthropic announced $10 million CAD to some of Canada's top universities and the big three AI institutes Mila, Amii, and Vector. All of them are getting Claude credits to do AI research. betakit.com/anthropic-co...
Anthropic commits $10 million to Canadian institutions for AI research | BetaKit
The AI giant is offering Claude credits to top universities and AI institutes.
betakit.com
@Gandersocial.ca is rolling out its Canadian-built social media platform nationwide on July 1. #CDNtech
Gander Social to launch to public on Canada Day |
The Canadian-made social media network will roll out nationwide after already tallying 18,000 beta users.
betakit.com
Prediction markets coming to Canada: Wealthsimple partners with Kalshi to launch prediction markets app 👀 betakit.com/wealthsimple...
Wealthsimple partners with US exchange Kalshi to launch prediction market app
Users can only make predictions on climate, economic markets, and financial indicators.
betakit.com
@madisonmcla.bsky.social is a tech reporter, and definitely not an MMA devotee ...which is exactly why we sent her to hang out w/ UFC fighters to hear all about how they're trying to biohack their way to a win: betakit.com/can-a-saliva...
Can a saliva test make UFC athletes better fighters? This Canadian startup is betting on it | BetaKit
Ahead of the White House's UFC fight, Kintra is using AI-powered biomarkers to help fighters eke out an edge.
betakit.com
Montréal's Aiemann Zahabi is fighting at the White House's UFC 250 Freedom on Sunday. A Canadian tech startup Kintra is helping him get there with its AI biometric platform. But how effective are these tech tools in improving physical performance for athletes? betakit.com/can-a-saliva...
Can a saliva test make UFC athletes better fighters? This Canadian startup is betting on it | BetaKit
Ahead of the White House's UFC fight, Kintra is using AI-powered biomarkers to help fighters eke out an edge.
betakit.com
X is still violating Canadian privacy by allowing Grok's deepfakes, the OPC found. But what's a privacy commissioner's office to do if it can't impose fines or orders? betakit.com/elon-musks-x...
Elon Musk’s X continues to violate Canadian privacy law with Grok deepfakes, watchdog finds | BetaKit
X and xAI will submit quarterly reports and third-party audits to the OPC until the issue is resolved.
betakit.com
The AI strategy is (finally) here. Read BetaKit's first overview file of it via @alexriehl.com betakit.com/canadas-ai-s...
Canada’s AI strategy contains $2.3 billion in spending but few details on new privacy regulations | BetaKit
The delayed strategy promises a plan to encourage Canadians to reinvest their tech investment gains in AI startups.
betakit.com
Canada's AI champion Cohere says it's not working with controversial data firm Palantir, despite reports of a partnership. betakit.com/cohere-says-...
Cohere says it is not working with Palantir | BetaKit
The Toronto AI company says it has no relationship with the US firm, following reports of a partnership.
betakit.com
Jim Balsillie’s core argument is not that Canada lacks ambition. It's that Canada is still using an economic playbook built for another century.
Jim Balsillie says Canada must put forward economic policy for the 21st century | BetaKit
The CCI chair spoke on taking lessons from US economic policy during BetaKit’s Most Ambitious: Town Hall.
betakit.com
While 'shovels in the ground' is an important metric to guage government effectivness, so is keeping cutting-edge Canadian companies/startups here in Canada. Some clear wins outlined at the @betakit.com town hall this week:
At Most Ambitious: Town Hall, Canadian tech’s future came into sharper focus | BetaKit
Canada’s AI minister, leaders of Waabi and Xanadu spoke to a sold-out crowd at BetaKit’s Toronto Tech Week kickoff event.
betakit.com
Proud moment for BetaKit: Josh Scott and @madisonmcla.bsky.social have both been named finalists for a SABEW Best in Business award. 🏆 Congrats to Josh and Madison on this well-deserved recognition.
Finalists Announced for SABEW Canada’s Best in Business Awards | SABEW
The Canadian chapter of the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW) today announced the finalists for its 12th annual Best in Business Awards competition, recognizing outstanding…
sabew.org
Oh no
Michelle Cyca@michellecyca.com · 3mo agopersonally I think it's a very big deal that the Canada bureau chief for the @nytimes.com — certainly one of the highest-paid journalists in the country — asked an unspecified "AI tool" what Poilievre said & published its AI-hallucinated quotes in her reporting.
Is your workplace encouraging you to use AI? Or is your office AI free? Fill out our survey to let us know: betakit.com/are-you-toke...
Are you tokenmaxxing? Tell us | BetaKit
BetaKit wants to know how much you’re using AI at work, and why.
betakit.com
not worrying at all
maddy varner@regret.bsky.social · 3mo agoNEW: DHS is using a legal tool called a 1509 customs summons to try to obtain info from Google about a Canadian after he criticized the Trump admin online. He says he hasn't been to the US in 10+ years and didn't ship anything during the time period DHS asked about: www.wired.com/story/dhs-de...
"Stakeholders were divided between optimism for AI’s potential and skepticism about its risks." That's a line from the feds' summary report from its public consultations on its upcoming AI strategy. But we had no idea how many people felt one way or another. We set out to find out:
Was inevitable that Canada's government-crowned AI champion would partner with a foreign firm? In The BetaKit Newsletter, @madisonmcla.bsky.social highlights the AI sovereignty challenges facing middle powers, and how the Cohere and Aleph Alpha partnership fits in. betakit.com/in-ai-its-us...
In AI, it’s US vs. the world
Plus: This Canadian company almost hired an AI candidate.
betakit.com
Canada's Cohere to acquire Germany’s Aleph Alpha in sovereign AI play. The combined company will continue under the Cohere name and Aidan Gomez will remain CEO. via @alexriehl.com @betakit.com betakit.com/cohere-to-ac...
Cohere to acquire Germany’s Aleph Alpha in sovereign AI play | BetaKit
Combined company will bear Cohere name with Aidan Gomez leading as CEO.
betakit.com
Canadian FinTech Wealthsimple has launched a trading integration with Elon Musk's X platform. Here's how it's stirring praise, and backlash, from some users.
Wealthsimple partners with Elon Musk’s X for direct stock trading via social media
Stock tickers on X posts will now link to FinTech’s trading platform for Canadian users.
betakit.com
Toronto's Kepler Communications has landed another contract with the European Space Agency (@esa.int) for its HydRON ELement 3 project. #CDNtech
Kepler to lead testing of European Space Agency’s high-speed data network
Toronto firm helped architect the first phase of the HydRON project.
betakit.com
New: @mozilla.org is partnering with @mila-quebec.bsky.social to work on open-source AI projects, with an initial $1 million CAD betakit.com/mila-teams-u...
Mila teams up with Mozilla to build open-source AI tools | BetaKit
The Firefox maker is investing an initial $1 million into the partnership with Montréal's AI institute.
betakit.com
Canadian software firm OpenText $OTEX employees report job cuts tied to apparent restructuring, via @alexriehl.com betakit.com/opentext-emp...
OpenText employees report job cuts tied to apparent restructuring | BetaKit
The cuts come as former IBM Americas president Ayman Antoun prepares to take over as CEO.
betakit.com
Pretty cool news today for Montréal, Québec, and Canada. @umontreal.ca Gilles Brassard was awarded computer science's highest honour for his quantum breakthroughs, alongside longtime collaborator Charles H. Bennett betakit.com/montreal-com...
Montréal computer scientist Gilles Brassard wins Turing Award for quantum discoveries | BetaKit
The Université de Montréal professor was honoured alongside US physicist Charles H. Bennett.
betakit.com
We functionally do not have a legislated Access to Information system in Canada. Federal departments face zero consequences for simply ignoring the rules. They are effectively allowed to only hand over documents if they feel like it. www.thestar.com/politics/fed...
Information commissioner ‘disappointed’ by lack of federal ambition on access reform
Information commissioner says most of the complaints her office receives relate to the failure to respond to applications for documents within legislated timelines.
thestar.com
Canadian tech advocacy group CCI argues that governments should take a similar 'buy Canadian' approach to #healthtech as it did for the Defence Industrial Strategy: betakit.com/cci-wants-go...
CCI wants governments to buy more Canadian healthtech | BetaKit
The tech advocacy group urges an overhaul of procurement and data management to support domestic companies.
betakit.com
I got to hear from some of the architects and builders of the Fediverse at FediMTL in Montréal yesterday. I learned a ton about decentralized social media and how it's taken on newfound urgency with Canada's push toward digital sovereignty. betakit.com/can-canada-f...
Can Canada find digital sovereignty in the Fediverse? | BetaKit
At FediMTL, advocates say growing the social web is vital to combating Big Tech.
betakit.com
Talking about the Fediverse often feels like it merits a "stop trying to make fetch happen" response. But at a recent conference in Montréal, advocates said figuring out how to build a decentralized web people will actually use is a must. betakit.com/can-canada-f... by @madisonmcla.bsky.social
Can Canada find digital sovereignty in the Fediverse? | BetaKit
At FediMTL, advocates say growing the social web is vital to combating Big Tech.
betakit.com
BetaKit@betakit.com · 6mo agoQuébec has an ambitious plan to take control of its digital sovereignty. But its track record for modernizing its tech, and its history of contracts with US firms, has sent mixed signals. Read why @canadianinnovators.org's Jean-François Harvey calls the policy incoherent.
