This content was sent on march, 15th via our Tech Watch Newsletter

🌤Sun start finally to be seen all across Europe and that feels so good 😎.

Our second issue of 2019 will focus on #IA and #MachineLearning everywhere in your life from restaurant booking to detect animal diseases. Airbnb and OpenAI last acquisition and spin-off, small toy car to learn #AI for children (and adults) and a bunch of nice #onlineTools + a super cute Twitter conversation.

This is Smile’s Innovation Watch.

Innovation •/ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən/

Google brings Duplex AI restaurant booking to 43 states

We saw how Google Duplex, the AI that will be able to call shops and restaurants for you through Google Assistant, at the last Google IO and we were all, equally fear it and be amazed. Here it is, starting this week all the users of a Pixel 3, the latest flagship phone by Google, can use Duplex to book a restaurant.

Project Zero: How Amazon is using machine learning to fight counterfeit

Amazon launched a new service using Machine Learning to scan their entire marketplace to search for counterfeits to automatically suspend at a speed of 5 billion items daily. Brands who are interested can enrol, providing brand and product information and Amazon will do the rest. Additionally, they will access a tool that let them remove themselves products they are considering as counterfeit and can join a serial # watermark managed by Amazon which acts as a seal of authenticity.

China starts mapping Pigs Face for automated recognition

Some could say after having the biggest database of all the faces and activities of each citizen in their country, China is now doing the same with pigs. But in fact, they are trying to do just what we worked with the future farm project at Neovia a few months ago: using technology to help farmers, and in this case, stockbreeder, to prevent animals disease in order to reduce sickness, antibiotics usage and enhance the well-being of the animal.

Amazon Showroom

Have you ever played Sims? Well, that’s the adult version of it, with photorealism and everything. Imagine a 3D, photorealist, version of a room, you can fill with all the furniture you want. Except at the end, this time, you can purchase all of them with just one click and make it delivered to your house. Capitalism we love you.

Acquisition •/ˌakwɪˈzɪʃ (ə) n/

OpenAI launch a new company to fund safe artificial general intelligence

OpenAI, the non-profit created in 2015 to ensure AI benefits humanity with $1 billion in donations from Elon Mush, Linked cofounder and YC Research, create a for-profit company they will own and control through their board of directors. The goal is to speed up progress on Artificial General Intelligence while keeping the target of humankind benefit.

Airbnb bought HotelTonight

After the launch of their Airbnb Plus offer (which curate boutique hotel and high-end property, all verified in-person by Airbnb staff), Airbnb continue it’s expansion on luxe and business sector at the same time by acquiring Hoteltonight, which should still continue to operate independently but we can see coming more synergy between Airbnb plus and them in the coming months.HotelTonight is an app-only service to book last minute luxury hotel at insane rates, all over the world. Perfect for your business trips.

Privacy •/ˈpɹaɪ. və. si/

Connected Underwear

Quantified self and social responsibility meet to give life to a new Kickstarter project: a connected brief for men to monitor their body response to other people. Storing that information into your smartphone. Letting you notice how inappropriate your behaviour could be sometimes by sending you push-notifications if a response is detected.

Openness • /ˈəʊ.pən/+/nəs/

Zumi, the car toy that makes you learn development

She’s a friendly and affordable safe driving car that makes AI education accessible to everyone. Optimal Route algorithms, objects on the road identification, gesture control and facial recognition are reachable for anyone, thanks to the support of the block-based coding and python for beginners.

Fun • /fʌn/

Sheety let you turn any Google Spreadsheet into a JSON API

Disclaimer: not for your client 😅. But it’s a nice way to help you prototype a small application. Basically, all you have to do is to create a Google spreadsheet, publish it online and paste the URL of the CSV link to this service. It will generate an API endpoint and serve JSON response for you. Want XML? Just change the ’content-type’ of your request and that’s all!

Generate Online Avatar

Tired of Gravatar or avatars.io to get pictures from an email address or other personal information from your user #GDPR? This service let you pick a random character from a limited set (there will be double for sure). Quality is very good and the faces are definitely new so you will stand out of the crowd.

His parents find an Apple II in their Attic

That’s our nice and sweet story of a guy who received his Apple II from his teen years from his parents which kept it in mint condition in the attic. Everything still works. He found even the saved game sessions of his old games.

That’s all folks!

Did you enjoy it? If so don’t hesitate to 👏 our article or subscribe to our Innovation watch newsletter! You can follow Smile on Facebook, Twitter & Youtube.