Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Aug 19, 2020 - Technology

Otter.ai adds live event transcription

Ina Fried, author of Login

Audio transcription service Otter.ai is expanding into events — both live and virtual — turning conversations into text in real time.

Why it matters: Otter.ai is pitching it as a way for digital events to stand out amid growing competition.

Details: Otter for Events transcribes online events, including Zoom webinars.

Real-time transcripts allow for video captioning on the fly and make events more accessible.
The service can handle multiple simultaneous break-out sessions, as well as both public and private groups.
The company's paid Otter for Teams business customers can access the basic service at no additional cost. A premium service for very large events, either in-person or strictly online, is also available and was recently used at the New York-New Belfast Conference 2020.

Flashback: Otter.ai previously demoed its ability to transcribe an event at TechCrunch Disrupt back in 2018.

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Bryan Walsh, author of Future

Nov 14, 2020 - Technology

AI talent appears open to working on defense — with caveats

An aerial view of the Pentagon. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images

A new survey offers some evidence that most artificial intelligence experts are positive or neutral when it comes to working with the Pentagon on AI-enabled projects.

Why it matters: Employee concerns have led some tech companies to pull back from working on defense-related projects in the past, but for many in the AI world, the chance to work on intellectually challenging projects — and the Pentagon's not insignificant budget — seems too good to pass up.

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Hans Nichols, author of Sneak Peek

4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Sources say Beto plans Texas comeback in governor’s race

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke speaks during the Georgetown to Austin March for Democracy rally on July 31, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke is preparing to run for governor of Texas in 2022, with an announcement expected later this year, Texas political operatives tell Axios.

Why it matters: O'Rourke's entry would give Democrats a high-profile candidate with a national fundraising network to challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott — and give O’Rourke, a former three-term congressman from El Paso and 2020 presidential candidate and voting rights activist, a path to a political comeback.

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4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Texas doctor says he performed an abortion in violation of state law

Pro-choice protesters march down Congress Avenue and back to the Texas state capitol in Austin, Texas, in July 2021. Photo: Erich Schlegel/Getty Images

A Texas doctor disclosed in an op-ed in the Washington Post on Saturday that he has performed an abortion in violation of the state's restrictive new abortion law, which effectively bans the procedure after six weeks.

Why it matters: Alan Braid's op-ed is a direct disclosure that will very likely result in legal action, thereby setting it up as a potential test case for how the abortion ban will be litigated, notes the New York Times.

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