This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on July 24, 2023 - July 30, 2023

Sime Darby Bhd and Hong Kong-based investment firm AEI Capital are participating in Vynn Capital’s second venture capital (VC) fund targeted at accelerating innovation and driving transformation in the mobility and supply chain sectors. 

The fund, which is targeted to close at US$30 million (RM136 million), has also received investment commitment from Indonesia’s Wide Technologies and other limited partners from Malaysia and Singapore.

Vynn Capital, which specialises in early-stage investments, said the new fund aims to support start-ups developing innovative solutions in areas such as smart mobility, transport, logistics and supply chain optimisation.

By combining the financial resources and industry knowledge of Sime Darby and AEI Capital with Vynn’s VC expertise, the partnership is expected to provide start-ups with resources, mentorship and access to networks.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) will begin to deliver significant return on investment (ROI) for most enterprises in the next two to four years, says Forrester Research Inc, a Nasdaq-listed research and advisory firm, in its The Top 10 Emerging Technologies In 2023 report.

However, to maximise the advantages offered by generative AI’s applications, organisations must effectively manage the associated risks such as trustworthiness, evolving regulations and potential intellectual property complications.

The risks aside, generative AI continues to be the top emerging technology to invest in given its wide-ranging influence and capacity to expedite advancements in numerous other cutting-edge technologies. This includes autonomous workplace assistants (AWAs) and conversational AI.

Conversational AI, which is enabled by generative AI, is the second top emerging technology that will deliver the fastest ROI, adds the report.

E-commerce, B2B sales and customer service functions will see the biggest impacts from conversational AI. AWAs too will deliver near-term benefits for most firms since it has the capability to take over increasingly complex but repetitive human tasks.

Other emerging technologies that will offer notable benefits include decentralised digital identity (DDID), edge intelligence that turns massive data sets produced by computer vision and sensors into real-time action as well as explainable AI and TuringBots, which are AI-powered software robots that help developers build applications.

Taylor’s University, in an academic partnership with the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week (KLFW), showcased 39 innovative creations by Taylor’s Fashion Design Technology programme students at a physical fashion show as well as in the metaverse.

Students were able to leverage the nation’s first 3D Fashion Pod to showcase their creations at The Show — A Fashion Fusion Showcase.

The pod is equipped with three-dimensional body scanning technology that allows precision body scanning and digital measurements, thereby increasing production speed, eliminating the need for physical samples and reducing sample-making costs and material waste — leading to a more sustainable fashion production process.

Moreover, students from the Interactive Spatial Design programme were given the opportunity to collaborate with the Fashion Design Technology students and industry partner Mitoworld by Virtualtech Frontier to create Malaysia’s first Metaverse fashion show, called MAYAmode. — By Ravinyaa Ravimalar

Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) has introduced “Connected Care”, a remote monitoring solution that provides patients and their loved ones with access to healthcare anytime, anywhere.

Launched in collaboration with Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology & Innovation (MRANTI) under the MRANTI HealthTech Hub, the solution is aimed at driving further advancements in healthcare technology and fostering transformative innovation in patient care.

The Connected Care ecosystem expands on SJMC’s existing HomeConnect and TeleConnect services, which encompass six areas of care — the latest addition being SeniorConnect, a service that caters specifically for senior patients aged 65 and above and living with a caregiver.

SeniorConnect offers remote patient monitoring services, allowing professionals to accurately record and monitor a patient’s vital signs daily and take the necessary actions. This ensures that the senior patient receives the necessary care at all times.

The MRANTI HealthTech Hub programme offers healthtech innovators, technology providers and other ecosystem players access to sandboxes, programmes and services that speed up the commercialisation of healthtech products and solutions.

TNG Digital Sdn Bhd has launched its digital remittance service, GOremit, in the Touch ‘n Go e-wallet. With GOremit, users can send money securely to 10 countries, which are five Southeast Asian countries and five other countries in Asia.

Senders are required to complete a verification process via electronic know your customer (eKYC) to use the GOremit service, and can choose to transfer funds to the recipient’s bank account, local e-wallet or to cash pick-up points. Recipients will receive their funds within 15 minutes, depending on the method of collection.

All transactions are done through the e-wallet and users can view their history on a single platform. Push notifications will be sent to users on the progress of their money transfer. They can also add and create new receivers by entering the required details in their e-wallet.

GOremit caters for the underserved community, foreign workers, international students and expats, allowing them to send money back to their home countries.

Meanwhile, Touch ‘n Go e-wallet users can now make payments in China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore seamlessly. The company has partnered with Ant Group’s Alipay+ and offers competitive real-time foreign exchange rates — displayed prior to the completion of the transactions.

Touch ‘n Go aims to include more countries in its list, including Australia and the Philippines.

Ara Damansara Medical Centre (ADMC) has incorporated the robotic-arm assisted technology for joint, knee and hip replacement procedures. The technology utilises 3D imaging and a robotic arm that enable surgeons to develop personalised surgical plans for each patient and perform joint replacement surgeries with high accuracy.

“We offer comprehensive guidance and support, from pre-surgical consultations and medical assessments to post-surgical care. Our commitment extends to pain management, physical therapy and guidance to the patient’s family and caregivers, ensuring that our patients receive the utmost attention and care at every step of their journey,” said Miranda Harumal, CEO of ADMC.

Alibaba Cloud unveiled its latest artificial intelligence (AI) image generation model, Tongyi Wanxiang, at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2023. 

Made available to enterprise customers in China for beta testing, the generative AI model is adept at handling various tasks, responding to text prompts in Chinese and English to generate detailed images in an array of style. The model can also transform any image into a new one with a similar style and stylised image through a style transfer.

Tongyi Wanxiang was developed using Composer, Alibaba Cloud’s proprietary large model that enables greater control over the final image output.

PolicyStreet has partnered Carsome to offer Carsome Care+, a car personal accident coverage that also covers car loan payments in the event of unemployment. The coverage is valid for a year, is embedded in every purchase of a Carsome-certified car and is available to Malaysians who apply for car loans from Carsome Capital without any additional cost.

The protection includes personal accident coverage of up to RM10,000 in the event of accidental death or permanent disablement. 

The Carsome Care+ coverage also includes hospitalisation benefits, protection in the event of theft or accidental damage, theft of personal belongings kept inside the car, and travel allowance for the policyholder’s children’s journey to school and classes.

Ever wondered what it feels like being in a luxury car? Wonder no more and experience being in the driver’s seat of the flagship Mercedes-Benz EQS on your mobile phone. Look out for the QR code ad on Page 24 and get a feel of the interior of the vehicle. The augmented reality technology is powered by the Experiential Design Team. 

Fraudsters are taking advantage of unsuspecting users by offering cheap airline tickets, booking deals and vacation packages, says cybersecurity company Kaspersky. It advises travellers to stay vigilant and exercise caution when engaging in online activities related to travel bookings.

“Scammers are always on the lookout for unsuspecting travellers, targeting their excitement for vacation planning. From fake ticket aggregators to accommodation and survey scams, fraudsters employ various tactics to steal money and sensitive information. Verify the authenticity of the websites, use trusted booking platforms and never share personal or financial information without proper verification,” said Olga Svistunova, the company’s security expert.

The top three vacation season scams are fraudulent activities related to buying tickets, booking accommodations and giveaways.

Kaspersky’s experts have discovered numerous fraudulent websites claiming to offer cheap plane tickets via phishing pages that mimic well-known airline services and ticket aggregators. Instead of delivering the promised tickets, these scams aim to exploit your personal information for malicious purposes.

Accommodation is another popular lure. Scammers create attractive listings on popular platforms, displaying appealing photos and offering low prices to entice travellers. However, once a booking payment is made, the accommodation would turn out to be fake.

Moreover, scammers may create deceptive websites or send emails claiming that participants of a travel survey could earn a substantial reward. However, these surveys are designed to collect personal information, under the guise of eligibility requirements. In reality, the promised reward is never delivered.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is hosting the very first Galaxy Unpacked in Seoul, South Korea, on July 26 to showcase the new Galaxy and its latest technologies.

The event will be streamed live on Samsung Malaysia’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Newsroom and official website at 7pm local time on July 26.

To receive first-hand updates and also up to RM400 in Samsung e-vouchers to pre-order the new Galaxy, visit www.samsung.com/my/unpacked/.

The Electric Vehicle Expo, organised by paultan.org, will be held at the Setia City Convention Centre on July 22 and 23. Admission is free.

Renowned brands in the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem will be taking part in the event, including Mercedes-Benz and smart (represented by Hap Seng Star and Hap Seng Smart respectively), BMW and Mini (through Wheelcorp Premium), Audi, Volvo, Hyundai, BYD, GWM, Neta and Lotus.

Other exhibitors include Petronas, JomCharge (via EV Connection), Kineta, evhub.my, V-Kool and Dodo Mat. 

At the showcase, attendees will have the chance to experience all-electric vehicles first-hand via test drives. Industry experts, stakeholders and current EV owners in attendance will also be sharing their real-life experiences using EVs in Malaysia.

Global capital venture firm Antler has announced its partnership with Khazanah Nasional Bhd to launch and invest in Malaysia. The partnership with Antler comes under Khazanah’s Future Malaysia Programme, under the Dana Impak mandate.

The partnership aims to infuse new opportunities in the local entrepreneurial scene and subsequently accelerate the growth trajectory of entrepreneurs and start-ups.

Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Antler is aiming to invest in over 30 start-ups across the country in the next three years. The inaugural Venture Generation Programme is set to begin in October this year, with applications currently open. For more about the programme, visit https://www.antler.co/location/malaysia.

Training company CuriousCore, which provides training in user experience (UX) design as well as product and career management for businesses, individuals and students, has officially launched in Malaysia.

The Singaporean company has set up its roots in Malaysia since 2020, being a trusted training provider to Prudential Malaysia and Maxis. Earlier this year, CuriousCore set up its Malaysian entity and is now recognised as a Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) training provider.

Founder Daylon Soh hopes to show the importance of upskilling employees via CuriousCore and that HRD Corp funds can be used for more than just team building. — By Aris Riza Noor Baharin

Krenovator Technology Sdn Bhd has launched a Tech Skill Accelerator programme on its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tech talent platform. The programme is a career learning path designed to empower software developers and allow them to upskill.

The programme is free and comes in three tiers. Tier 1 is tailored for recent graduates and junior software developers aiming to strengthen their fundamentals. Tier 2 focuses on individuals at middle to senior levels aiming to keep up with industry advancements. Lastly, Tier 3 is meticulously crafted for senior developers aspiring to achieve the highest level of professional success and drive innovation forward.

To take part, first-time users will have to sign up and login to Krenovator’s Tech Talent Platform. The Tech Skill Accelerator feature is listed under the Learning Hub section on the user’s dashboard.

Niro Ceramic Group has launched Let’s Visualize, a state-of-the-art platform that allows users to instantly visualise wall and floor designs using the group’s flagship brand Niro Granite and Portino.

Users simply need to visit the Niro Granite website and click on the Let’s Visualize feature, accessible via desktop and mobile devices. By uploading a photo of their designated area onto the visualiser, users can effortlessly modify their walls and floors.

With a user-friendly interface, the platform provides a wide array of tile collections from Niro Granite and Portino in a variety of sizes, patterns and colours to perfectly complement an envisioned space.

The new platform is accessible via https://nirogranite.com. Let’s Visualize will also be made available on Niro Ceramic Group’s retail arm website https://creativelab.com soon and on selected Portino dealers’ websites this month.

To impair the racial ordering of the world, The Black Technical Object introduces the history of statistical analysis and “scientific” racism into research on machine learning.

Computer programming designed for taxonomic patterning and machine learning offers useful insights into racism and racist behaviour, but its connection to the racial history of science and the Black lived experience has yet to be developed.

In this book, Ramon Amaro explores how the history of data and statistical analysis informs the complex relationship between race and machine learning. He juxtaposes a practical analysis of this type of computerised learning with a theory of Black alienation in order to inspire alternative approaches to contemporary algorithmic practice. In doing so, Amaro contemplates the abstruse nature of programming and mathematics, as well as the deep incursion of racial hierarchies. — Amazon

Zoho Corporation has launched Ulaa, a privacy-centred browser designed to empower users in securing personal data and online activities with its comprehensive tracking and website surveillance blocking capabilities.

Ulaa comes equipped with features that allow for privacy customisation, built-in user profile modes and integrated productivity tools while keeping user data safe and private. Users can also sync their browsing sessions between devices, allowing them to use multiple devices for the same browsing session seamlessly.

Ulaa, which means journey in Tamil, was developed to protect against tracking and surveillance rooted in three main areas, which are privacy, user modes and productivity. Under its privacy feature, Ulaa embeds ad and data tracking blockers to prevent unauthorised push notifications, pop-ups and time tracking.

Ulaa users can toggle between five unique modes based on their desired browsing experience — namely personal, work, developer, kids and open season (no privacy restriction mode). The browser also allows Dynamic Mode Switching, where users can ask Ulaa to open and remember which websites belong in certain modes.

It comes with integrated apps that boost productivity, including Zia Search for existing Zoho users; Zoho Notebook, a dedicated note-taking space that works across all tabs; and Annotator, a built-in feature that allows users to screen capture a page or a page section.

Ulaa is free to all and its desktop version is fully available and can be downloaded at https://ulaa.com/. The iOS and Android versions are currently in beta and available for download.

Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.

P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's AppStore and Androids' Google Play.