Category Archives: Technology

It was recently revealed that in 2017 Microsoft patented a chatbot that, if built, would digitally resurrect the dead. Using AI and machine learning, the proposed chatbot would bring our digital persona back to life for our family and friends to talk to. When pressed on the technology, Microsoft representatives admitted that the chatbot was disturbing and that there were currently no plans to put it into production.

Still, it appears that the technical tools and personal data are in place to make digital reincarnations possible. AI chatbots have already passed the Turing Test, which means theyve fooled other humans into thinking theyre human, too. Meanwhile, most people in the modern world now leave behind enough data to teach AI programs about our conversational idiosyncrasies. Convincing digital doubles may be just around the corner.

But there are currently no laws governing digital reincarnation. Your right to data privacy after your death is far from set in stone, and there is currently no way for you to opt-out of being digitally resurrected. This legal ambiguity leaves room for private companies to make chatbots out of your data after youre dead.

Our research has looked at the surprisingly complex legal question of what happens to your data after you die. At present, and in the absence of specific legislation, its unclear

Be Right Back, an episode of the Black Mirror TV series featured a woman addicted to a chatbot representation of her dead partner.

Microsofts chatbot would use your electronic messages to create a digital reincarnation in your likeness after you pass away. Such a chatbot would use machine learning to respond to text messages just as you would have when you were alive. If you happen to leave behind rich voice data, that too could be used to create your vocal likeness someone your relatives could speak with, through a phone or a humanoid robot.

Microsoft isnt the only company to have shown an interest in digital resurrection. The AI company Eternime has built an AI-enabled chatbot that harvests information including geolocation, motion, activity, photos, and Facebook data which lets users create an avatar of themselves to live on after they die. It may be only a matter of time until families have the choice to reanimate dead relatives using AI technologies such as Eternimes.

[Read: How tech is defying death and turning our loved ones into Alexa-powered chatbots]

If chatbots and holograms from beyond the grave are set to become commonplace, well need to draw up new laws to govern them. After all, it looks like a violation of the right to privacy to digitally resurrect someone whose body lies beneath a tombstone reading rest in peace.

National laws are inconsistent on how your data is used after your death. In the EU, the law on data privacy only protects the rights of the living. That leaves room for member states to decide how to protect the data of the dead. Some, such as Estonia, France, Italy, and Latvia, have legislated on postmortem data. The UKs data protection laws have not.

To further complicate matters, our data is mostly controlled by private online platforms such as Facebook and Google. This control is based on the terms of service that we sign up to when we create profiles on these platforms. Those terms fiercely protect the privacy of the dead.

For example, in 2005, Yahoo! refused to provide email account login details for the surviving family of a US marine killed in Iraq. The company argued that their terms of service were designed to protect the marines privacy. A judge eventually ordered the company to provide the family with a CD containing copies of the emails, setting a legal precedent in the process.

A few initiatives, such as Googles Inactive Account Manager and Facebooks Legacy Contact, have attempted to address the postmortem data issue. They allow living users to make some decisions on what happens to their data assets after they die, helping to avoid ugly court battles over dead peoples data in the future. But these measures are no substitute for laws.

One route to better postmortem data legislation is to follow the example of organ donation. The UKs opt-out organ donation law is particularly relevant, as it treats the organs of the dead as donated unless that person specified otherwise when they were alive. The same opt-out scheme could be applied to postmortem data.

This model could help us respect the privacy of the dead and the wishes of their heirs, all while considering the benefits that could arise from donated data: that data donors could help save lives just as organ donors do.

In the future, private companies may offer family members an agonizing choice: abandon your loved one to death, or instead pay to have them digitally revived. Microsofts chatbot may at present be too disturbing to countenance, but its an example of whats to come. Its time we wrote the laws to govern this technology.

This article byEdina Harbinja, Senior Lecturer in Media/Privacy Law, Aston University; Lilian Edwards, Professor of Law, Innovation & Society, Newcastle Law School, Newcastle University, and Marisa McVey, Research fellow, Aston University,is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Published March 2, 2021 11:02 UTC

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Chatbots that resurrect the dead: legal experts weigh in on disturbing technology - The Next Web

"It might not be able to stop a crime from taking place, but it does increase the probability that offenders are going to be caught and punished."

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Technology has changed everything. Crime and the way police investigate crime is no exception.

Digital evidence touches all of our investigations, Ryan Kennedy, a supervisory special agent with the FBI, said.

During his time with the FBI, Kennedy has observed the growing emphasis on such evidence.

I think about my own neighborhood and the prevalence of Ring cameras and how many times something as simple as a doorbell camera has helped local law enforcement solve crimes as well, he said. Technology touches almost every aspect of our lives now.

Whether its a kidnapping, domestic terrorism, child exploitation, or white-collar criminal case, Kennedy said digital evidence often plays a role. Just like any other evidence, the fourth amendment requires investigators to have probable cause and a search warrant to search and seize smartphones, computers, tablets, and other devices.

Cell phones are always with us, so if we can get ahold of somebodys cell phone that's usually the treasure trove of evidence that we need, Kennedy said.

Social media also plays a role in many cases, including the January 6 Capitol insurrection, Kennedy said.

The fact that people are using their cell phones to take selfies and then theyre sending those out to their family members has helped us solve and identify who some of these individuals were, Kennedy added.

Photos and videos also helped in the mass shooting investigation at a downtown Little Rock nightclub in 2017.

"That was one where our detectives really had to go through and comb through phone evidence, Sgt. Eric Barnes with the Little Rock Police Department said. Surveillance evidence and the technology really ended up linking other people to that crime that were either there or involved.

LRPD has investigators dedicated to monitoring social media, Barnes said.

We know if we're looking at certain players who may be involved in an investigation, we're going to pay close attention to certain sites they may be involved with or any activity they may have on any platform, he said.

While there are plenty of examples showing how digital evidence helps solve crime -- could it actually be preventing it in the first place?

Dr. Edward Powers, chair of the Sociology, Criminology and Anthropology Department at the University of Central Arkansas, weighed in.

Maybe technology is creating a deterrent, he said.

Powers looks at this using the routine activities theory, which suggests three ingredients make up the "recipe" for crime: a motivated offender, suitable target(s), and perceived absence of a capable guardian or the idea you can go undetected.

Technology to some extent has become a capable guardian, Powers said. It might not be able to stop a crime from taking place, but it does increase the probability that offenders are going to be caught and punished.

According to FBI crime data, Arkansas robberies decreased by about 50% between 2007 the year the first iPhone was released and 2019.

There are a lot of factors, Powers said.

He believes the accessibility of cell phone location data, home security camera footage, and the widespread shift from cash to electronic payment have played at least some role in the decline.

But he said criminals have evolved too, by targeting victims online.

You're probably not as likely to be walking down the street in Little Rock and get robbed, but you might be more likely to get robbed by someone in another country, he said.

Regardless of the crime, Kennedy said he and his law enforcement colleagues are ready.

Whether you're using a phone or computer or whether you throw those things away, we still have a job to do and we're very good at collecting evidence of all sorts, he said.

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How criminal investigations have evolved along with technology - THV11.com KTHV

It is a dark, stormy night in the South Atlantic. Coastal radar picks up a boat heading out towards the edge of a countrys 200-mile limit of jurisdiction. The on-board Automatic Identification System (AIS), required by authorities to track and monitor vessel movements, tells the watching coastguard that it is a Panamanian registered industrial trawler.

As it approaches a no-take (meaning fishing is not allowed) Marine Protected Area (MPA), newly designated because of its sensitive bottom habitat, the ships AIS suddenly stops transmitting and the vessel goes dark. A call goes out to authorities responsible for fisheries protection and conservation.

Commonly, a patrol vesselif availablewould be dispatched to see what the boat was doing, but this is at night, in a storm, off an exposed coast. Is there a problem with the AIS and the boat is just transiting over the MPA? Or is there an ulterior motive and the trawler has deployed its nets to scour the seafloor, destroying the habitat and nature protected by the MPA?

A growing number of countries due to meet at the conference of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) later this year have pledged to protect and conserve at least 30 percent of the ocean in a movement dubbed 30 x 30: 30 percent by 2030. Even with those commitments, how do we manage vast areas of ocean to ensure they are providing the protection and restoration so desperately needed for our future?

The example above is hypothetical. If the boats goal turns out to be nefarious and the incident ends as a prosecution in court, visual evidence may be required. Sending out a boat full of rangers, police, or military all takes time, costs money, uses significant additional resources, not to mention carrying safety risks. Its a challenge our marine protectors face across the world.

Most MPAs seek to protect critical ocean habitats and species from one or more existential or predicted threats. The vast majority of such threats, such as pollution and exploitation of nature, are human induced. For an MPA to function effectively there must be science-based monitoring of progress, management of human activities and the environment, surveillance, and enforcement of rules and regulations put into place to abate the threat and protect species and ecosystems.

To do this at scale requires significant effort. Achieving 30 percent protection and conservation of the whole oceanboth coastal and high seasrequires that we protect and conserve 109 million square kilometres (42 million square miles), an area more than 11 times the size of the entire United States.

Securing such a vast area requires new cutting-edge technology. Luckily, this field has been developing fast: from hand-held devices for recording coral reef data, to satellite remote sensing of illegal fishing. Maritime surveillance to monitor fishing and animal movements, watch boat movements, track illegal activities, observe pollution, and keep an eye more broadly on the whole exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of a country, are all essential to ensuring that our ocean is managed sustainably.

Yet, as we move to a far greater area over which protection extends, traditional surveillance and enforcement will need to be supplemented by new advances in technology.

By combining data from a range of sources such as direct observations from other maritime operators, synthetic aperture radar, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), infra-red, acoustics, vessel monitoring systems, and real time AIS, a picture of the activities of humans or species such as whales and fish can be built up.

Lets take the fishing vessel in the hypothetical example above that turned off its on-board monitoring system. Perhaps it slowed from a transiting speed of 12 knots down to 3 knots, the speed at which it could trawl. Was it close to whale sharks it was using to attract fish? Is it possible to get an image of the boats activity that could be used in court?

All this information can be picked out of a sea of noisy data. By connecting the data to existing systems that rangers or authorities use, such as the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) system, we can develop powerful tools not just for enforcement, but also for day-to-day management.

It should be stressed here that the use of monitoring and surveillance technology is not all about catching bad guys doing illegal acts. It is also about monitoring movements of species (for example, acoustic monitoring of whales) and measuring changes in habitats under different management regimes such the MERMAID crowd-sourced coral monitoring technology.

This new tech is also useful for tracking and protecting rangers or small-scale fishers. It can build up a picture of how we use our seas so that management plans can be put in place to increase the sustainability of commercial activities.

Surveillance and enforcement with the best technology in the world does not replace the need for engagement of the people, communities, and sectors that rely upon the sea for their livelihoods. Raising awareness of the need to act legally and responsibly remains a major element of the work of organizations such as WCS.

As we work to achieve sustainable seas, protect nature, reverse biodiversity loss, and reduce the threat of climate change, we must up our game using all the tools available to us.

Those tools will include new, advanced technology. Nature conservation appears to be both keeping up and leading the way in the application of that technology to real world challenges. So as countries decide whether to move to a minimum of 30 percent protection at CBD, I say bring it on. Conservationists will be there with the latest technology to help ensure success.

Dr.SimonCripps is Executive Director of theGlobal Marine Programat WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society).

New cutting-edge technology can monitor illegal activities and movements of species across vast areas. Image by Jordan Robins.

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How technology can help us achieve at least 30% ocean protection (commentary) - Mongabay.com

SolarWinds Orion, the network management product that was targeted, is used in tens of thousands of corporations and government agencies. Over 17,000 organizations downloaded the infected back door. The hackers were extraordinarily stealthy and specific in targeting, which is why it took so long to catch themand why its taking so long to understand their full impact.

The difficulty of uncovering the extent of the damage was summarized by Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft, in a congressional hearing last week.

Who knows the entirety of what happened here? he said. Right now, the attacker is the only one who knows the entirety of what they did.

Kevin Mandia, CEO of the security company FireEye, which raised the first alerts about the attack, told Congress that the hackers prioritized stealth above all else.

Disruption would have been easier than what they did, he said. They had focused, disciplined data theft. Its easier to just delete everything in blunt-force trauma and see what happens. They actually did more work than what it would have taken to go destructive.

CISA first heard about a problem when FireEye discovered that it had been hacked and notified the agency. The company regularly works closely with the US government, and although it wasnt legally obligated to tell anyone about the hack, it quickly shared news of the compromise with sensitive corporate networks.

It was Microsoft that told the US government federal networks had been compromised. The company shared that information with Wales on December 11, he said in an interview. Microsoft observed the hackers breaking into the Microsoft 365 cloud that is used by many government agencies. A day later, FireEye informed CISA of the back door in SolarWinds, a little-known but extremely widespread and powerful tool.

This signaled that the scale of the hack could be enormous. CISAs investigators ended up working straight through the holidays to help agencies hunt for the hackers in their networks.

These efforts were made even more complicated because Wales had only just taken over at the agency: days earlier, former director Chris Krebs had been fired by Donald Trump for repeatedly debunking White House disinformation about a stolen election.

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Recovering from the SolarWinds hack could take 18 months - MIT Technology Review

SINGAPORE, March 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Corsight AI,a leading facial recognition technology provider, today announced that it has expanded its reach and offering throughout Asia Pacific and has appointed William Tan and Amit Sarkar to accelerate market growth and support the regional surge in demand for facial recognition technology.

Rated highly by NIST and The US Department for Homeland Security, Corsight's facial recognition technology is the only one on the market that allows for a more comprehensive, ethical and accurate detection of identifying individuals features, thereby driving down false positives and enhancing accuracy for users. This advanced technology exceeds the human brain's ability to register and recognise faces in the most challenging environments-- even with face masks that have become a significant part of our post Covid-19 reality.

This technology is becoming increasingly leveraged by organisations across Asia, even within markets that have been notoriously slow to approve such innovations, due to tight enforcement protocols. Facial recognition has been identified, along with edge computing, as a major trend[1] with the 'Asia-Pacific Biometrics Market' expected to grow from $5.39 billion in 2018 to $21.19 billion in 2025[2].

The appointment of William Tan to spearhead the expansion throughout Asia Pacific will significantly enhance Corsight's operations and grow its market share. William Tan comes to Corsight AI from NEC Corporation, a multinational information technology and electronic company, where he served as Director for Global Face Recognition and Surveillance. Based out of Singapore, he will partner with Corsight AI's new Regional Director of India, Amit Sarkar, as well as the Executive team to deliver on the company's corporate and customer strategy.

Amit Sarkar will be specifically responsible for driving growth in India, as well as evangelising the ethical stance of facial recognition technology and its capabilities to be deployed as a force for good. This will be welcomed in a region that is harnessing facial recognition at scale, and rolling out one of the world's largest government-operated facial recognition systems to keep people safe from real-time threats.

"This is the next stage in our growth plan and we are excited to expand our specialisms in emerging markets in Asia, including government agencies and companies in a variety of sectors, including law enforcement, tourism, hospitality, entertainment, among others." said Rob Watts, CEO of Corsight.

Watts continued: "The biometric market in Asia is maturing at pace, and we are delighted that William has joined us to drive strong regional growth. William's extensive knowledge and experience working in the ICT industry, as well as his expertise in business development, channel partnerships, and strategic alliance sales and marketing, make him ideally suited as Asia Pacific's Vice President. He has a proven track record and achievements in global product management of biometric and AI solutions, and I am confident that he will achieve great things in the region."

William Tan added: "It is a real privilege to work with such an innovative and experienced team and I look forward to contributing positively to Corsight's growth plan, especially in Asia. Corsight's product has proven itself to be a disruptive technology in multiple demanding industries. It is cutting edge and I can truly see its power as a force of good, with the many ways in which it can benefit societies."

Corsight AI will be expanding business in key regions in Asia including; Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea and India. For more information about Corsight AI, which is backed by over 250 patents, please visit http://www.corsight.ai.

About Corsight AI

Corsight AI, a leading facial recognition technology provider, is dedicated to creating a game-changing solution with unrivalled speed and accuracy. The technology is powered by Autonomous AI, the most advanced artificial intelligence system. Corsight AI works with government agencies and companies in a variety of sectors, including law enforcement, aviation, retail, entertainment, and more.

Corsight AI is jointly headquartered in the United States and UK, with R&D offices in Israel. For more information, please visit http://www.corsight.ai and follow us on LinkedIn.

[1]https://techwireasia.com/2020/10/facial-recognition-tech-will-boost-biometric-id-acceptance-in-sea/

[2]https://www.biometricupdate.com/201908/biometrics-market-in-asia-pacific-region-to-surpass-21b-by-2025

https://www.corsight.ai/

SOURCE Corsight AI

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Leading facial recognition technology provider Corsight AI announces expansion into the Asia Pacific region - PR Newswire India

Karlton Johnson

Karlton Johnson joins Microchip Board of Directors

CHANDLER, Ariz., March 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (NASDAQ: MCHP) Microchip Technology Incorporated, a leading provider of smart, connected and secure embedded control solutions, today announced that Karlton Johnson, currently the Chief Executive Officer of DeLaine Strategy Group LLC, will join the Board of Directors of Microchip effective April 1, 2021.

Commenting on Karlton Johnsons appointment to the Board, Microchips Executive Chair, Steve Sanghi, said, Karlton brings a valuable and unique background to Microchip with his many years of defense expertise, space development, cybersecurity knowledge, risk management, international business experience and organization excellence. Karlton has an impeccable track record of public service including 26 years in the Air Force as well as serving on multiple non-profit and advisory boards. We very much welcome Karlton to our Board and look forward to benefiting from his contributions.

Karlton Johnson commented, Microchip has an outstanding record of growth and profitability. The track record of financial success in the semiconductor industry combined with a winning company culture is what attracted me to Microchip. I am excited to be joining the Board of Directors of Microchip and look forward to contributing to Microchips success.

Microchip also announced that L.B. Day has decided to retire from the Microchip Board of Directors effective as of the August 2021 annual meeting of shareholders.

Commenting on Mr. Days planned retirement, Mr. Sanghi said, It has been an absolute pleasure to have L.B. on Microchips Board since December of 1994. L.B. helped Microchip establish its strategic planning process and his contributions to the Board and Microchips success will be missed. L.B. will always be part of the Microchip family.

L.B. Day said, It has been my pleasure to be a member of the Microchip Board of Directors for over 25 years. The success Microchip has achieved has been remarkable and I know that Microchip will continue to thrive in the future.

Cautionary Statement:

The statements in this release relating to the changes in our board of directors, the success of Microchip and that Microchip will continue to thrive in the future are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to: uncertainties related to the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on the economy, our business and the business of our customers and suppliers; the impact of any significant acquisitions we may make; our ability to realize the expected benefits of our acquisitions, changes in demand or market acceptance of our products and the products of our customers; our ability to execute on our strategy; our ability to hire and retain our executives and other employees; competitive developments including pricing pressures; the costs and outcome of any current or future litigation or other matters involving our Microsemi acquisition, the Microsemi business, intellectual property, customers, or other issues; the costs and outcome of any current or future tax audit or investigation regarding our business or the business of Microsemi; disruptions in our business or the businesses of our customers or suppliers due to natural disasters (including any floods in Thailand), terrorist activity, armed conflict, war, worldwide oil prices and supply, public health concerns or disruptions in the transportation system; and general economic, industry or political conditions in the United States or internationally.

For a detailed discussion of these and other risk factors, please refer to Microchip's filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. You can obtain copies of Forms 10-K and 10-Q and other relevant documents for free at Microchips website (www.microchip.com) or the SEC's website (www.sec.gov) or from commercial document retrieval services.

Stockholders of Microchip are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date such statements are made. Microchip does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or new information after this March 2, 2021 press release, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

About Microchip:

Microchip Technology Incorporated is a leading provider of smart, connected and secure embedded control solutions. Its easy-to-use development tools and comprehensive product portfolio enable customers to create optimal designs, which reduce risk while lowering total system cost and time to market. The company's solutions serve more than 113,000 customers across the industrial, automotive, consumer, aerospace and defense, communications and computing markets. Headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Microchip offers outstanding technical support along with dependable delivery and quality. For more information, visit the Microchip website at http://www.microchip.com.

The Microchip logo and name are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated.

INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:J. Eric Bjornholt CFO (480) 792-7804

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7c659bfb-8380-42b8-b118-92710710f3cc

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Microchip Technology Announces Changes to Its Board of Directors - GlobeNewswire

Parallel Flight Technologies was selected to partner with ACUASI because of the company's advanced drone technology, which allows its unmanned aircraft to carry a 100-pound payload for over two hours, a 10 times improvement over existing solutions. PFT's first commercial-intent drone is currently in the final stages of development at the company's headquarters in California. PFT will be working with ACUASIon demonstration missions in Alaska later in the year, with focus areas of remote medical delivery, remote and industrial logistics, and ship-to-shore.

Parallel Flight Technologies' drone features patent-pending parallel hybrid technology that has never been used before in a multirotor aircraft, resulting in a fully redundant UAS that combines extreme heavy lifting with long flight duration. While all-electric drones can only carry heavy loads for approximately 15 minutes, PFT's drone will be able to carry a payload of 100 pounds for hours. This technology opens up new possibilities for a number of mission-critical applications across a variety of industries, including firefighting, industrial logistics and medical deliveries.

As part of the FAA's BEYOND program, ACUASI will share key findings from the Alaska missions to provide the FAA with critical data to help advance UAS integration. The BEYOND program follows the FAA's recently concluded UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP), which ended in October 2020. BEYOND is designed to address the remaining challenges of UAS integration, including scaling Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, analyzing and quantifying the societal and economic benefits of UAS operations, and engaging the community to address concerns. The data provided by PFT through ACUASI will assist the FAA in developing performance-based standards, collecting and addressing community feedback, and streamlining the approval processes for UAS integration into the National Airspace System.

"We are honored to be selected as an official partner of ACUASI for the BEYOND program," said Joshua Resnick, CEO of Parallel Flight Technologies. "The data collected and shared through this partnership will help to inform regulations and policies for unmanned systems in the national airspace, which is absolutely critical for the future of drone technology. We look forward to demonstrating our drone's unique capabilities with the assistance of ACUASI and are proud to participate in a program that will advance the UAS industry."

Parallel Flight Technologies will also leverage this partnership to further expand its markets and customer pipeline. PFT's transformative technology can be applied across multiple logistics verticals, including real-time and complex healthcare logistics, tactical support for firefighters and first responders, and industrial logistics. By serving as an original equipment manufacturer and service provider, Parallel Flight Technologies is well-positioned to revolutionize drones as a service (DAAS) on a global scale.

About Parallel Flight Technologies

Parallel Flight Technologies is an industrial-grade drone company with a mission to deliver unmanned systems that save lives, property and the environment. Based La Selva Beach, California, the startup company has developed patent-pending drone technology that will allow drones to carry heavy payloads for over two hours, making it ideal for use in fighting wildfires, search and rescue, healthcare and other mission-critical logistics applications. To learn more, please visit http://www.parallelflight.com.

Media Contact: Sara Beth DohertyCommunications Lead, Parallel Flight Technologies[emailprotected]704-724-5318

SOURCE Parallel Flight Technologies

https://www.parallelflight.com

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Parallel Flight Technologies to Participate in the Federal Aviation Administration's BEYOND Program - PRNewswire

Photo by BryceTech

Space industry research and consultancy firm Bryce Space and Technology is changing its name to BryceTech. The company, founded in 2016 by Carissa Christensen, said the new name better aligned with its future growth strategy, as it broadens its capabilities and client base.

BryceTech will maintain the Bryce Space and Technology brand as a business unit within the company, offering space industry data, insight, and analysis.

We are honored that our existing customers have chosen to continue and, in many cases, expand our support to their organizations. Their backing enabled us to diversify into new government departments and agencies that require similar scientific, engineering, technical, and analytic support, Bryces VP of Government Operations and Chief Growth Officer Jeffrey Mujsce said in a company statement.

Bryces client base includes the U.S. Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Heath and Human Services, NASA, NOAA, and several customers in the private sector. The company reported that its business portfolio grew 30% Year-over-Year in 2020, driven by new civil space contracts it received, such as the $10M STAMPS BPA, as well as additional contracts to provide Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) expertise, cyber analytics, and software integration to a variety of both civil and defense agencies.

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Bryce Space and Technology Rebrands to BryceTech - Via Satellite

HENDERSON, Nev.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc., (OTCPK:AITX), today announced that Garett Parsons has appointed Steven Reinharz as CEO, CFO and Secretary of AITX. Reinharz is the founder and President of AITXs subsidiaries and the majority and controlling owner of AITX.

I am incredibly proud of AITX and the work that Steve has done to propel the business to where it is today, said Garett Parsons. AITX couldn't be in better hands, and I look forward to providing Steve further guidance as we continue to advance with the best technology, team and customers.

According to AITX, Parsons will continue with AITX as a member of the Board of Directors and a consultant under a three-year agreement.

Garett has been an incredible resource as weve worked together to evolve AITX and solidify our high growth path, said Steve Reinharz, AITX CEO, and President of all subsidiaries. "Im pleased with the work weve done together, the format under which we will continue our business association, and I fully support him on any future endeavors he may pursue outside of AITX.

Reinharz also announced that Mark Folmer has been elevated to Chief Operating Officer of Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD), a wholly owned subsidiary of AITX and the main contributing entity. Folmer had previously held the role within the company of Vice President, Security & Industry. Folmer will oversee all of RADs manufacturing, operations, sales and administrative groups while Reinharz will continue to manage R&D and be significantly involved in sales efforts. Im thrilled that Steve has entrusted me with this new role. Under his leadership, RAD has established itself with an incredible team and extraordinary technologies. Im excited to help accelerate RADs expansion and fulfill the mission of becoming a dominant player in this industry, said Folmer.

AITX is hereby announcing that it has begun an external search for candidates to fill the position of Chief Financial Officer for AITX and all subsidiaries. The future CFO will take the lead in evaluating the possibility of stock market uplisting options including to NASDAQ and support financing options. Furthermore this role will accelerate AITXs implementation of a new ERP, support AITXs full-SEC reporting requirements, and lead the due diligence team for future acquisitions explored by AITX. Ideally, we will find candidates with experience with innovative tech companies and major stock markets, Reinharz commented.

We are strengthening our position in being the dominant player in the new industry we are creating. I'm delighted at the caliber, strength and enthusiasm of our leadership team, and all new staff members. I especially acknowledge the resilience of the team members whove been with us since the beginning and have had a hand in grooming our culture and our commitment to quality, Reinharz concluded.

Robotic Assistance Devices (RAD) is a high-tech start-up that delivers robotics and artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex security challenges, and fuel new business ideas at reduced costs. RAD developed its advanced security robot technology from the ground up including circuit board design, and base code development. This allows RAD to have complete control over all of design elements, performance, quality and the users experience of all security robots whether SCOT, ROSA, Wally, Wally HSO, AVA, or ROAMEO. Read about how RAD is reinventing the security services industry by downloading the Autonomous Remote Services Industry Manifesto.

CAUTIONARY DISCLOSURE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this news release other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" that are based on current expectations and assumptions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the ability of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions to provide for its obligations, to provide working capital needs from operating revenues, to obtain additional financing needed for any future acquisitions, to meet competitive challenges and technological changes, to meet business and financial goals including projections and forecasts, and other risks. Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement(s) and/or to confirm the statement(s) to actual results or changes in Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions expectations.

About Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (AITX)

AITX is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex challenges and fuel new business ideas. Through its next-generation robotic product offerings, AITXs RAD and RAD-M companies help organizations streamline operations, increase ROI and strengthen business. AITX technology improves the simplicity and economics of patrolling and guard services, and allows experienced personnel to focus on more strategic tasks. Customers augment the capabilities of existing staffs and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced cost. AITX solutions are well suited for use in multiple industries such as enterprises, government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education and healthcare. To learn more, visit http://www.aitx.ai and http://www.roboticassistancedevices.com, or follow Steve Reinharz on Twitter @SteveReinharz.

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Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions Announces Executive Team Expansion - Business Wire

BUFFALO, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Unifrax, the leading manufacturer of high-performance specialty materials, today introduced its latest proprietary technology, SiFAB Silicon Fiber Anode Battery Technology by Unifrax. SiFAB, currently in advanced testing after years of research and development, has shown promising performance in multiple battery systems. This anode technology enables significantly higher energy density in lithium ion battery systems and has successfully been tested with incremental Si loadings of greater than 40 percent.

SiFAB is Unifraxs first step into silicon fiber for the lithium ion battery manufacturing market, building on its deep history of fiber-based technology and manufacturing. Unifrax, the inventor of specialty ceramic fibers, has a 75+ year track record of developing and supplying engineered inorganic materials at large scale to advanced industries worldwide including electric vehicles, aerospace, and chemical processing. The company expects production to come online in early 2022 with plans to build thousands of tons of long-term manufacturing capacity.

SiFAB is the latest development from our long-standing tradition of using fiber-based technologies to create step change value for our customers, said Chad Cannan, Senior Vice President of Research and Development, Unifrax. This is a unique proposition in the market Unifrax is a large, global manufacturing company introducing game-changing advanced silicon anode materials that can be used in existing manufacturing processes. Our track record and proven ability to develop new and unique technologies will help transform the battery industry with greater energy density, faster charges, and longer lifespans.

This transformational material presents numerous opportunities throughout the lithium ion battery ecosystem, with applications spanning personal devices, energy storage, electric vehicles, and the broader industrial market. SiFAB represents another addition to our robust electric vehicle and battery solutions portfolio which includes AGM separator materials, large format lithium ion glass separators, interstitial thermal runaway barriers, and battery compartment fire protection systems, added John Dandolph, President and CEO, Unifrax.

Unifrax will be available during the 2021 International Battery Seminar and Virtual Exhibit March 911, 2021, to discuss SiFAB technology with interested attendees.

About Unifrax

Unifrax develops and manufactures high performance specialty materials used in advanced applications including high-temperature industrial insulation, electric vehicles, energy storage, filtration, and fire protection, among many others. Unifrax products are designed with the ultimate goal of saving energy, reducing pollution, and improving safety for people, buildings and equipment by delivering on our commitment to our customers of greener, cleaner, safer solutions for their application challenges. Unifrax has 37 manufacturing facilities operating in 12 countries and employs 2,700+ employees globally. More information is available at http://www.unifrax.com. For updates, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

About Clearlake

Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is an investment firm founded in 2006 operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with experienced management teams by providing patient, long-term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlakes operational improvement approach, O.P.S. The firms core target sectors are industrials, technology and consumer. Clearlake currently has approximately $30 billion of assets under management and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 300 investments. The firm has offices in Santa Monica and Dallas. More information is available at http://www.clearlake.com and on Twitter @ClearlakeCap.

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Unifrax, Backed by Clearlake Capital, Announces Lithium Ion Battery Anode Technology Coming Early Next Year - Business Wire