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USC Expands AI Education With New Research Center, Amazon Partnership
Samson Amore
Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He holds a degree in journalism from Emerson College. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter @Samsonamore.
The University of Southern California has unveiled a pair of programs—one in partnership with Amazon—designed to meet the tech industry’s accelerating demand for engineers in the realm of artificial intelligence.
On Tuesday, USC announced the launch of the new Center for Autonomy and AI at its Viterbi School of Engineering. Co-directed by USC professors Rahul Jain and Jyo Deshmukh, the center aims to study and develop AI applications ranging from self-driving cars and autonomous robots.
The university also rolled out a new partnership with Amazon to launch a summer residency program for undergraduate engineering students. Amazon is sponsoring the program, which will see 30 students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines from across the U.S. work with USC faculty during an eight-week on-campus program.
The summer residency is the second recent collaboration between USC Viterbi and the Seattle-based ecommerce giant, after they partnered last year on a joint research center focused on machine learning.
In a statement Tuesday, USC Viterbi Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs Kelly Goulis noted that Amazon “is one of the largest employers” of the engineering school’s alumni. USC Viterbi Dean Yannis Yortsos told dot.LA that several top Amazon decision-makers have close ties to USC—including Alexa AI Vice President Prem Natarajan, who previously taught at Viterbi and was the founding director of USC’s Computing Forum.
“There is a lot of growth in these areas and I think you will see more,” Yortsos said. “It is conceivable that even at the undergraduate level, some sort of a digital literacy will become as important as other general education requirements.”
Professor Rajul Jain and Assistant Professor Jyo Deshmukh will lead the center, focusing on new and emerging technologies with real-world applications. Photo by Aaron John Balana
According to a USC Viterbi spokesperson, demand among students for a minor in applied analytics has catapulted from fewer than 20 students in 2016 to more than 500 this year, making it one of the most popular minors on campus today. In turn, the university has added 12 new courses that focus on AI or data science and will continue to grow that number moving forward.
Yortsos noted that USC’s focus on AI-related disciplines has grown in conjunction with the tech industry’s demand for engineers. As autonomous applications from transportation to manufacturing expand in use, companies’ demand for talent to develop and troubleshoot such technology is skyrocketing.
In November, USC hosted a program on “safe autonomy and practical AI” that featured participants from major firms in manufacturing and defense, including Toyota, Ford, Ericsson, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Yortsos said the government is also interested in tapping USC’s engineering talent, with the campus hosting a workshop alongside the U.S. Army next week and commencing a research partnership with the U.S. Space Force later this month.
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Samson Amore
Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He holds a degree in journalism from Emerson College. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter @Samsonamore.
https://twitter.com/samsonamore
samsonamore@dot.la
LA Tech Updates: Peacock Hits 10 Million Users; TikTok's $2 Billion Creator Fund Goes After Instagram, Youtube
02:08 PM | July 30, 2020
Here are the latest updates on news affecting Los Angeles' startup and tech communities. Sign up for our newsletter and follow dot.LA on Twitter for more.
Today:
- Peacock Hits 10 Million Users
- TikTok Promises $2 Billion for Creators Over 3 Years as Rivalry with Facebook Heats Up
Peacock hits 10 million users
Peacock Will Be Available on Google and Android Devices in JulyNBCUniversalNBCUniversal's new streaming service Peacock has hit 10 million users three months after its debut. The figure represents both new members who joined since July 15 when it launched for the general public and users who signed up in April when the platform opened exclusively to Comcast play TV customers.
NBCUniversal is the latest to join the so-called streaming wars. Unlike some competitors, Peacock offers a free tier subscription for members to watch most content with ads. Last week, it rolled out a "Roll to Tokyo" channel dedicated to the 2021 Summer Olympics as one way to attract subscribers.
Comcast Corp. reported the figures on Thursday during their second quarter earnings and it was a bright spot for the company.
"Across the board, we're better than expectations," NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell told investors during their call. "We didn't expect this many sign-ups, we didn't expect people to come back as frequently as they're coming back and we didn't expect people to watch as long as they're watching once they come back."
Executives have said their goal is to gain 30 million to 35 million users and $2.5 billion in revenue by 2024.
TikTok Promises $2 Billion for Creators Over 3 Years as Rivalry with Facebook Heats Up
TikTok announced it'll pay creators almost $2 billion over the next three years to support their careers online, a move that marks territory as rival Instagram's prepares to join the space with its service Reels.
The Culver City-based company launched the TikTok Creator Fund last week to "encourage those who dream of using their voices and creativity to spark inspiration careers," TikTok General Manager Vanessa Pappas wrote in a blog post.
The fund, which was originally set at $200 million before Thursday's update, will start accepting applications from U.S. creators in August.
It's a signal that CEO Kevin Mayer has ratcheted up their efforts to take on competitors like YouTube and Instagram. On Wednesday he called Reels by Instagram, a Facebook owned company, a "copycat product."
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Francesca Billington
Francesca Billington is a freelance reporter. Prior to that, she was a general assignment reporter for dot.LA and has also reported for KCRW, the Santa Monica Daily Press and local publications in New Jersey. She graduated from Princeton in 2019 with a degree in anthropology.
https://twitter.com/frosebillington
francesca@dot.la
⚖️FTC’s "Click to Cancel" Rule and Its Ripple Effect on Tech
09:58 AM | October 18, 2024
🔦 Spotlight
Happy Friday Los Angeles,
The FTC’s new “Click to Cancel” rule is shaking up subscription-based tech. Now, instead of navigating a maze of cancellation hurdles, users can cancel subscriptions as easily as they signed up—with a single click. This shift is a wake-up call for SaaS, streaming, and app-based companies, where once-hidden exit options often kept users around simply because canceling was a hassle.
The rule also requires businesses to send regular renewal reminders, ensuring customers stay informed about upcoming charges. It's more than a cancellation button—it’s about transparency and giving users control over their decisions.
For startups, the impact goes deeper than UX adjustments. Many have relied on "dark patterns," which subtly discourage cancellations by hiding the exit. Now, companies must shift toward building genuine loyalty by delivering real value, not by complicating exits.
While this might affect retention rates initially, it could lead to more sustainable business models that rely on satisfaction-driven loyalty. Investors may start prioritizing companies that emphasize transparent, long-term engagement over those that depend on dark patterns to maintain retention metrics.
The rule opens the door to more ethical UX design and a truly user-centered approach across the tech industry. It may even set a precedent against manipulative design in other areas, such as privacy settings or payment methods.
Ultimately, the “Click to Cancel” rule presents an opportunity for the tech industry to foster trust and build stronger customer relationships. Startups and established companies that embrace transparency will likely stand out as leaders in a new era of customer-centric tech, where trust—not tricky design—is what retains users.
As the tech landscape continues to evolve, LA Tech Week 2024 offers a chance to explore these shifts in real-time. Check out the upcoming event lineups to stay informed and make the most of your time:
For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.
🤝 Venture Deals
LA Companies
- Ghost, a company supporting top brands and retailers with streamlined logistics and fulfillment solutions, raised a $40M Series C funding round led by L Catterton to fuel its continued growth and innovation. - learn more
- Hello Cake, a sexual wellness and health brand, raised an $18M Series B funding round led by Silas Capital and Strand Equity and acquired Trigg Laboratories, a Las Vegas-based company, to expand its product line and market presence. - learn more
- Horizon Surgical Systems, a microsurgical robotics company, has raised a $30M Series A funding round led by ExSight Ventures to advance its platform, fund first-in-human studies, and expand its team to drive further innovation. - learn more
- Terray Therapeutics, a biotech company using generative AI to develop small-molecule therapeutics, raised $120M in a Series B funding round led by Bedford Ridge Capital and NVentures, to advance it’s internal programs to clinical trials and further develop its AI-driven platform, tNova. - learn more
LA Venture Funds
- Finality Capital Partners participated in a $2.85M seed round for Blockcast, a decentralized content delivery network focused on lowering streaming costs and enhancing quality for digital media providers. - learn more
- Assembly Ventures participated in a $27M Series A round for Monogoto, a provider of software-defined connectivity solutions that enable secure, cloud-based IoT and cellular network management on a global scale. - learn more
- StoryHouse Ventures participated in a $3M seed round for Parakeet Health, a generative AI company dedicated to enhancing patient engagement for healthcare providers - learn more
- Angeleno Group participated in a $32M Series C round for REsurety, a company that recently launched an innovative clean energy marketplace aimed at providing better financial and operational insights to support renewable energy transactions. - learn more
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