Lethbridge Polytechnic instructor making international impact addressing academics and AI
In May, Olga Klymenko led a virtual seminar for the University of Seychelles on challenges in teaching post-secondary academic writing with the increasing use of AI.
She says one of the issues she faces as an academic isn't just the rapid integration of AI but the need for instructors to adapt quickly.
'We teach students to not only give knowledge but to prepare them for their future life, and this slogan, 'be ready,' it's not just a slogan—it's the mindset that we're trying to cultivate, so in the classroom, I cannot ignore the existence of AI tools,' said Klymenko.
A recent KPMG report shows 59 per cent of students used AI for academic work in 2024 compared to 52 per cent in 2023.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
4 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Apple Inc. Reports Record-Breaking Q3 2025 Earnings
Apple Inc ( (AAPL)) has released its Q3 earnings. Here is a breakdown of the information Apple Inc presented to its investors. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Apple Inc., a leading technology company renowned for its innovative products and services, operates primarily in the consumer electronics and software industry. Known for its flagship products like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Apple continues to set benchmarks in the tech world with its seamless ecosystem of devices and services. In its fiscal 2025 third quarter earnings report, Apple announced a record-breaking performance with a total revenue of $94 billion, marking a 10% increase from the previous year. The company also reported a significant rise in its earnings per share, which grew by 12% to $1.57. This quarter was highlighted by strong growth in iPhone, Mac, and Services revenue, alongside a global expansion in all geographic segments. Key financial metrics revealed a robust performance, with Apple's net income reaching $23.4 billion, up from $21.4 billion in the same quarter last year. The company's services sector hit a new all-time high, contributing $27.4 billion to the total revenue. Additionally, Apple's installed base of active devices achieved a new peak, driven by high customer satisfaction and loyalty. Apple's strategic announcements included the introduction of a new software design across all platforms and enhanced Apple Intelligence features, unveiled during the WWDC25. The board of directors declared a cash dividend of $0.26 per share, reinforcing Apple's commitment to returning value to its shareholders. Looking ahead, Apple remains optimistic about its future growth, focusing on innovation and customer satisfaction. The company's management continues to navigate the competitive tech landscape with strategic investments in product development and market expansion.
Globe and Mail
7 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Meta Platforms, Inc. Earnings Call Highlights AI Growth
Meta Platforms, Inc. ((META)) has held its Q2 earnings call. Read on for the main highlights of the call. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Meta Platforms, Inc. recently held its earnings call, showcasing a strong performance driven by advancements in AI technology. The company reported significant growth in revenue and user engagement, attributed to its strategic investments in AI infrastructure and talent. Despite these achievements, Meta faces challenges, particularly with losses in its Reality Labs division and regulatory pressures in the European Union. Strong Revenue Growth Meta reported a total revenue of $47.5 billion for the second quarter, marking a 22% increase on both a reported and constant currency basis. This impressive growth highlights the company's robust financial health and its ability to capitalize on market opportunities. AI-Powered Ad Improvements The company has seen a notable enhancement in ad conversions, thanks to AI-powered recommendations. Instagram experienced a 5% increase in ad conversions, while Facebook saw a 3% rise. These improvements underscore Meta's commitment to leveraging AI to optimize its advertising platforms. Increased Engagement Meta's advancements in recommendation systems have led to increased user engagement, with a 5% rise in time spent on Facebook and a 6% increase on Instagram. This growth in engagement is a testament to the effectiveness of Meta's AI-driven strategies. Family of Apps Revenue Surge The Family of Apps division reported a revenue of $47.1 billion, reflecting a 22% year-over-year increase. This surge underscores the strength and popularity of Meta's suite of applications. Strong Operating Income Meta's operating income for the second quarter was $20.4 billion, representing a 43% operating margin. This strong performance indicates efficient cost management and a successful revenue model. Growing Meta AI Engagement Meta AI now boasts over 1 billion monthly active users, highlighting the widespread adoption and integration of AI across Meta's platforms. Expansion of AI Devices Meta is making strides in the AI devices market with the successful launch of Ray-Ban Meta glasses and the new Oakley Meta HSTN. These products are gaining momentum, contributing to the company's growth in the augmented reality space. Reality Labs Operating Loss Despite the overall positive performance, Reality Labs reported expenses of $4.9 billion and an operating loss of $4.5 billion. This division remains a challenging area for Meta, requiring strategic adjustments to achieve profitability. Regulatory Challenges in Europe Meta is facing increased legal and regulatory headwinds in the EU, which could significantly impact its business and financial results. Navigating these challenges will be crucial for Meta's continued success in the region. High Infrastructure Costs The company's total expenses for the second quarter were $27.1 billion, up 12% due to higher infrastructure costs. This increase reflects Meta's ongoing investments in its technological backbone to support future growth. Increase in Capital Expenditures Meta's capital expenditures reached $17 billion, driven by investments in servers, data centers, and network infrastructure. These expenditures are essential for maintaining and expanding Meta's technological capabilities. Forward-Looking Guidance Looking ahead, Meta provided extensive guidance for the second quarter of 2025. The company expects Q3 2025 revenue to range between $47.5 billion and $50.5 billion. Total expenses for 2025 are anticipated to be between $114 billion and $118 billion, driven by continued investments in infrastructure and talent. Meta's strategic focus remains on AI development, with advancements in the Llama 4.1 and 4.2 models and growth in the augmented reality space. In conclusion, Meta Platforms, Inc. has demonstrated strong financial performance and user engagement growth, driven by its strategic focus on AI advancements. While challenges persist, particularly in Reality Labs and regulatory environments, Meta's forward-looking guidance suggests continued growth and investment in key areas. Investors and stakeholders will be keenly watching how Meta navigates these challenges and capitalizes on its opportunities in the coming quarters.
Globe and Mail
8 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Toronto's Blue J Legal raises $167-million as demand for its ChatGPT-like chatbot for tax pros takes off
Blue J Legal Inc, a Toronto software startup that sells a chatbot for tax specialists powered by large-language models, has secured $167-million in financing led by two U.S. venture capital firms. The company reported in two filings on July 25 with Canadian securities regulators that that it had raised $161-million from investors outside Canada, and $6.4-million more within Canada. A corporate filing by Blue J with the federal government last week indicates the financing values it at more than US$300-million. One of the securities filings reveals the company has added two directors, Cathy Gao – a partner with Sapphire Ventures in San Francisco – and Allen Miller, a partner with Oak HC/FT in New York. A source familiar with the matter confirmed the two U.S. funds co-led the deal. Past investors include Canada's Mistral Ventures, Relay Ventures and Generation Capital, as well as U.S. funds Ten Coves Capital and LDV Partners. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the source as they are not authorized to discuss the matter. Blue J was set to announce its financing next Tuesday and only agreed to share details with The Globe on condition it waited to publish the news three hours after a U.S. publication broke the story. The Globe declined. 'At this time, Blue J cannot confirm any details' until Tuesday, spokeswoman Holland Eichorn said in email Friday. The company is one of several legal software firms bringing AI-driven products to law firms to hasten the automation of often tedious, time-consuming legal work. Many have experienced blistering sales growth, sparking massive investor interest. In June, U.S.-based Harvey AI, a legal AI software firm, raised US$300-million in a deal valuing the company at US$5-billion. That was co-led by venture capital giants Kleiner Perkins and Coatue, four months after raising a similar amount at a US$3-billion valuation. And in June, Burnaby, B.C.-based legal software firm Clio paid US$1-billion for Barcelona-based vLex LLC, maker of an artificial intelligence tool that keep lawyers from accidentally citing fake court rulings. Legal data giant Thomson Reuters Corp., whose controlling shareholder, the Thomson family, owns The Globe and Mail, has also been active in developing and buying AI-powered tools to offer clients. Blue J is a University of Toronto spinout led by Benjamin Alarie, the Osler Chair of Business Law with the school's faculty of law, which began developing artificial intelligence-powered software in the mid-2010s. Its original product helped lawyers and accountants speed-up the process of researching complex taxation matters, powered by predictive analytic software. Blue J raised venture capital and its early product sold decently, counting Canada's big four accounting firms and the Canada Revenue Agency as customers. But 'it was OK, it wasn't awesome, it wasn't a home run,' Mr. Alarie said in an interview early this year. After OpenAI launched ChatGPT in late 2022, the conversational AI chatbot that provides text responses to questions in seconds, Mr. Alarie realized his company could fold generative AI capabilities into its product to answer far more tax research questions. Blue J incorporated OpenAI's large language model technology into its product, relaunching it in mid-2023. That effort produced answers in about 90 seconds, but they were wrong about half of the time, a byproduct of the quirky tendency of LLMs to generate 'hallucinations,' or incorrect information. Blue J set about to improve the product, in part by licensing data from Tax Notes, a leading publisher of tax views and commentary, and benefiting from improvements to successive releases of LLMs. By last December, Blue J could produce answers within 10 seconds that were 95 per cent-plus accurate and enabled users to have technical back and forth conversations about complex tax matters with the program. Some firms found their users could save two hours a week each using BlueJ, which retails for $2,995 each year in Canada per user. 'You just need to be able to articulate a technical tax question clearly and you get a ton of value out of Blue J almost immediately, which is a huge selling feature and why things are going so well for us,' Mr. Alarie said in December. By the end of this year, Mr. Alarie has predicted Blue J will be more than 99 per cent accurate. The speed and accuracy of the product spurred interest as legal and accounting firms – from solo practitioners to large enterprises – flocked to the platform. Blue J was boosted by distribution partnerships with the National Association of Tax Professionals in the U.S. and associations representing chartered professional accountants in Canada and the US. Customers include KPMG, Richter LLP and Baker Tilly. By early this year, Blue J was expanding in the UK market. Annual recurring revenues soared, reaching US$2-million by the end of 2023, and US$9-million a year later from the new product. Sales have continued to expand at a fast clip, clocking in at more than $20-million on an annualized basis now, making Blue J a relatively rare company selling software to enterprises to experience strong sales growth amid an ongoing period of economic uncertainty. 'This is really working,' Mr. Alarie said in January. We have really good product-market fit.' Keeping up with constant tax law changes 'is a never-going-away problem.'
