Latest news with #Axl
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Josh Duhamel makes rare comment on son, 11, with Fergie as he reveals the pre-teen's camp crush
Josh Duhamel is preparing to be the dad of a pre-teen. The Ransom Canyon star, 52, who abandoned Hollywood for a simpler life in Minnesota, made a rare comment about his son Axl, explaining he has already gotten a taste of what's to come after the boy's trip to summer camp. He shares Axl, who will turn 12 later this month, with his ex-wife Fergie, 50. 'I have an 11-year-old who just went to camp in Minnesota and met a girl he really likes.' the Las Vegas star told People. 'He really wants to see this girl again from camp,' the Love, Victor star explained. 'I'm like, "Dude! You're not even 12." So, that's going to be parent-supervised.' 'Having a son with a crush is a new one for me, as a parent, anyway. But I get it, I've been there,' the leading man said. 'I have an 18-month-old baby who is still pooping his pants, and I just hope it doesn't inverse. I hope that the 11-year-old doesn't poop his pants on his first date. That would be terrible,' he said teasingly. Duhamel shares his youngest son Shepherd, with his wife Audra Mari, 31. The actor made the comments while promoting his collaboration with Car Gurus for their new video series The Big Deal Show. Duhamel was a car guy even before starring in the Transformers franchise. 'I think that it's such a personal thing to own a car, and especially your first car — what that means and all the memories that come with that,' he told the outlet. The doting dad seems to be looking forward to and dreading the day Axl can get behind the wheel. 'I'm already kind of training him. I'll put him in my lap and teach him, 'Okay, this is what you do, and this is what you look for, this is what you've got to scan,' just to start getting him accustomed to what it takes to actually handle the responsibility of being a driver,' he said. 'I want to get that in his head as soon as possible.' While in London for his upcoming project Preschool earlier this year, Duhamel took Axl, who loves to play soccer to see one of his favorite teams and got him a team jersey. 'Took my boy to an @arsenal game in North London this weekend' he shared. Duhamel's next film, London Calling, will open in theaters September 19. He plays a down on his luck hitman, who flees the UK and must teach his new boss' son to be a man.
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
University of Toronto professor launches venture studio to build 50 AI companies
Daniel Wigdor, CEO and Co-Founder of AXL and a computer science professor at the University of Toronto, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss fast-tracking AI commercialization in Canada. A Toronto university professor aims to make the city a global technology leader by launching 50 artificial intelligence (AI) companies to ensure Canada benefits economically from its own research while retaining talent at home. 'Right now, in Canada, 75 per cent of the patents that get filed in the AI space go to global tech giants,' Daniel Wigdor, computer science professor at the University of Toronto and co-founder and CEO of Axl, told BNN Bloomberg Thursday. 'Of the remaining 25, only seven per cent stay here in Canada. But we lead the world in this technology and AI applied technology as well. And despite that fact, we're doing all this great research here, but it's not making its way into Canadian innovation and Canadian corporations.' According to the Canadian Press, about three-quarters of AI patents produced by researchers in Canada leave the country, and most end upin the hands of Big Tech. Wigdor has founded several companies applying technologies to create products, employing hundreds of people across North America and raising over $100 million in revenue and funding, according to Axl's website. In 2020, he sold Chatham Labs to Facebook and became the founding director of Meta's Reality Labs in Toronto. He holds 60 patents. Through Axl, a Toronto-based venture studio, Wigdor aims to build 50 AI-powered companies within the next five years to fuel Canada's research-to-commercialization pipeline. 'What we're looking to do is create the right opportunities and talent networks here in Canada, so that we can pick up those results and begin to commercialize it here,' said Wigdor. Axl is located at the Schwartz-Reisman Innovation Campus at the University of Toronto, co-located with the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the University of Toronto's Computer Science Department and startup accelerators. The studio assists clients by identifying business problems they may have and applying new and existing AI while using academic research rather than working to build innovative AI servers from scratch. They work to automate tasks and functions for a company to partner on future projects together. 'We have many partners established already, and we're excited to announce them over time,' said Wigdor. 'There's the foundational technologies of large language models and the servers and things that people are throwing billions and billions of dollars at right now, but all the real money in any platform is always made through the applications that get built over top of it. And that's the space that we're looking to operate. And so the partners that we're looking for are those companies that have problems that they themselves don't know could be solved with these amazing technologies.' Axl recently closed on a $15 million venture fund. They are currently working with Dentons and Dillion Consulting Limited. 'We partner with great, innovative companies,' said Wigdor. 'We've announced, for example, our partnership with Dentons, which is Canada's global law firm. Through that partnership, we go deep with our corporate partners. We study their business over the course of several weeks and months, we gain a deep understanding of all the opportunities that exist.' 'In the Dentons' case, within the firm themselves, for things they would be a customer of, but then also for Dentons' clients, what are the opportunities and problems that they're having that we could solve with AI that other people don't know could be solved that way? And so, what that means is, before we found one of our companies, we already have a validated problem, a first customer and a strategic investor.'
Globe and Mail
17-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Stopping the brain drain: U of T professor aims to launch 50 AI companies with new venture studio Axl
Daniel Wigdor is a prime example of the problem he's trying to solve. He completed a computer-science PhD at the University of Toronto and promptly left the country to work for Microsoft Corp. in the United States. He returned home and later founded a company focused on human-computer interaction, but sold it to Meta Platforms Inc., another foreign tech giant. Today, Mr. Wigdor wants to launch more Canadian technology companies, ensure the country benefits economically from the research coming out of publicly funded universities, and give talented entrepreneurs a reason to stay. 'Canada has been dramatically underperforming and failing to take up the incredible innovation happening here,' he said. 'With the right investment of community, of infrastructure, of capital and of innovation, we can really solve that problem.' To that end, he has co-founded a venture studio called Axl that aims to launch 50 artificial-intelligence companies in the next five years. Mr. Wigdor, Axl's chief executive, expects at least half to fail within the first six months. (This is venture, after all.) Broadly, Axl will identify business problems and task talented entrepreneurs to solve them with AI, while tapping into promising academic research. Axl recently closed a $15-million investment fund, with Mr. Wigdor as the lead investor. 'Because we can be so efficient, and because our tech team will be building the prototypes, I don't need a lot of money to get started,' he said. Ottawa will focus more on economic benefits of AI, less on regulation, says new minister A computer-science professor at the University of Toronto, Mr. Wigdor has teamed up with fellow U of T prof Tovi Grossman, entrepreneur Ray Sharma and former Telus executive David Sharma to form Axl. Mining magnate Rob McEwen and Smart Technologies co-founder David Martin are also investors, among others. Axl was ultimately born out of a 'trauma' of Mr. Wigdor's that dates back to Jan. 9, 2007. Like many people that day, he watched Steve Jobs unveil the iPhone, which proved revolutionary thanks to its touch-screen interface. The difference is that Mr. Wigdor watched on a multitouch computing device he built for his thesis at U of T. He didn't invent the technology, but Bill Buxton had worked on the concept in the early 1980s while at U of T. And now here was Apple's CEO, about to upend multiple industries with a technology that could be partly traced back to a Canadian university. 'The social contract that academics believe we have with society is that we're going to invent these technologies and write about them in papers and inspire people,' Mr. Wigdor said. 'The tragedy of it is the foundational technologies we're inventing in Canada are not accruing capital for Canada.' The same pattern is playing out with AI. Emeritus U of T professor Geoffrey Hinton sold his company to Google and worked for the tech giant for years. One of his students, Ilya Sutskever, left Toronto and co-founded OpenAI. Another, Jimmy Ba, was among the first hires at Elon Musk's xAI. Axl is based at the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus in Toronto, which also houses the Vector Institute, affording it access to the city's deep pool of AI and computer-science talent. 'We want to create Toronto as the centre of modern AI development, and getting these 50 companies created is going to have a massive ripple effect,' said Axl co-founder and chief growth officer David Sharma. The AI world is increasingly dominated by a small number of extremely well-funded U.S. tech companies such as OpenAI, Google, Meta and Anthropic. But Mr. Wigdor argues that the real opportunity for Canada is not in the physical infrastructure that powers AI or in the large language models behind chatbots, but in developing applications that use AI to solve problems and 'empower people to do things they never could before.' He likens the current state of AI to a Charlie Chaplin movie, whereas he wants to make Citizen Kane. 'People are looking at the current AI chatbots and thinking, that's what AI is,' he said. 'We'll help people to look further into the future.' One idea Axl is pursuing is an AI agent for computer coding education called CodeAid. Instead of having the agent teach the student, the roles are reversed. The AI agent will be trained with knowledge gaps that the student has to fill in through teaching. To source ideas, Axl will identify promising concepts from the research community. 'Often in academia, we sort of look down on having a commercial and immediate impact with our work,' said Mr. Grossman, who is also Axl's chief scientist. 'We really do believe you can do innovative work that is impactful.' Axl is also partnering with Canadian corporations to learn about their operations and develop ideas for new AI applications. Axl will launch the company, with the possibility of the partner corporation becoming the first customer and an investor. Dillon Consulting is the first partner to be announced publicly, but Mr. Sharma said Axl also has arrangements in the legal and accounting industries. However, even if Axl launches dozens of successful AI companies over the next few years, there is nothing stopping a foreign tech giant from snapping them up and siphoning away intellectual property. Mr. Wigdor doesn't seem too vexed about that prospect at this stage. Acquisitions are necessary for entrepreneurs and researchers to gain the experience and the funds (or as he puts it, 'expertise and wealth among the geeks') to invest back into the Canadian tech ecosystem. 'I'm playing the long game,' he said. 'This is my retirement project.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Utica Zoo mourns loss of Warty Pigs
UTICA, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — The Utica Zoo is in mourning on Wednesday after the death of a pair of animals in their care. According to a release by the zoo on Wednesday, May 28, Axl and Ace — the zoo's two remaining Visayan Warty Pigs — were humanely euthanized just shy of 17 years old. The two pigs had been at the zoo since 2018 with Ozzy, another of their kind. The zoo had said that at almost 17 years old, both pigs were at 'a remarkably advanced age for their species.' According to the Wild Pigs Specialty Group, this particular species of pig — native to the Philippines — normally live to be about 18 years old in captivity. 'These pigs were not only ambassadors for their critically endangered species but also vibrant personalities in our zoo family,' Nicole Blance, Veterinary Programs and Records Manager at the Utica Zoo, said in a statement. 'Their presence will be sorely missed, and their legacy will live on in the education and awareness they helped foster for their wild counterparts.' The zoo said that the decision was made to humanely euthanize the pigs due to progressive decline in their health. The decision was arrived at after consultation with the zoo's veterinary and animal care team, which also took into consideration the pigs' complex social needs. According to Allison Snyder — the director of communications at the zoo — for pigs like Axl and Ace, the loss of a companion can cause significant psychological stress and increase the risk of injury. Snyder said that after the loss of Ozzy, both pigs observed signs of grief and depression. According to the zoo, both Axl and Ace spent their final days doing their daily routines, which included rooting in the dirt, rearranging rocks, engaging with enrichment activities and sunbathing together. Snyder said in a statement that the two were provided with additional enrichment, affection from keepers and a variety of their favorite treats. The zoo says that they will continue to share the story of Axl and Ace to raise awareness about the pigs' challenges in the wild. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Guns N' Roses woo Indian fans with electrifying comeback after 13 years
Legendary rockers Guns N' Roses deliver a night of nostalgia, power solos, and unforgettable fan moments when they rocked the stage at the Mahalakshmi Race Course. The venue erupted with energy as fans gathered in thousands to witness the rockers LIVE. Frontman Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, and bassist Duff McKagan led the charge, joined by Richard Fortus, Dizzy Reed, Melissa Reese, and Isaac Carpenter. The band opened the night with the explosive Welcome to the Jungle, instantly electrifying the atmosphere. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Want Lower Bills Without Changing a Thing? elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Learn More Undo Throughout the evening, Axl connected with the crowd, acknowledging their energy and enthusiasm. 'How you doing? It's good to see you again Mumbai,' he exclaimed to roaring applause. The band delivered a setlist filled with timeless hits, Sweet Child o' Mine, Live and Let Die, You Could Be Mine, and the emotionally powerful November Rain, complete with Axl's haunting piano solo. Fans sang along, cheered, and lived every lyric, making it an emotionally charged celebration of classic rock. One of the highlights of the show was Slash's jaw-dropping guitar solos, which reminded the crowd why GNR's music still resonates decades later. McKagan's rhythmic bassline added depth to the set, perfectly anchoring the band's raw, high-energy sound. As the night neared its end, Axl asked, 'Mumbai, are you ready for one more?' and the band launched into Paradise City, their final number. The crowd erupted, belting every word as fireworks and lights crowned the night. In a touching gesture, the band returned to the stage post-show to gift their worn merchandise to fans, ending the night on a high note. Check Out Latest English Official Music Audio Song - 'Guns N' Roses' Sung By G-Eazy & Post Malone Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
