Hola, 
 

Deepfakes have mostly been talked about as a technology used for trolling or deception. But what about commercial possibilities? 

Our 2020 AI Trends report reveals how deepfakes could “resurrect celebrities, shake up retail, and revolutionize influencer marketing.” 

In the 40-page report, we also look at: 

• Quantum machine learning taking baby steps

• Google’s plans for AI-powered smart cities

• Next-gen cybersecurity threats harnessing AI

Deepfakes sit at the super-visible intersection of entertainment and social networks.

At Samsung, researchers used deepfake tech to create a realistic Marilyn Monroe “talking head.” Similar tactics were used to rejuvenate British actor Bill Nighy in Pokémon Detective Pikachu.  

Lots of loonies
 

BDC was the most active Canada-based investor of 2019 after inking 45 deals — more than double the runner-up's count.  

Check out the latest trends in venture capital funding in Canada in PwC and CB Insights' H2 2019 MoneyTree report.

*Hacker voice* I’m in
 

The next-generation of hacking will involve AI trojans, voice spoofing, and smart evasion. 

Read more about these trends in our latest AI Trends report.

Have a great rest of the week.

P.S. If you're a college student (or know one) interested in working with us across editing, research, sales, events, data, and more — check out our summer internship listings. 

• $1.1B: D2C mattress company Casper went public earlier today. The sleep-focused company priced its IPO at $12 per share, giving it an initial market cap of less than half its most recent VC valuation of $1.1B. We analyze which investors have the most to gain — or lose — from Casper’s IPO here. Casper was not the only unicorn to go public recently; primary care provider One Medical saw its share price increase by over 40% after its IPO a few days ago.

• $750M: VC firm Andreessen Horowitz closed its third life sciences fund. The new $750M fund will look to invest in areas like digital therapeutics, genetic editing, and AI drug discovery. We discuss how AI for natural language processing is being applied to better understand proteins — which could help develop better drugs — in our report on AI trends to watch in 2020.
   

• 35+ podcasts: Spotify signaled that it was moving deeper into podcasts after announcing that it would buy The Ringer — a sports-focused media company with over 35 podcasts. Podcast mentions on earnings calls are climbing, with Spotify leading the chatter. Clients can  see what’s being discussed using our earnings call transcript tool. 
   

• 104%: Investment to Canada-based fintech companies increased by 104% last year compared to 2018. See all the VC funding trends coming out of Canada, including AI and regional investment, in PwC and CB Insights’ latest MoneyTree Canada report.   

• 12x: Kitopi, a “ghost kitchen” based in Dubai, raised $60M. Funding to the nascent space of delivery-only restaurants is on the rise, with 2019 seeing a 12x increase compared to the year prior. Clients can see why  virtual restaurants are gaining traction here.
   

• -6%: Ancestry is laying off around 6% of its workforce — about 100 employees — as it contends with a “slowdown in demand” for at-home DNA testing. Rival DNA-testing startup 23andMe cut a similar amount of jobs just a couple of weeks ago. We look at 23andMe’s approach to consumer genetics, including its business model, competitors, and challenges, in this  client-exclusive report. 
   

• 15 years: Google Maps turns 15 today. Google has changed a lot since then, making moves to  become an AI powerhouse,  push into healthcare, spend billions on acquisitions, and much more. 

• 2,200 years: Scientists have grown dates from seeds that are estimated to be up to 2,200 years old. The ancient seeds were recovered from archaeological sites and carbon dated to assess their age. The researchers are using the reanimated fruit to gain insights into DNA preservation as well as farming practices from the time. 

A Shiba Inu named Ken-kun is in charge of a sweet potato stand in Sapporo, Japan. 

Though he can’t give you change or roast the sweet potatoes, the dog does run the stand by himself for most of the day. 

The shop operates on an honor system, with each sweet potato costing around $2, and reportedly sells out quickly.