Bell Says Pre-Holiday Layoffs Are Part of Ongoing Restructuring, When Will Claude Speak? South Korea Leads Global Automation with Highest Robot Density and World’s First Fully Robotic Double Lung Transplant Performed in New York
Reports of pre-holiday layoffs at Bell have sparked employee concerns on social media. The company, however, maintains that these changes are part of an ongoing restructuring plan announced earlier this year.
Posts on Reddit detail layoffs across several departments, including marketing, customer operations, and even human resources. Employees at Bell’s primary office sites reportedly found letters confirming that multiple management roles and business units would be affected.
In a statement to MobileSyrup, Bell explained: “The changes to our team structure are a continuation of the overall restructuring that BCE announced earlier this year and there are no changes to the total number of impacted positions announced at that time.” The company emphasized that the adjustments aim to align resources with long-term growth strategies.
Bell has already endured a challenging year. February’s restructuring eliminated 4,800 positions and saw the closure of 45 radio stations. The company also laid off employees at The Source headquarters as part of a deal with Best Buy. More recently, Bell’s Expertech subsidiary reportedly faced job cuts in September.
The layoffs coincide with Bell’s announcement of a $7 billion acquisition of U.S. fibre provider Ziply Fiber, a move analysts described as “perplexing.” Bell’s stock has since taken a hit.
When Will Claude Speak? Hume AI Gives Claude a Voice
Back in the summer there were a lot of announcements that Claude 4 would power Alexa. It made perfect sense with AWS being a major investor and Anthropic’s Claude founded by Dario Amodei and has gained a great reputation both for its language abilities and many consider it the best assistant for coding.
But unlike OpenAI and Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude doesn’t have a voice – at least yet.
But while Alexa announcement that projected October has come and gone, and my Alexa is no smarter, Anthropic does appear be going ahead with its plan to integrate voice into Claude’s services.
A company called Hume AI has partnered with Anthropic to bring voice capabilities to the Claude AI models, aiming to create more human-like and emotionally intelligent interactions. Hume’s Empathic Voice Interface (EVI) 2 processes live audio input, analyzing tone, rhythm, and timbre to produce responses that reflect a deeper understanding of vocal expressions.
According to the Hume AI, EVI 2 stands out by emulating a wide range of accents, tones, and personalities, allowing developers to create applications that require empathetic voice interactions. They claim that EVI 2 has powered over 2 million minutes of voice conversations, showcasing its scalability. Anthropic’s prompt caching technology has made this system more efficient, reducing costs by 80% and latency by 10%.
If past performance from Anthropic is any indications, collaboration will challenge existing voice AI systems, like ChatGPT and Gemini Live, by combining emotional intelligence with technical sophistication. Hume and Anthropic’s partnership aims to set a new benchmark for natural, empathetic human-computer interaction, promising a future where AI understands and mirrors human emotion more effectively.
World’s First Fully Robotic Double Lung Transplant Performed in New York
In a groundbreaking medical achievement, NYU Langone Health in Manhattan has performed the world’s first fully robotic double lung transplant. The recipient, Cheryl Mehrkar, a 57-year-old medic, had battled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for over a decade, with her condition worsening after contracting COVID-19 in 2022. citeturn0search1
The innovative procedure, led by Dr. Stephanie H. Chang, involved making small incisions between the ribs and utilizing the da Vinci Xi robotic system to remove the diseased lungs and implant the donor lungs. This minimally invasive approach aims to reduce postoperative pain and accelerate recovery times. citeturn0search0
Mehrkar, who had been an active scuba divemaster and motorcyclist before her illness, expressed immense gratitude for the donor and the medical team. She reported significant improvement in her breathing almost immediately after the seven-hour surgery. citeturn0news15
This pioneering surgery marks a significant advancement in robotic-assisted organ transplants, offering hope for improved outcomes and recovery experiences for future patients.
South Korea Leads Global Automation with Highest Robot Density
South Korea has solidified its position as the world leader in industrial automation, with 1,012 robots per 10,000 employees, according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). This figure is nearly double the global average robot density of 162, which has more than doubled over the past seven years.
China has also made significant strides, surpassing both Germany and Japan to claim third place with 470 robots per 10,000 employees, following Singapore’s 770. Despite its massive manufacturing workforce of 37 million, China’s investment in automation has dramatically increased its robot density.
“Robot density serves as a useful barometer for comparing the level of automation in manufacturing between countries,” said IFR President Takayuki Ito. South Korea has steadily increased its robot adoption by 5% annually since 2018, highlighting its commitment to staying at the forefront of industrial automation.
The top five countries in robot density are rounded out by Germany and Japan, with 429 and 419 robots per 10,000 employees, respectively. The United States ranked 10th with 295 robots and Canada…
This surge in robot adoption underscores the growing reliance on automation in global manufacturing, reshaping industries and redefining workforce dynamics.
And that’s our show for today.
Reach me at editorial@technewsday.ca
I’m your host Jim Love, have a marvelous Monday.
