Over the last few years, the city of Toronto has become a global center when it comes to tech and innovation. It is the third largest technological hub in North America, with 24,000 companies that employ nearly 300,000 workers. The Americas Now team attended Toronto’s Collision Tech Conference to bring this special episode of ‘Americas Now’ from Ontario, Canada. 

Technological Revolution

A group of investors, entrepreneurs and leaders from the tech industry came together in Canada to support the emerging of the Metaverse sector. At the front of this collective is Dan Burgar a champion of technology innovation and a promoter of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality. 

“We’re living through a technological revolution. We’re seeing VR, AR, AI, Web3, clean tech, robotics, all starting to permeate throughout innovation. We’re seeing this really interesting time in our history where these technologies are really starting to help shape our lives and change the way we think about work.” Burgar said during our interview with him in Toronto.

Everyday Life in the Metaverse 

Virtual reality has evolved exponentially since its conception. The very first head-mounted-display or HMD was invented in 1968. It was known as “The Sword of Damocles”. 

“We are living in a virtual world. Your phone is attached to your hip. I have an Apple Watch on right now. You know, we have different forms of virtual interfaces that we’re using on a daily basis. Those are steps towards the Metaverse”. Said Sophia Moshasha, Vice President of AR/VR Association in Washington D.C. She explains how she implements VR in her everyday life. 

The Uncertainty of AI

Artificial intelligence is booming in 2023 and Silicon Valley is betting heavily on it. AI systems are typically composed of two main components: an algorithm and a dataset. The algorithm is the set of instructions that tells the system how to process data and make decisions. No-one is completely sure how AI will affect the lives of people worldwide. There is excitement but also fear. 

Urban Delivery in the Digital Age

While Silicon Valley focuses on the next step of technology, in Latin America some companies work hard to incorporate the technology that is available to better serve their clients. This is why the Americas Now team met with Daniel Cuervo, who uses AI technology to optimize deliveries. 

“I believe that the future has to be a combination of manpowered statistics through the use of autonomous vehicles, drones, other types of features. I believe that it’s going to be always a combination”. Said Cuervo. He has a vast experience developing logtech innovative companies. His latest endeavor is a courier company called Carryt.  

Digital Banking 

At the age of 14, Igor Senra, witnessed the responsibility that came with running a business, something he inherited from his father. By 16, he had founded his first company which he decided to sell to focus on school. After receiving a postgraduate degree in business, he and a partner decided to focus on a project involving digital payments. 

“We really believe that the small median companies, they are the power engine of the society. Just to give you a sense, 40% of our Brazilian GDP came from median companies and 75% the employment comes from median companies”. Said Senra during a conversation with Americas Now. He is a co-founder and CEO of Cora. 

Elaine Reyes met with Igor Senra during the 2023 Collision Tech Conference in Toronto. 

Web3 is Here

Yat Siu started a gaming career with Atari. He is a technological visionary who is best known for his contribution to gaming, transaction systems and web communications. He is a Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands, a Web3 investment firm. Earlier this year, Hong Kong appointed him to a task force promoting Web3 development.

“I think a big part as to why Web3 has really taken off in Asia has a lot to do with people’s sentiments around capitalism. And it’s not a surprise that places like Hong Kong in particular have embraced it so dramatically, because Hong Kong is perhaps typically either number one or number two freest market in the world, very liberal when it comes to sort of capitalist frameworks.” Said Yat Siu during a conversation with Americas Now. 

Elaine Reyes met with Yet Siu during the 2023 Collision Tech Conference in Toronto.