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Voiceitt validates next-generation Voice AI in an innovative pilot for Deaf Individuals

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In a program facilitated by Newlab, Voiceitt demonstrates the flexibility and inclusivity of its next-generation speech recognition technology for individuals who are English-speaking Deaf and hard-of-hearing with non-standard speech.

TEL AVIV, Israel and STAMFORD, Conn., July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Voiceitt, the Israel-based leader in speech recognition technology for non-standard speech, announced today the successful completion of a joint pilot validating its inclusive voice AI with Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Voiceitt’s technology was built with and for people with non-standard speech, and its unique speech database includes speech recordings from people with impaired and atypical speech to augment and improve Voiceitt’s voice AI models. This database of non-standard speech allows Voiceitt to provide a more inclusive and accurate experience. Voiceitt further improves its recognition of non-standard speech by providing personalized recognition for individuals who provide a minimum of 200 recordings.

The pilot was facilitated by Newlab, a deep tech venture platform that works closely with innovators as they build, pilot, and scale frontier technologies. The goal of the pilot was to demonstrate an improved accuracy with Voiceitt’s speech recognition with Deaf accented speech and provide qualitative insights to evaluate impactful use cases for voice AI among Deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

Jamie LePinnet, the Director at Newlab who facilitated the pilot, said, “The Voiceitt pilot is directly in line with the goals of the Studio to pilot with startups working on impact-driven advancements in language services. The success of the pilot sets the stage for strategic collaborations that can have a far-reaching impact on customers, and the community at large.”

According to the Hearing Loss Association of America, 48 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss. While the adoption of voice enabled smart speakers and other devices has increased, people with non-standard speech due to being Deaf or hard of hearing are often not able to access and enjoy these devices, which pilot participants noted “rarely understands their speech”. Aside from the convenience of speech recognition over typing, some participants noted that interpreters working with Deaf individuals do not always accurately represent what the speaker aims to express. Another pilot participant explained that when individuals are discussing a sensitive topic, they may prefer not to have a third-party interpreter present, and inclusive speech recognition would help prevent “communication breakdown”, and help them be better understood.

“Speech recognition technology is incredibly valuable for the Deaf community,” said Tyler Pujeda, a heart researcher in Boston who participated in the pilot and is now an active user of Voiceitt’s application. “New inclusive products can help us feel listened to and understood.”

The pilot also analyzed quantitative results of Voiceitt’s proprietary speech recognition software, and compared Voiceitt with the industry’s leading providers of speech recognition, measuring accuracy using the word error rate (WER) metric. Deaf users in this pilot obtained an average of 8% WER (more than 90% accuracy) after training the system with 200 recordings. Voiceitt’s system also achieved higher accuracy than leading industry software for the Deaf speakers with non-standard speech who participated in the pilot, even with no training at all.

Dr. Rachel Levy, a speech pathologist and Voiceitt’s customer success manager, emphasized that while Voiceitt has historically focused on individuals with a diverse range of speech impairments, this pilot offered a unique opportunity. “This pilot validated Voiceitt’s compatibility and increased accuracy with Deaf voices,” Dr. Levy said. “However, its greatest impact resulted from the feedback and insights collected from pilot participants which has directly impacted the development of solutions geared towards the needs and preferences of the Deaf community and the other communities we serve and support.”

ABOUT VOICEITT
Voiceitt’s mission is to help people with disabilities live more connected, independent lives. Voiceitt’s proprietary automatic speech recognition (ASR) enables people with non-standard speech to access mainstream voice technologies, communicate by voice, and be understood. Voiceitt has been highlighted in international media, including Forbes, Amazon Science, BBC, and The New York Times. Investors include Cisco Investments, the Amazon Alexa Fund, AARP, and Microsoft’s M12. Voiceitt was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Israel with a subsidiary in Stamford, CT. Visit www.voiceitt.com to learn more.

ABOUT NEWLAB
Newlab is a venture platform built to decarbonize the economy. We take a place-based approach to de-risking technology, accelerating deep tech startups, and driving economic development. Newlab has 3 locations globally.

Today, Newlab includes more than 1,000 entrepreneurs, partnerships with forward-thinking corporate and civic entities, and a network of active investors—all working together to scale deep tech. To date, Newlab has supported its 300+ member companies in raising over $5.8B from venture capital firms, with over $2.3B of successful exits and a collective valuation of over $20B. Visit www.newlab.com to learn more.

Contacts

Media Contacts:

For Voiceitt:
Sara Smolley, Co-Founder and VP of Partnerships
sara@voiceitt.com

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SOURCE Voiceitt, Inc.

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BCE reports results of Series S and T preferred share conversions

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October 19, 2026

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MONTRÉAL, Oct. 19, 2026 /CNW/ — BCE Inc. (TSX: BCE) (NYSE: BCE) today announced that 400 of its 4,798,333 fixed-rate Cumulative Redeemable First Preferred Shares, Series T (“Series T Preferred Shares”) have been tendered for conversion on November 2, 2026, on a one-for-one basis, into floating-rate Cumulative Redeemable First Preferred Shares, Series S (“Series S Preferred Shares”). In addition, 676,765 of its 1,866,877 Series S Preferred Shares have been tendered for conversion on November 2, 2026, on a one-for-one basis, into Series T Preferred Shares. Consequently, on November 2, 2026, BCE will have 5,474,698 Series T Preferred Shares and 1,190,512 Series S Preferred Shares issued and outstanding. The Series T Preferred Shares and the Series S Preferred Shares will continue to be listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols BCE.PR.T and BCE.PR.S, respectively.

The Series T Preferred Shares will pay on a quarterly basis, for the five-year period beginning on November 2, 2026, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of BCE, a fixed cash dividend based on an annual fixed dividend rate of 5.523%.

The Series S Preferred Shares will continue to pay a monthly floating adjustable cash dividend for the five-year period beginning on November 2, 2026, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of BCE. The monthly floating adjustable dividend for any particular month will continue to be calculated based on the prime rate for such month and using the Designated Percentage for such month representing the sum of an adjustment factor (based on the market price of the Series S Preferred Shares in the preceding month) and the Designated Percentage for the preceding month.

About BCE
BCE is Canada’s largest communications company1, leading the way in advanced fibre and wireless networks, enterprise services and digital media. By delivering next-generation technology that leverages cloud-based and AI-driven solutions, we’re keeping customers connected, informed and entertained while enabling businesses to compete on the world stage. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.

1 Based on total revenue and total combined customer connections.

Media inquiries:
Ellen Murphy
media@bell.ca

Investor inquiries:
Krishna Somers
krishna.somers@bell.ca

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bce-reports-results-of-series-s-and-t-preferred-share-conversions-302913268.html

SOURCE BCE Inc.

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3M announces collaboration with GSEO to advance Expanded Beam Optical manufacturing and development

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October 19, 2026

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ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — 3M (NYSE: MMM) today announced a collaboration with Genius Electronic Optical Co., Ltd. (GSEO, Taiwan: 3406), an optical technology company, to advance technology development and manufacturing for 3M’s Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) solutions. In support of these efforts, 3M expects to make a strategic investment to acquire approximately 4.7% of GSEO’s common shares as part of the company’s private placement of newly issued shares, subject to customary closing conditions.

The collaboration brings together 3M’s EBO technology leadership, optical interconnect expertise, materials science, manufacturing scale and customer relationships with GSEO’s precision optics manufacturing capabilities and production scale. Together, the companies aim to support EBO commercialization and long-term capacity expansion to meet growing demand from hyperscale data centers and other advanced connectivity applications.

“3M is investing in capabilities and partnerships that can accelerate innovation for our customers,” said William Brown, 3M Chairman and CEO. “By selecting GSEO as a manufacturing partner and investing in the company, we are strengthening the path to scale next-generation optical connectivity solutions for high-performance data center infrastructure.”

GSEO’s existing precision optics manufacturing capabilities and technical development experience are expected to support manufacturing readiness for 3M’s EBO ferrules, co-packaged optics solutions and related optical interconnect applications. The collaboration is part of 3M’s broader EBO ecosystem strategy, which includes continued work with customers and partners across the optical interconnect market.

“GSEO is pleased to expand its relationship with 3M as we work together to advance optical interconnect solutions for next-generation data center infrastructure,” said Micro Kuo, GSEO CEO and President. “This collaboration brings together complementary technology and manufacturing strengths to support continued innovation and help meet the performance demands of high-growth connectivity markets.”

3M expects the strategic investment to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this release are considered “forward-looking statements” under the federal securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, and are intended to enjoy the protection of those laws. Forward-looking statements may appear throughout this release and are typically identified by the words “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “evaluate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “goal,” “guidance,” “impact,” “initial,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “outlook,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “probable,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “strategy,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and other words that are similar to, or have the opposite meanings of, those words. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, 3M assumes no duty to update those statements, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of those statements. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events and trends that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those described in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of 3M’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.

About 3M
3M (NYSE: MMM) is focused on transforming industries around the world by applying science and creating innovative, customer-focused solutions. Our multi-disciplinary team is working to solve tough customer problems by leveraging diverse technology platforms, differentiated capabilities, global footprint, and operational excellence. Discover how 3M is shaping the future at 3M.com/news.

Contacts
3M
Investor Contact:
Diane Farrow, 612-202-2449
Media Contact:
3MNews@mmm.com 

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SOURCE 3M Company

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Scott Vicknair Personal Injury Lawyers Announces Second Annual Operation Fur-Ever Home Pet Adoption Event at Lafreniere Park

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October 19, 2026

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NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Scott Vicknair Personal Injury Lawyers is excited to announce the return of its second annual Operation Fur-Ever Home, a free community pet adoption event taking place on Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Lafreniere Park in Metairie, Louisiana.

The free, family-friendly event will give attendees the opportunity to meet adoptable pets from local animal shelters, learn about responsible pet ownership, and potentially welcome a new furry companion into their homes. Those who preregister for the event will also be entered for a chance to win a Soundcore speaker and a free pet adoption.

“Last year’s event was everything we hoped it would be, and we are incredibly excited to bring Operation Fur-Ever Home back for a second year,” said David Vicknair, founding partner of Scott Vicknair Personal Injury Lawyers. “There is something special about watching a family meet a pet that could become part of their lives for years to come. We wanted to create another opportunity to make those connections while supporting the organizations that work tirelessly to care for animals in our community.”

Building on the success of the first event, this year’s event continues the firm’s commitment to supporting local animal shelters and creating meaningful opportunities for families throughout Southeast Louisiana.

“Giving back to our community has always been an important part of who we are as a firm,” said Vicknair. “Whether we are helping students prepare for school, recognizing deserving teachers, or supporting local animal shelters, our goal is to make a positive difference in the communities we serve.”

Operation Fur-Ever Home is free and open to the public. Families, animal lovers, and anyone interested in adopting a pet are encouraged to attend and preregister.

About Scott Vicknair Personal Injury Lawyers

Scott Vicknair Personal Injury Lawyers is a New Orleans-based personal injury firm committed to providing exceptional legal representation while also investing in the communities it serves. Their experienced team of dedicated attorneys specializes in car accidents, personal injury, and wrongful death cases in New Orleans. With diverse personal and professional backgrounds, they craft legal strategies tailored to each client’s specific case and needs.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scott-vicknair-personal-injury-lawyers-announces-second-annual-operation-fur-ever-home-pet-adoption-event-at-lafreniere-park-302913183.html

SOURCE Scott Vicknair Personal Injury Lawyers

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