Involta appoints Joffe vice president of channel

Cedar Rapids-based Involta has hired Michael Joffe as vice president of channel to elevate the firm’s channel partner program. Channel partnerships are strategic alliances between businesses that meet mutual goals and offer advantages. Joffe brings more than 20 years of experience across the digital infrastructure and technology industries and experience…

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Digital coaching efforts span Iowa

By Lisa Rossi Potentially thousands of Iowans will learn updated digital skills through interactions with digital coaches and navigators, individuals skilled in everything from safe internet use to operating a business online and financial security. Lindsey Newland has been the Google coach for Iowa since November of last year; she…

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Drake hosting generative AI workshop on June 1

The Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communication will host a one-day workshop with in-person and virtual options on current generative AI tools. Attendees will test out tools such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, Midjourney, DALL-E 2 and more. The director of Drake University’s artificial intelligence major, Chris Porter, and…

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A deeper look into Pratum’s acquisition by Heartland Business Systems

Following a December 2022 acquisition, Ankeny-based cybersecurity firm Pratum has been transitioning its brand into Heartland Business Systems, a Wisconsin-based technology services provider with an Iowa office in Urbandale.  Pratum has kept its name in the Iowa market but will move the brand entirely under HBS in the coming months, a…

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Guest column: AI isn’t coming for your business — it’s already here

Submitted by John Osako, president and CEO, Informatics Inc. It’s 2023 and artificial intelligence is suddenly churning out content everywhere you look. These days, you can have a computer create sophisticated copy (ChatGPT), original musical scores (MuseNet, SoundRaw), and even cute cat images (the highly recommended The Cat Does Not Exist)….

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Guest column: Don’t be afraid of ChatGPT

Submitted by Patrick Fan, professor of business analytics, University of Iowa Tippie College of Business ChatGPT has arrived, bringing artificial intelligence directly into the workplace, classroom and other parts of our lives to create what is essentially a fourth industrial revolution. But is it something to worry about? While artificial intelligence…

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ISU professor speaking today at webinar about AI research

Lingyao “Ivy” Yuan, an Iowa State University assistant professor of information systems and business analytics, is speaking at a webinar today about a Harvard Business Review article she co-wrote about the emergence of digital humans. The webinar is at 3:30 p.m., and registration is available through Indiana University.  Yuan has been researching digital…

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Brale raises $11.1M in funding

Brale, a Des Moines-based startup founded by Ben Milne, announced Wednesday it has raised $11.1 million in funding. The funding round was led by Maryland-based New Enterprise Associates with Managing General Partner Scott Sandell joining Brale’s board of directors. Additional individual participation came from Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, and…

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