Month: September 2024

McLean, VA – September 10, 2024 – BBB National Programs’ Center for Industry Self-Regulation today announced that it will develop a curriculum on industry self-regulation for law, business, and public policy school programs, filling a significant gap in current higher education. The initial work will be funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

The announcement was made by Eric D. Reicin, who serves as President and CEO of the Center for Industry Self-Regulation, the 501(c)(3) foundation of BBB National Programs.

The recipient of the funding, the Center for Industry Self-Regulation (CISR), believes that independent, accountable industry self-regulation, a type of soft law, is a crucial yet under-utilized tool for solving complex modern business challenges. Recognizing that this policy tool is often overlooked, CISR aims to bridge the gap by incorporating soft law coursework into law, business, and public policy school programs nationwide.

This new industry self-regulation curriculum will foster a comprehensive understanding of its potential benefits, including enhanced private-sector accountability and addressing gaps in government regulation and legislation.

“Soft law bridges a company’s internal compliance efforts and the hard law of government regulations, promoting ethical business operations with transparency and accountability,” said Reicin. “Incorporating industry self-regulation coursework into law schools will prepare future leaders to navigate the complex terrain of compliance and innovation. We sincerely appreciate the John Templeton Foundation for its generous support of this work.”

CISR will collaborate with The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University’s Center for Law, Science and Innovation to develop and pilot the coursework on industry self-regulation, focusing on the conditions that allow it to thrive and case studies of its successful applications, with evaluations from 11 other graduate programs at institutions of higher education across the country. The curriculum will cover:

• Types of industry self-regulation, such as soft law, co-regulatory models, and codes of practice.
• Conditions under which self-regulation can work, compared to corporate compliance and government regulation, and when it is less likely to succeed.
• Case studies of successful self-regulatory programs across various industries.
• Interaction between self-regulatory programs and government.

“While traditional regulation has been extensively studied and taught in professional schools, self-regulation has essentially been ignored, and this CISR project seeks to remedy that deficiency and help address areas of emerging technologies that are too complex for traditional regulation to effectively govern,” said Gary Marchant, J.D., Ph.D., Regents Professor and Faculty Director, The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University’s Center for Law, Science and Innovation. “We are delighted to collaborate with CISR on this much-needed academic curriculum on industry self-regulation within the fields of law, business, and public policy.”

For more information, visit the CISR website.

This project was made possible through the support of Grant 63310 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

About CISR

The Center for Industry Self-Regulation (CISR), BBB National Programs’ 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation, was created to harness the power of independent, industry self-regulation to address the marketplace trust challenges businesses face today. CISR is dedicated to education and research that supports responsible business leaders developing fair, future-proof best practices, and to the education of the general public on the conditions necessary for industry self-regulation. Learn more at industryselfregulation.org.

BBB National Programs Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization (FEIN: 84-5021924) DBA as The Center for Industry Self-Regulation at 1676 International Drive, Suite 550 | McLean, VA 22102 © The Center for Industry Self-Regulation, 2024. All Rights Reserved. BBB National Programs’ 501(c)(3) Foundation.

• One restaurant receives a MICHELIN Star, bringing total to six
• New Bib Gourmand added, plus four Special Awards
• 46 total restaurants, 15 cuisine types reflected in state Guide

DENVER, Sept. 9, 2024 — Alma Fonda Fina, joined the exclusive list of MICHELIN- Starred restaurants in North America, as the 2024 MICHELIN Guide Colorado was revealed today.

In addition to a new Starred restaurant, the state Guide boasts a new Bib Gourmand, MAKfam, bringing the selection’s total to nine. The full selection, including Green Stars and Recommended eateries, totals 46 restaurants with 15 cuisine types represented.

“As we celebrate year two of the MICHELIN Guide in Colorado, we can see the passion and momentum continue to grow in this culinary community,” said Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the MICHELIN Guides. “We are very excited to welcome Alma Fonda Fina into the family of MICHELIN-Starred restaurants. The famously anonymous Inspectors were also eager to shine a light on the growing talent in the local community, with a handful of new restaurants added to the selection.”

Here are the new One-MICHELIN-Star restaurants and Bib Gourmands, with Inspector notes

from each (Inspectors’ comments in full on the MICHELIN Guide website and mobile app):

One MICHELIN Star

Alma Fonda Fina (Denver; Mexican cuisine)

Chef Johnny Curiel started off in his family’s restaurant in Guadalajara, and after years of high-end culinary experience, he revisits dishes and flavors from his upbringing with creativity and finely honed technique delivering results that are both satisfying and delicious. Resist the temptation to fixate on any one item, as the menu is littered with treasures: perfectly crisped pork belly carnitas make for a brilliant taco on a sourdough flour tortilla, while agave-roasted sweet potato with nutty salsa matcha and luxuriously creamy whipped requesón is a revelation, and vibrant seafood crudos like thinly sliced Maine diver scallop with tomatillo and apple aguachile are downright electric. No desserts are offered for the time being, so there’s no reason to leave any extra room.

Bib Gourmand

The MICHELIN Guide Inspectors identified one new restaurant to award the Bib Gourmand designation, which recognizes eateries for great food at a great value.

MAKfam (Denver; Chinese cuisine)

What began as a pop-up back in NYC, where owners and married couple Doris Yuen and Kenneth Wan first met, and then became a stall in a Denver food hall, is now at last a full-service restaurant. The winsome, colorful space and the compact menu both celebrate the pair’s Chinese American roots, both having been raised by immigrant families who worked in restaurants. Fried crab and cheese wontons and hand-shaped chicken and chive potstickers are inspired by Chinatown favorites and takeout staples, made with particular care and big flavor. Chicken wings with a spicy, tingly málà seasoning are favorites with good reason, and larger dishes, like the familiar-yet- inventive corned beef fried rice or spicy garlic butter rice cakes, impress as well.

MICHELIN Special Awards

In addition to the Bib Gourmand and Stars, the Guide announced four Special Awards:

Hotels

The restaurants join the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels, which features the most exceptional places to stay in Colorado and throughout the world.

Each hotel in the selection has been chosen by MICHELIN Guide experts for its extraordinary style, service, and personality — with options for all budgets — and each can be booked directly through the MICHELIN Guide website and app. The selection for Colorado features the state’s most spectacular hotels, including upscale outdoor campsites like Collective Vail, standouts from our “Plus” collection like the Source Hotel and the Crawford Hotel in Denver, refurbished motels like Amigo Motor Lodge, rehabilitated wilderness ghost towns like Dunton Hot Springs, and of course, accommodations that have been awarded a MICHELIN Key, like Clayton Hotel & Members Club and the Little Nell.

The MICHELIN Guide is a benchmark in gastronomy. Now it’s setting a new standard for hotels. Visit the MICHELIN Guide website, or download the free app for iOS and Android, to discover every restaurant in the selection and book an unforgettable hotel.

The 2024 MICHELIN Guide Colorado selection:

Colorado’s 2024 MICHELIN-Starred restaurants

Colorado’s 2024 MICHELIN-Green-Starred restaurants

Colorado’s 2024 Bib Gourmand restaurants

Colorado’s 2024 Recommended restaurants

The MICHELIN Guide in North America

Michelin announced its first North American Guide in 2005 for New York. Guides have also been added in Chicago (2011); Washington, D.C. (2017); California (San Francisco in 2007, statewide 2019); Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Florida (2022); Toronto (2022); Vancouver (2022); Colorado (2023); Atlanta (2023), Mexico (2024), Texas (2024) and Quebec (2024).

About the MICHELIN Guide

Recognized globally for excellence and quality, the MICHELIN Guide offers a selection of world-class restaurants.

• The famous one, two and three MICHELIN Stars identify establishments serving exceptional cuisine that’s rich in flavor, remarkably executed and infused with the personality of a talented
• The Bib Gourmand is a designation given to select restaurants that offer good quality food for a good value – often known as personal favorites among the inspectors when dining on their own time.
• The MICHELIN Green Star honors restaurants that are pioneers in sustainable
• Recommended restaurants and special professional awards are also highlighted by the MICHELIN Guide inspectors.

The MICHELIN Guide remains a reliable companion for any traveler seeking an unforgettable meal and hospitality experience. The Guide was first published in France at the turn of the 20th century to encourage the development of car mobility as well as tire sales by giving practical advice to motorists. Progressively, the Guide has specialized in restaurant and hotel recommendations. Michelin’s inspectors still use the same criteria and manner of selection that were used by the inspectors in the very beginning.

The restaurant selections join the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels, which features the most unique and exciting places to stay around the world. Visit the MICHELIN Guide website, or download the free app for iOS and Android, to discover every restaurant in the selection and book an amazing hotel.

Thanks to the rigorous MICHELIN Guide selection process that is applied independently and consistently in more than 45 destinations, the MICHELIN Guide has become an international benchmark in fine dining.

All restaurants in the Guide are recommended by Michelin’s anonymous inspectors, who are trained to apply the same time-tested methods used by Michelin inspectors for many decades throughout the world. This ensures a uniform, international standard of excellence. As a further guarantee of complete objectivity, Michelin inspectors pay all their bills in full, and only the quality of the cuisine is evaluated.

To fully assess the quality of a restaurant, the inspectors apply five criteria defined by Michelin: product quality; mastery of cooking techniques; harmony of flavors; the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and consistency over time and across the entire menu. These criteria guarantee a consistent and fair selection so a Starred restaurant has the same value regardless of whether it is in Paris, New York or anywhere else in the world.

About Michelin North America, Inc.

Michelin is the leading mobility company and manufacturer of life-changing composites and experiences. For more than 130 years, Michelin has made contributions to human progress and to a more sustainable world. Michelin is constantly innovating to manufacture high-quality tires and components for critical applications for demanding fields, including mobility, construction, aeronautics, low-carbon energies and healthcare and offer the finest experiences, from providing data- and AI- based connected solutions for professional fleets to recommending outstanding restaurants and hotels curated by the MICHELIN Guide. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America has approximately 23,500 employees and operates 35 production

Aplicativo oferece soluções acessíveis e profissionais para edição de imagens de produtos com IA

A Photoroom, inovadora startup parisiense, se destaca no mercado de e-commerce e redes sociais ao oferecer um aplicativo que utiliza inteligência artificial (IA) para transformar fotografias de produtos, inserindo-os em cenários gerados artificialmente. A plataforma é especialmente voltada para pequenos comerciantes e microempreendedores que buscam criar imagens com qualidade profissional para promover seus produtos e serviços online.

“Nosso objetivo com a Photoroom é democratizar o acesso à fotografia de qualidade para todos os empreendedores, independentemente do tamanho de seus negócios,” explica Matthieu Rouif, co-fundador e CEO da Photoroom. “Com nosso aplicativo, qualquer pessoa pode criar, em pouco minutos, imagens que inspiram confiança e transmitam a essência de seus produtos, sem a necessidade de habilidades avançadas em edição.”

A história da Photoroom

Tudo começou com o lançamento de uma ferramenta simples de remoção de planos de fundo, que rapidamente conquistou vendedores em todo o mundo. Desde então, a ferramenta evoluiu e se tornou uma solução completa, incorporando diversas ferramentas avançadas.

O “Fundo IA”, por exemplo, utiliza o poder da IA para criar cenários personalizados a partir de simples instruções em texto ou imagens, permitindo que os usuários ofereçam produtos com arte de qualidade que antes exigiria certos investimentos significativos em fotografia e edição. Além disso, ao inserir uma única imagem e remover o fundo, o próprio aplicativo fornece uma galeria de possibilidades e aplicações com planos de fundos diferenciados para o mesmo produto.

“Nossa IA criativa trabalha de forma minimalista e eficiente, preservando cada detalhe do produto enquanto cria um ambiente envolvente ao redor dele. Isso é essencial para revendedores que precisam manter a integridade do produto e, ao mesmo tempo, apresentar imagens visualmente atraentes” comenta Rouif.

Como a Photoroom se destaca no mercado

Com uma interface intuitiva, a Photoroom simplifica a criação de conteúdos visuais, oferecendo ferramentas que não necessitam de expertise ou treinamento prévio. Tudo é criado e feito em poucos cliques, desde a edição simples de imagens até a colaboração em equipe, o aplicativo foi projetado para ser uma solução completa e eficiente.

A ferramenta permite que os usuários criem imagens personalizadas para diferentes públicos, adaptando para diversos cenários e situações, auxiliando e transformando a maneira como as pequenas marcas apresentam e impressionam os clientes com seus produtos.

Segundo Matthieu, a IA criativa fornecida pela Photoroom trabalha com o produto de forma detalhista, sem alterar nenhum pixel do item fotografado. A ferramenta cria imagens realistas e precisas que mantêm a qualidade do produto original.  

Acessibilidade e custo-benefício

O aplicativo está disponível para iOS, Android e Web, oferecendo uma versão gratuita com ferramentas completas, como remoção de fundo com IA e geração de cenários.

Entretanto, para aqueles que necessitam de funcionalidades mais avançadas, a versão Photoroom Pro apresenta recursos adicionais, como criação de equipes, suporte prioritário ao cliente, remoção de marca d’água e redimensionamento inteligentes de imagens, além do inovador “Modo em Lote”, que permite a edição simultânea de várias imagens.

A solução para os empreendedores

Com a Photoroom, o processo de criação é simplificado: apenas alguns cliques são necessários para remover fundos, criar perfis e logotipos para redes sociais ou colocar a imagem em um novo cenário. Desde que foi lançado, a empresa se destaca por sua abordagem inovadora, pela eficiência na ferramenta e por auxiliar inúmeros empreendedores a divulgarem e venderem seus produtos.

“Sabemos que os consumidores são bombardeados com informações e imagens o tempo todo, principalmente nas redes sociais. Nosso desafio é ajudar as marcas a criarem conteúdos que se destaquem e captem a atenção do público. Tenho orgulho em afirmar que a Photoroom tem facilitado esse processo para muitos, criamos um ambiente onde empreendedores podem gerar imagens que vendem, e nosso objetivo é continuar inovando e aprimorando a ferramenta para colaborar ainda mais com os negócios de nossos usuários” finaliza Matthieu.

Following the successful launch of the English Lexis+ AI solution in Canada, Lexis+ AI is now commercially available in French, becoming the first comprehensive bilingual Canadian legal generative AI solution available in Canada. Grounded in French-Canadian content, including practical guidance, Lexis+ AI delivers fully encrypted, secure interactions, and responses that are backed by verifiable linked legal citations.

Toronto, ON – September 4, 2024 – LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional, a leading global provider of legal information and analytics, today announced that Lexis+ AI, the legal generative AI solution, has launched in English and French for Canadian users. This follows the successful commercial launch of the English Lexis+ AI solution to the Canadian market on July 25, 2024, and previous launches in the USA, Australia, UK, and France.

Lexis+ AI delivers trusted responses in a familiar, easy-to-use interface that uses an extensively enhanced LexisNexis proprietary Retrieval Augmented Generation 2.0 (RAG 2.0) platform. Lexis+ AI responses are grounded in one of the world’s largest collections of authoritative and exclusive French-Canadian legal content including primary, secondary, analytical content and Practical Guidance modules.

Lexis+ AI provides direct links to underlying citable authority in its responses. This allows users to instantly validate results, reducing the risk of invented content, or hallucinations. Lexis+ AI automatically checks all linked citations against LexisNexis’ content to ensure they are valid.

The solution’s AI capabilities were built internally at LexisNexis with world-leading tech partnerships, enabling the company to rapidly introduce new features and technology and provide customers with a seamlessly integrated experience across the LexisNexis ecosystem.

Developed with input from leading legal professionals in Quebec and across Canada, Lexis+ AI has been developed to meet the day-to-day needs of lawyers. Lexis+ AI features conversational search, intelligent legal drafting, insightful summarization, and document upload capabilities, all supported by state-of-the-art encryption and privacy technology to keep sensitive data secure:

• Conversational search simplifies complex and time-consuming legal research by enabling users to conversationally interact with Lexis+ AI, explore new insights, and ask for adjusted and refined output.
• Document drafting instantly produces contract clauses and client communications from a simple user prompt.
• Summarization functionality delivers case summaries in seconds with more content and capabilities coming soon.
• Document upload capabilities enable users to rapidly analyze, summarize and extract key insights from legal documents.

Lexis+ AI offers industry-leading data security and attention to privacy. Uploaded documents are always purged at the end of each session and users can easily manage or delete their prompt conversation history.

The solution is continually improving, with LexisNexis legal subject matter experts regularly sampling hundreds of thousands of AI generated answers, to tune and educate the model. LexisNexis employs over 2,000 technologists, data scientists and subject matter experts to develop, test, and validate its solutions and deliver comprehensive, accurate information.

“This is an incredible milestone for the French-Canadian legal market. We take immense pride in expanding this ground-breaking legal solution to our French clients empowering them to thrive securely and confidently,” said Sam Puchala, President and General Manager of LexisNexis Canada. “The enthusiasm about Lexis+ AI underscores its game-changing potential, and we are thrilled to provide our clients with seamless access to our comprehensive legal resources and state-of-the-art AI capabilities, giving them a competitive edge like never before.”

LexisNexis is responsibly developing legal AI solutions with human oversight. LexisNexis, part of FTSE listed RELX, follows the RELX Responsible AI Principles. These require the business to consider the real-world impact of its solutions on people and to take proactive action to prevent the creation or reinforcement of unfair bias.

For more information on Lexis+ AI or to schedule a demo visit www.lexisnexis.ca/Lexis-Plus-AI.

About LexisNexis Legal & Professional

LexisNexis® Legal & Professional provides legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics that help customers increase their productivity, improve decision-making, achieve better outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis® and Nexis® services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 11,800 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.