Author: Akin Naphtal

Baidu, the largest search engine company in China, is set to introduce a new AI chatbot service similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT in March, according to recent report. The application will be initially embedded in the main search services and will provide conversation-style search results. The tool’s foundation will be Baidu’s Ernie system, a large-scale machine-learning model trained on data over several years. A Baidu representative declined to comment on the development. According to current sources, Chat GPT reached a million subscribers barely five days after it was established in November 2022. This is a remarkable accomplishment, particularly in light of…

Zipline, the global delivery company famed for its use of drones to deliver healthcare products has successfully completed test flights in Kisumu County, Kenya. This comes as the company finalizes plans to launch operations in the Kenyan market. Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Zipline and the County Government of Kisumu, Zipline will deliver more than 200 medical products, including COVID-19 vaccines and blood products, to over 400 health facilities across the county. This is a significant step towards the County’s universal health coverage goals. Winfred Njeri, General Manager of Zipline, Kenya said, “Our instant logistics system will…

Fourteen startups from across the continent have been selected to Pitch Live at Africa Tech Summit, which will host its fifth edition on February 15-16 at the Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. Africa Tech Summit Nairobi provides insight and networking with the African tech ecosystem. bringing together tech leaders, MNOs, banks, international investors, entrepreneurs, governments, trade bodies, media and leading ventures to drive investment and business in African tech. Every year, startups present their products and services to the audience of investors, corporates and other stakeholders as part of Pitch Live, and this year organisers received more than 250…

Colorado-based Marygold & Co, a fintech company developing a new mobile banking and financial services app, has named Timothy Rooney as its new president. Originally hired to set up and lead the investment advisory arm of the firm, Rooney will now be responsible for Marygold & Co’s overall “vision and strategy” and tasked with ensuring the successful launch of the firm’s upcoming app. READ ALSO: Web3 Infrastructure Startup Spatial Labs gets $10M in Seed Funding Marc Huffman, CEO of Blackline Becomes Digital Economy Personality of the Week Tesla defeated by Mercedes in self-driving skills as it becomes first certified Level-3…

The conversational AI tool ChatGPT which has been created by Open AI has accomplished a significant milestone in its brief existence. OpenAI is a research firm specializing in artificial intelligence and a few months earlier it unveiled ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot, for public testing as per the company’s claims researchers have taught the ChatGPT to converse with users in a “conversational style,” opening it up to a larger range of users. According to current sources, Chat GPT reached a million subscribers barely five days after it was established in November 2022. This is a remarkable accomplishment, particularly in light of…

Digital banking capabilities have been steadily growing over the past decade. Indeed, what started with a website then extended to mobile, and today people use their smartphones as the norm. There is demand for robust and customer centric user experiences that are omni and opti-channel as a standard part of the service. Expectations are reflected in broader life! People enjoy personalised and tailored suggestions from Netflix and Amazon. They want to have a frictionless experience when they deal with products and services and have come to expect that they can deal with any given service provider over a channel of…

Spatial Labs, a web3 infrastructure and hardware company based in Los Angeles, has closed a $10 million seed funding round led by Blockchain Capital to develop new products and for growth initiatives. The round also included Marcy Venture Partners, an investment firm co-founded by musician and entrepreneur Jay-Z. Founded in 2021 by Iddris Sandu, a 25-year-old Ghanaian-born, California-based entrepreneur, Spatial Labs creates embedded microchip hardware called LNQ that allows users to check an item’s provenance and past history – usually clothes. Almost like a QR code, tapping the LNQ chip with a phone unlocked online and in-person experiences, such as…

Cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase is to cut around 950 jobs – 20% of staff – as it looks to shore up its operational efficiency amid a wider economic downturn. According to the company announcing the cut, CEO and co-founder Brian Armstrong says that in 2022, “the crypto market trended downwards along with the broader macroeconomy”. As a result, the firm is cutting its operational expense by around 25% quarter on quarter, Armstrong says, which includes letting go of around 950 people. READ MORE: Cisco Partners Microsoft on Innovations to Advance Hybrid Work Experience with Audio and Interoperability Tesla defeated by…

During the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2023, Cisco showcased its new range of collaboration devices for Microsoft Teams and unveiled the new Cisco Table Microphone Pro, a digital and multi-directional table microphone for hybrid workspaces, along with audio interoperability advancements. The innovations meet the needs of hybrid workers, delivering more inclusivity and choice for meetings, while improving the manageability, configuration, and security required by IT. According to Jeetu Patel, EVP and GM, Security & Collaboration, Cisco, said “The future of work is now and it’s hybrid, which requires a truly exceptional and inclusive experience that’s not confined by location, device,…

The Digital Economy Magazine, a leading voice in technology, has named Marc Huffman, CEO of Blackline as Digital Economy Personality of the week for the month of Jan 29th-Feb 4th,2023 ranking.Marc is a cloud accounting software industry veteran with an exceptional record leading sales and operational teams and driving growth at successful software companies. He joined BlackLine in early 2018 as Chief Operating Officer and was named President in February 2020, leading the company’s worldwide sales, marketing, technology and all customer-facing organizations.With the promotion to CEO in early 2021, he assumed responsibility for the company’s people, legal, facilities and finance…