Author: Akin Naphtal

Amazon is set to release a upgraded version of its Alexa voice assistant in October, which will primarily be powered by Claude, an artificial intelligence (AI) model developed by Anthropic, according to sources familiar with the matter. The upgrade leads to the departure from Amazon’s traditional reliance on its in-house AI technology. The new version, dubbed “Remarkable Alexa,” will leverage advanced generative AI to handle complex queries and will be offered as a premium service costing between $5 and $10 per month. The classic version of Alexa will remain free. The shift to Anthropic’s AI was prompted by performance issues…

Google has unveiled a new feature for Gmail users on Android devices, enabling them to chat directly with its AI assistant, Gemini, within the Gmail app. The feature, known as Gmail Q&A, was rolled out on Thursday and is available to users who subscribe to Gemini, according to a company blog post. The feature is expected to be available on iOS devices soon. Gmail Q&A allows users to leverage Google Gemini as a personal assistant capable of reading and summarizing their entire email inbox. For instance, users can ask Gemini to summarize emails by simply stating, “Catch me up on…

Meta is now allowing preteens aged 10 to 12 to explore its virtual reality platform, Horizon Worlds, under the supervision of parent-managed accounts, with specific restrictions to ensure their safety. The tech giant announced that parents will soon have the ability to approve age-appropriate VR worlds for their children, such as “The Space Station,” “The Aquarium,” and the “Spy School” racing game. Preteens can request access to specific worlds, or parents can choose from a list of options to grant permission. To protect young users, Meta has introduced a new rating system categorizing VR worlds as 10+, 13+, or 18+.…

Nvidia has introduced Eagle, a bevy of artificial intelligence models that aim to improve how machines understand and interact with visual information. This new development marks a milestone leap in the field of multimodal large language models (MLLMs), which blend text and image processing to achieve more sophisticated AI capabilities. What Makes Eagle Different? The core innovation of Eagle lies in its ability to process high-resolution images—up to 1024×1024 pixels—allowing it to capture fine details essential for tasks like optical character recognition (OCR). Unlike traditional models that rely on a single vision encoder, Eagle uses multiple specialized vision encoders, each…

American telecom giant, Verizon has struck a partnership with satellite operator Skylo to offer a commercial direct-to-device messaging service for U.S. customers starting this fall. This new service will allow users with compatible smartphones to access emergency messaging and location sharing even when they are out of range of terrestrial cell networks. By early next year, Verizon plans to expand the service, enabling users to send text messages from anywhere via a satellite connection. Verizon confirmed that the service will be available at no additional cost to customers with capable devices, regardless of their price plan. Initially, the service will…

Klarna’s CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, has expressed excitement over the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on his company’s operations, revealing plans to reduce the human workforce significantly. The move, he suggests, could serve as a model for the broader industry. In Klarna’s H1 report released yesterday, Siemiatkowski highlighted the success of an AI system powered by ChatGPT, which the fintech company introduced earlier this year. After several months of implementation, the AI has proven capable of performing tasks equivalent to 700 employees, matching their productivity and maintaining customer satisfaction. This efficiency has led Siemiatkowski to consider reducing Klarna’s current workforce…

Kenya is in discussions with TikTok to introduce monetization tools for local content creators, following Meta’s recent rollout of similar features. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to create job opportunities for young Kenyans through digital platforms. The discussions were highlighted during the launch of TikTok’s first Safety Advisory Council for sub-Saharan Africa, held in Nairobi. The TikTok Sub-Saharan Africa team, led by Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda , Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy, paid a courtesy call to me today. We had an insightful discussion on partnerships and initiatives for enhancing online security and safety for our creative…

Apple has partnered with India’s Bharti Airtel to offer Apple Music and Apple TV+ for free to the telecom giant’s premium customers, a move which allows Apple to expand its digital services to thousands of consumers in the world’s most populous nation. The collaboration is aimed at boosting Apple’s presence in India’s $28 billion media and entertainment market, where the company faces stiff competition from streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar, as well as Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema. Airtel ranks as India’s second-largest telecom operator with 281 million subscribers, and getting access to such numbers could…

Video streaming giant, Netflix, has announced the launch of a new sports series titled Starting 5, which will provide its viewers with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the 2023-2024 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The 10-part series, set to premiere on 9th October, 2024 will feature footage of popular NBA stars including Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Domantas Sabonis, and Jayson Tatum. Starting 5 is being produced in collaboration with LeBron James’ digital media company, Uninterrupted, as well as Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, and former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions. The series continues Netflix’s growing push…

Korean technology giant, Samsung SDI, and General Motors (GM) have completed an agreement to build a joint electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing facility worth $3.5 billion in the state of Indiana, United States. The project is set to have an initial production capacity of 27 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year. Mass production is targeted to begin in 2027. The joint venture, first announced in April 2023, could potentially see the facility’s capacity rise to 36 GWh annually. The Indiana plant will manufacture nickel-rich prismatic and cylindrical battery cells, boosting GM’s battery technology portfolio. Kurt Kelty, GM’s Vice President of Battery…