Author: Akin Naphtal

Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has announced that it would be shutting down its operations in Brazil due to what it described as “censorship orders” issued by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. X claims that Moraes secretly threatened one of the company’s legal representatives, Rachel Nova Conceicao, with arrest if the platform did not comply with legal orders to remove certain content. The company also released images of a document, allegedly signed by Moraes, which outlined penalties including a daily fine of 20,000 reais ($3,653) and the arrest of Conceicao if X failed to adhere to the…

US chipmaker, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), has announced plans to acquire server maker, ZT Systems, for $4.9 billion in a bid to expand its portfolio in artificial intelligence (AI) chips and hardware, and strengthen its position against industry leader Nvidia. The acquisition will be funded with 75% cash and the remainder in stock. As of the second quarter, AMD had $5.34 billion in cash and short-term investments. This acquisition highlights the growing importance of complete server systems in handling the vast computing requirements for AI, where thousands of chips are linked in clusters to maximise data processing power. AMD CEO,…

OpenAI has taken action against an Iranian group known as Storm-2035 for using its ChatGPT chatbot to create content aimed at influencing the upcoming U.S. presidential election and other politically sensitive topics. Last Friday, the Microsoft-backed AI company announced that it had disabled the accounts linked to the operation, which generated content on issues including the U.S. elections, the Gaza conflict, and Israel’s involvement in the Olympic Games. According to OpenAI’s investigation, ChatGPT was used to produce long-form articles and shorter posts that were then disseminated across social media and various websites. However, the operation did not appear to gain…

The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has announced that it is taking steps to bridge the digital gap by launching an initiative to produce locally assembled low-cost smartphones. The authority revealed that 40% of Malawians still lack internet access, highlighting the urgency of increasing digital connectivity across the nation. The new program aims to provide affordable smartphones to help address this gap, although the exact timeline for its launch has not been disclosed. The MACRA’s Director General, Daud Suleman, emphasized the importance of a collaborative approach to enhance access to digital services, stating, “We need a multi-sectoral approach for citizens…

South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, has called for the digital transformation of the ministry, clamouring for a complete overhaul of the department’s outdated paper-based systems. Speaking on Johannesburg’s 702 radio station, the minister emphasized the need to transition to digital systems to close the loopholes that corrupt officials and syndicates exploit. Schreiber said:“The question we need to ask is why these officials can manipulate the system. How does it work that one individual can process 192 fake passports?” The answer is obvious to me: we have way too much discretion of humans to intervene in the system,”…

Kenya’s Principal Secretary for the State Department of ICT and Digital Economy, Eng. John Tanui, has emphasised the need to leverage digital skills and expertise to create opportunities for the nation’s youth. Speaking at the ICT Secretaries and Directors Induction event held at the Kenya School of Government, Eng. Tanui highlighted that Kenya and Africa are poised to become the world’s largest emerging markets due to their growing populations and rapid technological advancements. Accompanied by Ambassador Prof. Bitange Ndemo, Kenya’s former Permanent Secretary for ICT and now the Kenyan Ambassador to Belgium, Tanui stressed that integrating Information and Communication Technology…

Benue State, Nigeria, has partnered with Google to train 10,000 young people in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) across the state. The initiative, announced by Governor Hyacinth Alia, aims to empower the youth with essential digital skills, positioning them to succeed in the growing digital economy. Governor Alia emphasized the significance of the ICT training program, highlighting its potential to provide young people with the tools they need to build a brighter future. “This initiative is designed to equip youths with the skills needed to compete in the digital economy, opening doors to endless opportunities,” the governor stated. In addressing…

Alphabet’s Google has unveiled its latest lineup of Pixel smartphones, featuring deeper integrations of its artificial intelligence (AI) technology, during a high-profile event at Alphabet’s Bay View campus in Mountain View, California. The new Pixel smartphones come with a host of AI-driven upgrades, including a Pixel-exclusive feature that allows users to search for information stored in screenshots. Additionally, Android users can now use Gemini, Google’s AI chatbot, as an overlay on top of other apps to answer questions or generate content. “There have been so many promises, so many coming-soons, and not enough real-world helpfulness when it comes to AI,…

Elon Musk’s xAI has rolled out its latest AI models, Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini, in beta today, introducing enhanced reasoning capabilities and image generation on the X social network. Currently, access to Grok is limited to Premium and Premium+ users on the platform. In a statement, xAI announced, “We are excited to release an early preview of Grok-2, a significant step forward from our previous model Grok-1.5, featuring frontier capabilities in chat, coding, and reasoning. At the same time, we are introducing Grok-2 mini, a small but capable sibling of Grok-2.” The company revealed that Grok-2 has already been tested…

China’s Huawei Technologies is set to unveil a new artificial intelligence (AI) chip named Ascend 910C, which is reportedly comparable to Nvidia’s H100 model, and has been undergoing tests by Chinese internet and telecom companies in recent weeks. It is believed that this move could challenge U.S. chipmaker Nvidia’s dominance in the Chinese market. This development comes in the wake of U.S. sanctions imposed last year that prevent Nvidia from selling its advanced chips, including the H100, to Chinese customers due to national security concerns. In response, Nvidia introduced three alternative chips tailored for the Chinese market, including the H20.…