Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

MTN South Africa has unveiled an online digital skills academy and job placement hub designed to address the scarcity of tech skills and the increasing unemployment rate in South Africa. The MTN Skills Academy aims to give South African youth access to digital and financial skills training, acting as a…

An Atlanta woman named Barbara Furlow-Smiles has admitted to illegally acquiring more than $4 million from Facebook during her tenure as an executive within the corporation. Furlow-Smiles served as a lead strategist and global head of employee resource groups and diversity engagement at Facebook, now operating as Meta, from January…

On Thursday, General Motors’ subsidiary Cruise declared internally that it will be letting go of 900 employees, which constitutes about 24% of its total workforce. The job cuts, chiefly affecting commercial operations along with associated corporate roles, are the latest upheaval for the autonomous taxi startup. These layoffs came a…

On Thursday, Intel launched a new range of computer chips, including Gaudi3 – an AI chip specifically designed for generative AI software applications. Set to launch next year, Gaudi3 will compete with leading chips from Nvidia and AMD that currently power large, energy-intensive AI models. Big players in AI models,…

Spotify is currently experimenting with a feature powered by artificial intelligence, which builds playlists based on textual prompts. This upcoming feature was spotted by TikTok user @robdad_ who shared a brief video of it with the caption, “I just randomly discovered Spotify’s ChatGPT?” For the select few who have this…

Elon Musk announced on Thursday that he would consider reinstating Alex Jones on X, almost a year after insisting that he would not overturn a ban on the controversial figure, who is known for claiming that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. “Will consider,” Musk posted in…

Pepkor, the continent’s largest clothing retailer, is reportedly contemplating a takeover bid for South African competitor, Edgars, say insiders privy to the discussions. Pepkor, which boasts chains such as Pep, Tekkie Town and Ackermans, is believed to be weighing up a potential offer of up to R2.4 billion for the…

Dan Marokane is reportedly set to take on the role of CEO at Eskom, South Africa’s state power utility, filling a vacancy that has lasted almost a year, say those familiar with the situation. Eskom’s struggle to boost output from its old and poorly maintained power plants has led to…

The Oversight Board of Meta has declared it will expedite two cases related to content takedowns on Facebook and Instagram, associated with the current Israel-Hamas conflict. These cases mark the first time the independent board has chosen to speed up a review, enabling it to reach a decision within 48…

Tyme Group − comprising TymeBank and GoTyme − is set to close a new round of funding. This emerged when the Motsepe-controlled African Rainbow Capital (ARC) today published an investment update for its shareholders. ARC holds an effective 57.7% stake in TymeBank, which bills itself as South Africa’s first digital-only…

Microsoft President Brad Smith met with China’s Minister of Commerce, Wang Wentao, on Wednesday. The discussion explored issues from artificial intelligence to the trade relationship between the U.S. and Beijing, as per a Chinese government announcement translated by Youdao. The meeting emphasizes China’s efforts to signal that it remains open…

HAVAÍC, a venture capital firm based in Cape Town, is investing $1 million (R18.8 million) in Sportable’s Series A funding round, which aims to raise $15 million (R283 million). Sportable, founded by two South Africans in 2016, utilizes micro-tracking technology for improved data collection and analysis in ball and contact…

Elon Musk is propelling his aspirations to transform the company known as X (formerly Twitter) into an “everything app” encompassing its proprietary payment system. Recently, the company acquired three additional money transmitter licenses in the U.S. states of South Dakota, Kansas, and Wyoming in late November, extending its authorized engagement…

OpenAI’s dominance in the generative AI field could potentially wane, as Google announced on Wednesday the launch of its most advanced large language model to date, Gemini 1.0. “A new generation of AI models, inspired by how people understand and interact with the world,” is how CEO Sundar Pichai described…

As the year winds down, the AI news does not. Microsoft has just announced that its Copilot AI chatbot is getting an upgrade, integrating with OpenAI’s newly launched model, GPT-4 Turbo, and the image generator DALL-E 3, among other enhancements. These updates, arriving just before the service’s first anniversary, are…

MTN South Africa is intensifying its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy to boost efficiency, enhance revenues, and improve both customer and employee experiences. The company has implemented AI solutions in multiple business operations such as customer value management, network operations, and customer service. These implementations aim to refine user experience and…

X.AI, an artificial intelligence venture spearheaded by Elon Musk, has lodged a filing with the SEC to generate up to $1 billion through an equity offering. According to the filing, the company successfully attracted close to $135 million from four investors, with the initial sale taking place on November 29.…

In June, Apple surpassed the $3 trillion valuation for the first time, and then briefly touched that mark again during intraday trading in December 2022. The company’s stock reached all-time highs on July 31, securing Apple’s spot as the most valuable publicly traded U.S. company. This milestone testifies to Apple’s…

On Tuesday, Bitcoin continues its positive surge, breaking the $44,000 ceiling for the first time since April 2022, indicating its further upward momentum. The cost of Bitcoin most recently increased by over 4% to $43,794.99, per Coin Metrics, effectively broadening its preceding day’s winnings, coinciding with the growing interest for…

Amid rapidly evolving AI developments and growing safety concerns, IBM and Meta have launched an industry-centric solution known as the AI Alliance. The Alliance aims to cultivate an open community that empowers developers and researchers to expedite responsible and trustworthy AI innovation, while ensuring scientific rigor, safety, security, diversity, and…