Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

NASA has announced a new streaming service called NASA+ that’s set to hit most major platforms next week. It’ll be completely free, with no subscription requirements, and you won’t be forced to sit through ads. NASA+ will be available starting November 8. The space agency previously teased the release of its upcoming service over…

Brave joins the growing list of browsers that come with built-in generative AI assistants. The open source browser developer has started rolling out an update for Brave on desktop, which gives users access to its AI assistant Leo. Brave introduced Leo through its Nightly experimental channel back in August and has been…

It looks like Meta may be pumping the brakes on one of its more aggressive, and unpopular, growth-hacking tactics for Threads. The company appears to be working on a new privacy setting so Threads users can opt-out of having their posts cross-posted to Facebook and Instagram feeds. The unreleased feature was spotted by reverse…

Microsoft has begun rolling out its Windows 11 2023 update (also know as version 23H2), which adds some minor features on top of Copilot and its other AI-powered apps announced in September. Now, you may be asking yourself, “Didn’t Microsoft just release a major Windows 11 update?” And you would be correct. But it turns…

TikTok is pushing back on critics who claim the video app is falling short in its content moderation duties amid the Israel-Hamas war. In a statement, the company offered new details about the number of accounts and videos it has taken down since the October 7th attacks by Hamas. According to…

Oscar-nominated actor Scarlett Johansson has taken legal action against an AI app developer for using her likeness in an ad without permission, Variety has reported. The 22-second ad promoted an AI image editor called Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar, and reportedly used an AI-generated version of Johansson’s voice and image. The ad showed…

Sam Bankman-Fried, who once ran one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, has been found guilty of all seven criminal counts against him at the end of a month-long trial in New York. The FTX founder faces a maximum sentence of 115 years in prison. Bankman-Fried, the 31-year old son…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the world, but who’s setting the rules? Good question, huh? I happen to have came across the answer by following the UK’s AI Safety Summit. Yes, this week the UK hosted a major artificial intelligence (AI) summit aimed at establishing some ground rules and fostering…

The UK government has announced a $273 million investment to build its most powerful supercomputer yet, Isambard-AI, which will rank among the top AI supercomputers in the world when it’s switched on. The supercomputer will pack thousands of NVIDIA superchips, allowing it to run more than 200 quadrillion calculations per second. Isambard-AI…

The Walt Disney Company has announced that it is buying the rest of Hulu from Comcast. It will acquire the 33 percent of Hulu that Comcast still controls and expects to pay NBC Universal approximately $8.61 billion for the deal, though the final amount will be determined after an appraisal that will…

WhatsApp is working on a new feature that offers more control when watching videos in the app. It looks like the company started working on the feature after many users asked the Meta-owned platform for the ability to rewind and forward videos without having to rely on the progress bar.…

Instagram is reportedly working on artificial intelligence-powered ‘friend’ feature that users can customise to their liking and then speak to, according to screenshots shared by developer Alessandro Paluzzi. Users could soon be able to create an AI companion of whatever race, gender, age, and personality they want, and they’ll be able…

MultiChoice’s popular subscription on-demand video streaming service, Showmax, will no longer be available outside Africa starting Dec. 1, 2023, the company has announced in a notice on its website. The news comes days after announcing that its streaming platform, Showmax Pro will be phased out by November 30, 2023, as part of a…

Liquid Intelligent Technologies has appointed Oswald Jumira as the CEO of Liquid C2, it’s cloud and cyber security business. Jumira will be replacing David Behr, who recently joined MTN Group as chief executive of its ICT Centre of Excellence. Jumira was CEO of Vaya Technologies, one of the business units…

On Wednesday, LinkedIn introduced an AI-driven chatbot touted as a “job seeker coach,” along with unveiling other generative AI tools for its Premium users. The rollouts are tied to an announcement from LinkedIn that its platform surpassed 1 billion members. For months, the Microsoft-owned company has been bolstering its focus on…

The United Nations (UN) has appointed Zimbabwe-born James Manyika, Senior Vice President of Google-Alphabet, President for Research, Technology and Society, as co-chair of its AI advisory body. Carme Artigas, Spain’s secretary of state for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence is the second co-chair. The UN announced the AI Advisory Body, stating…

Vodacom Financial and Digital Lifestyle Services is launching VodaLend Personal Loans with the aim of providing a responsible credit solution for South Africans who need to secure extra funds in a tough economic climate. Managing personal finances can be a challenging task, especially when unexpected expenses arise. Access to responsible…

COVA Africa, a cutting-edge insurtech firm from Douala, Cameroon, emerged triumphant at the sixth edition of CATAPULT: Inclusion Africa – Togo Edition. The event, held recently in Lomé, Togo, witnessed ten leading African fintech companies converging for an intense accelerator programme focused on financial inclusion. Organised by the Luxembourg House…

The seventh edition of EMERGING Valley, a globally renowned business forum founded by entrepreneur and author Samir Abdelkrim, is set to take place on 28 November 2023, under the patronage of French president Emmanuel Macron. This year’s event, hosted at the innovative thecamp campus in Aix-Marseille-Provence, marks a significant milestone…

With their innovative use of artificial intelligence and dedicated field agents, African start-up Lengo AI is ushering in a new era of reliable data collection, especially focusing on the corner shops that serve as the backbone of countless communities across Africa. Lengo AI CTO Ismaïla Seck, PhD, shared the profound…