Chinese company offers to create AI avatars of deceased loved ones
A Nanjing-based company named Silicon Intelligence is using Artificial Intelligence to create virtual chatbots of people’s deceased friends and family. Every day, we get one step closer to living inside an episode of Black Mirror. Heck, a quick look around may suggest we’re already there. The plot just thickens by...
Current in Technology
You decide – is ‘Apple Intelligence’ safe and secure?
Apple Intelligence is billed as an AI assistant designed to make daily admin effortless. That means it can sift through our private messages and emails. Apple claims the system is completely secure, but are you confident enough to run with it? Having bided its time, Apple is finally throwing its...
Developed world responds oddly to Starlink’s integration in Brazilian tribe
The negative response inadvertently reveals long-standing ideals of an ‘untouched’ culture from an outside perspective. Hundreds of isolated tribes across Brazil are now accessing the internet, thanks to Elon Musk’s satellite service Starlink. It hasn’t gone down too well where the Western media’s concerned, however. Musk’s Starlink antennas, which have enabled high-speed...
Gitex Africa Digital Summit wraps up for 2024
In an event signifying the burgeoning potential of Africa's tech industry, Gitex Africa recently concluded its second edition in Morocco, attracting innovators, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts from the world over. Held in Marrakech, Gitex Africa brought together over 1,500 exhibitors and startups, along with thousands of visitors from more...
Walmart Realm aims to break Gen Z market
Walmart believes virtual storefronts are the best way to tap into the vast spending power of Gen Z. Will it work? Walmart isn’t exactly a beacon of culture, is it? A labyrinth of isles illuminated by florescent lighting and blue and yellow branding doesn’t currently scream Gen Z. Determined to break...
Clover Hogan criticised for saying tech won’t solve the climate crisis
Yesterday, in a series of tweets, the Gen Z environmental activist branded the belief in ‘shiny, silver bullet solutions’ to the crisis as the most insidious form of climate denial. This has been met with intense backlash from not only users, but the CEO of Tesla and X himself,...
How to spot AI doctoring and deepfakes
At this point we’re all aware that AI doctoring and deepfakes are everywhere. Confidently identifying instances of their use, however, isn’t always straightforward. AI has its mitts all over social media and the days of taking content immediately at face value are dying out. There are obvious and largely harmless examples of AI manipulation - mostly used for meme purposes - but occasionally we find ourselves suspiciously squinting at an image...
Apple unveils new accessibility features including eye-tracking
In a positive step forward for disability awareness, Apple’s latest updates will make navigation easier via eye-tracking. Its software will also be available to a wider range of users.
Coinciding with Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Apple has announced several new updates specifically designed for people with physical disabilities.
These will include eye-tracking, music haptics, and vocal shortcuts.
‘We believe deeply in the transformative power of innovation to enrich lives,’
Indie act ‘Washed Out’ releases first OpenAI Sora music video
A new song called ‘The Hardest Part’ by the artist Washed Out was created entirely using OpenAI’s Sora, which converts text prompts to realistic video. The first of its kind, it is both impressive and terrifying, depending on where you stand. It seems like every week we’re writing about AI. Using text prompts to create auto-generated content has exploded in popularity in the past two years. Where once it seemed like...
Microsoft seals record corporate purchase of green energy for AI
Eight times larger than the previous record, Microsoft has just purchased the most renewable energy in history for a single corporate entity in one deal. This will ensure its carbon negative plans aren’t derailed by upscaling AI projects. There are a few constants in life: death, taxes, and Microsoft chucking its weight around by making record financial acquisitions. The latest, at least, is a positive for the planet on this...
