The ChatGPT black market is thriving in China
China clamped down on access to ChatGPT last month, announcing its own generative AI chatbot ‘ERNIE Bot,’ arriving in March. This has since ignited an illicit marketplace for OpenAI’s hot property software within China. The commercial road-map for novel chatbots has been established: complete integration into their parent company’s internet...
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Rwanda to receive satellite internet service Starlink from SpaceX
In an innovative undertaking, Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service is set to be deployed in Rwanda, bringing high-speed internet access to the most underserved communities in East Africa. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report, Rwanda has a high uptake in ITC growth, and is developing Africa’s...
Why the Facemega deepfake app is a slippery slope
Accessing deepfake technology is getting easier. With the majority of people choosing to use it for sinister reasons, it’s hard to ignore that the negative consequences of the novel tech might outweigh its benefits. The negative and dangerous consequences of deepfakes have been heatedly discussed since AI technology made its...
Online eBook platform Z-Library makes comeback
Z-library, an illegal online collection of eBooks, is beloved by both college students and romance novel fans. It is back after being seized last November by the FBI. The ‘shadow library’ has hosted free (and illegal) downloads from a selection of over 11 million eBooks since 2009. However, its surging...
Why Gen Z is the driving force behind Africa’s tech advancements
Gen Z is utilising technology to address some of Africa’s most pressing issues, with a particular focus on sustainability. From renewable energy to waste management, this trend is likely to continue. Gen Z is leading the charge in Africa’s tech revolution. With access to smartphones from childhood, young people have access...
The rise of AI chatbots could create an ecological nightmare
The race for Silicon Valley giants to integrate AI language generators into internet search engines could cause a five-fold demand in computing power and massive carbon emissions. The commercial road-map for AI text generators has now been established. With humble beginnings in recreational uses, like creating original song lyrics, poems,...
NASA’s graphene battery could overtake lithium in the EV revolution
NASA has been testing a new graphene battery that could one day sustainably power our electric planes and road vehicles. Have we already found the natural progression beyond lithium EV batteries, even though they’ve yet to replace gas? Possibly is the answer. Beyond its space-based endeavours, NASA is occupied with furthering humanity as we strive to solve our biggest problems. In the ultimate goal of avoiding irreversible shifts to our climate, there...
Google announces ChatGPT rival ‘Bard’ with botched ad
In a few short weeks, Google will be rolling out its AI powered chatbot ‘Bard’ and it has everything to do with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Another has entered the field of battle... and already faltered. Last month, we wrote a story about ChatGPT and questioned whether a coming premium tier of its chatbot would spark an industry-wide scramble for commercial AI. Not to toot our own horn, but we were bang on...
Spotify lays off 6% of work force in latest tech cuts
Music streaming platform Spotify is to cut 6% of its 10,000 employee work force, after hiring aggressively over the pandemic period. It is line with other tech companies who have stripped back their workforces. Spotify will be letting 6% of its work force go after major cuts to improve company ‘efficiency’. CEO Daniel Ek has said that he was ‘too ambitious’ and expanded the company too quickly. It follows similar...
Researchers create WiFi device able to detect people through walls
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania, have created a method for accurately detecting the shape and movement of human bodies through walls using WiFi routers. Is this a privacy nightmare waiting to happen? Remember Lucius Fox’s super invasive sonar technology in the finale of The Dark Knight? Well this is eerily similar, except that it’s real. Scientists have reportedly developed technology able to detect the precise shape and movement of human...
