Emergency alert phone notifications being tested in the UK
The first nationwide test of a public warning system that sends emergency notifications to UK mobile phones will take place later this month. Sundays in the UK are pretty decent; there’s Premier League football, often a lunchtime roast, and cherished time spent with family. What we wouldn’t typically associate our...
Current in Technology
OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 is helping the visually impaired
The ubiquitous generative AI chatbot is already answering daily queries for visually impaired people with more detail and efficiency than human volunteers. While the recreational uses of AI continue to make headlines every week, the technology’s ability to make day-to-day living more accessible is going under the radar. Largely regarded as...
Is Zuckerberg ditching his Metaverse utopia?
A new Meta blog post has outlined how Zuckerberg intends to deliver on his ‘year of efficiency’. 10’000 jobs are to be cut and a further 5’000 open roles are closing. ‘Lower priority projects’ will also be shut down. Is Zuckerberg giving up on the Metaverse? Meta’s CEO Mark...
ChatGPT-4 is OpenAI’s most powerful language tool yet
There is no slowing the meteoric rise of generative AI, and OpenAI has just rolled out its most powerful model yet, ChatGPT-4. What’s different with the latest iteration? Of the many Silicon Valley giants vying to own the generative AI space, Microsoft has struck gold with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Following its full-scale...
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...
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 way into the mainstream in 2017. Experts have warned that their widespread use, combined with constantly improving AI learning systems,...
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 popularity on TikTok in 2022 turned the site from open-secret to open-target, as groups like the Authors Guild began to...
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 to knowledge and information much earlier in life compared to older peers. This technological fluency lends itself to a generation...
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, and even acing school assignments, the technology has now become a lucrative obsession for Silicon Valley giants. In early February, news...
