Malaria remains a major barrier to Africa’s development, with nearly 600,000 deaths annually, mostly among children under five, and an estimated $16 billion in lost GDP each year, according to the World Economic Forum. But emerging technology is offering new hope. Japanese startup SORA Technology is transforming malaria prevention in Africa with AI-powered drones that […]

South Africa and Kenya have been named priority countries in Microsoft’s global AI skilling initiative, as the tech giant ramps up efforts to close the digital skills gap across the continent. Speaking at Microsoft South Africa’s first AI Skilling Day, held on June 25 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Tiara Pathon, Microsoft’s AI […]

Libraries across South Africa and globally are integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to enhance service delivery, streamline operations, and expand access – without replacing staff. At the 5th IFLA Librarians Symposium held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Pietermaritzburg, experts emphasized that AI is a complementary tool, not a threat to jobs. Instead, […]

At the Tshwane Tourism Association’s Annual General Meeting on June 19 in Pretoria, a group of four hoteliers unveiled a new AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot, designed to transform communication in the hospitality industry. “This 24/7 concierge tool bridges communication gaps, replaces formal front desk interactions with friendliness, and strengthens guest engagement,” said Association...

Facebook is testing a feature that uses AI to generate creative photo suggestions from your phone’s camera roll – including photos that haven’t been shared on the platform. The feature appears when users create a new Story and are prompted to opt into “cloud processing.” If allowed, Facebook will regularly upload images from your device […]

As South Africa observes Youth Month, Singularity South Africa has announced that its 2025 Summit, set for 22–23 October at the Sandton Convention Centre, will focus on AI-powered education and the future of learning for Africa’s youth. Held under the theme “Igniting Africa’s Future”, the event—presented with support from Old Mutual and metaverse partner UBU—aims […]

In a landscape flooded with AI hype – from low-code shortcuts to intelligent copilots -there’s growing pressure on engineering teams to move faster than ever. But what if we’re accelerating the wrong thing? Sasha Slankamenac, Principal Engineer at Dariel, believes that while AI-augmented engineering has its place, it cannot replace the hard, often uncomfortable discipline […]

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has officially opened a state-of-the-art Science Museum in Addis Ababa, spotlighting the country’s growing investment in science, technology, and innovation. The museum features immersive exhibits across five key fields: artificial intelligence, climate resilience, agriculture, sustainable energy and water, and aeronautics. The AI section, curated by the...

Cairo-based venture studio Aria Ventures has launched a $1 million (EGP 50 million) fund to support early-stage deep tech startups in Egypt, with plans to scale that investment to $4 million by 2030. The studio will offer full-spectrum support—from idea validation to commercialisation—across sectors including AI, biotech, IoT, nanotech, and robotics. Its first initiative, DeepTecher, […]

Stellenbosch University (SU) researchers are leading a €10 million international trial exploring how artificial intelligence can improve tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis using handheld ultrasound and smartphones. The project – CAD LUS4TB – aims to create an AI-driven diagnostic tool that helps frontline healthcare workers detect likely TB cases quickly and accurately, especially in...

Given the speed at which the digital economy, technological and AI landscape is developing, young people need to be educated on how to mitigate the associated risks with a combination of cyber insurance and risk management practices. This is an important part of building financial literacy and preparing the youth to nurture a sense of […]

Microsoft’s chief scientist, Dr. Eric Horvitz, says well-crafted regulation could accelerate AI progress rather than hinder it countering growing anti-regulation rhetoric in U.S. tech and politics. Speaking at the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, Horvitz urged scientists to help policymakers understand that “guidance, regulation, reliability, controls” are not...

As AI reshapes the workplace, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is urging the tech industry to ensure workers – not just CEOs – reap the benefits. In a recent interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Sanders proposed a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay, arguing that productivity gains from AI should translate into more free time […]

Ransomware attacks are escalating globally, with massive financial and societal impacts. In 2024, a Fortune 50 company paid a record $75 million ransom, while South African organisations face rising threats, including the June breach of the National Health Laboratory Service, which exposed 1.2 terabytes of sensitive data. Avinash Singh, a computer science lecturer at the […]

Meta has won a key legal victory in a copyright lawsuit filed by authors including Sarah Silverman and Ta-Nehisi Coates, who claimed the company used pirated books to train its Llama AI system without permission. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria ruled the plaintiffs failed to show Meta’s actions violated copyright law, particularly that it harmed […]

The Gulf of Maine, one of the world’s most biodiverse marine regions, is warming faster than 99% of global oceans. A new MIT Sea Grant initiative, LOBSTgER – short for Learning Oceanic Bioecological Systems Through Generative Representations – is using generative AI and underwater photography to document and share this shifting ecosystem. The project is […]

A U.S. judge has ruled that training AI systems using copyrighted books can qualify as “transformative” under fair use law – but AI firm Anthropic must still face trial over how it obtained the works. The case was brought by authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson, who accused Anthropic of using pirated […]

China continues to lead BRICS in artificial intelligence, accounting for 47.2% of the world’s most-cited AI papers and topping global AI patent filings, according to Stanford’s 2024 AI Index. Backed by over $150 billion in state funding, China’s AI strategy has yielded competitive chips and language models from firms like Huawei and Baidu. India is […]

It is undeniable that AI in education, even though still in relative infancy, has a multiplier effect on student outcomes. An overview of the substantial impact of individualised learning on student performance over the past few years, combined with an insight into daily advances in real life, has the potential to raise concern about the […]

AI is everywhere, and whether you’re trying to get ahead of it or just make sense of it, the noise is real. What if there was one place to cut through the hype? One summit where you could explore how AI is transforming your business, your career, and your life? Artificial intelligence is no longer […]

The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is fundamentally altering how businesses operate and governments deliver services globally. AI is poised to create significant value across various sectors worldwide. According to PwC research, AI applications could add up to $15.7 trillion annually to global GDP by 2030, making it the biggest commercial opportunity in today’s fast-changing economy. […]