News/Global
Isle of Man Launches AI Upskilling Program to Drive Growth and Innovation
The Isle of Man has launched an AI upskilling program to drive economic growth and keep pace with rapidly evolving technology. Key Initiatives: The Activate AI program aims to educate and support businesses and residents in leveraging artificial intelligence through various initiatives: A training platform with over 200 hours of online courses, including an "AI for Everyone" course tailored specifically for the island, is set to launch by the end of August. An applied AI service will pair companies with experienced firms to explore how AI can solve business problems at no cost, fostering an "eco-system of partners." Public roadshows...
read Aug 1, 2024Anthropic’s AI Assistant Claude Launches in Brazil
Anthropic's AI assistant Claude launches in Brazil: Anthropic, a leading AI company, has announced the availability of its trusted AI assistant Claude in Brazil, offering consumers and businesses access to cutting-edge AI technology through various platforms and pricing plans. Claude can be accessed via the web-based Claude.ai, free mobile apps for Android and iOS, and the Anthropic API for developers to integrate AI into their own applications and services. Claude.ai offers a free plan and two paid plans: Pro at R$ 110 per user per month with 5x more usage compared to the free tier and early access to new...
read Jul 29, 2024Stanford Study: How Culture Impacts What We Want from AI
China and the U.S. have differing views on what people want from AI, with cultural models of agency shaping these ideal preferences, according to new research from Stanford University that aims to foster more inclusive AI development. Cultural models of agency influence AI preferences: The study found clear associations between the cultural models of agency prevalent in different contexts and the type of AI considered ideal: In many European American middle-class cultural contexts, people often desire control over AI, treating it as a tool in service of individual goals and concerns in an impersonal, hierarchical relationship. In contrast, some cultures...
read Jul 26, 2024How to Prevent Africa from Being Left Out of the Global AI Transformation
Africa risks being left behind in the AI revolution due to its weak digital infrastructure, which is holding back the continent's potential to fully participate in and benefit from AI advancements. Key Takeaway: Africa's lack of connectivity is a major obstacle to harnessing the potential of AI: More than two decades ago, The Economist found that all of Africa had less international bandwidth than Brazil, a situation that persisted until 2023. This digital divide puts Africa at risk of missing out on the promises and benefits of AI technologies that are transforming other parts of the world. Broader Implications: Bridging...
read Jul 25, 2024Inadequate Infrastructure and Talent Threaten to Leave Africa Behind in the AI Revolution
The AI revolution threatens to leave Africa behind, as the continent faces significant infrastructure gaps that create a new digital divide. Two key factors are hindering Africa's ability to capitalize on the transformative potential of AI: Inadequate digital infrastructure: Africa lacks the necessary foundation to support widespread AI adoption and development: Only a third of Africans have access to 4G mobile networks, compared to 90% in rich countries, limiting the ability to use data-hungry AI applications. Less than 1% of African homes have a fixed broadband connection, further constraining access to high-speed internet crucial for AI development and deployment. Electricity...
read Jul 18, 2024Meta Halts AI Tools in Brazil Amid Data Privacy Concerns, Hindering Innovation
Meta suspends generative AI tools in Brazil amid data training concerns: Meta has halted the use of its generative AI tools in Brazil after the country's data protection authority banned the company from using Brazilian citizens' data to train AI models, citing risks to users' fundamental rights. Regulatory challenges and Meta's response: The decision follows a privacy policy update that allowed Meta to train AI using Brazilians' public data on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, which the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) deemed a violation: ANPD imposed a ban earlier this month prohibiting Meta from using Brazilian citizens' data to train...
read Jul 17, 2024Saudi Aramco Backs AiXplain’s Mission to Transform Generative AI into Action-Taking Agents
Saudi Aramco's venture arm makes first U.S. AI investment, backing startup AiXplain in a $6.5 million pre-Series A round to develop generative AI agents that can take action and ensure better representation of Arabic languages. Key details of the investment: Wa'ed Ventures, a venture unit of Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco, is investing in San Francisco-based AiXplain as part of a $6.5 million funding round: AiXplain, led by AI industry veteran Hassan Sawaf, plans to use the proceeds to expand its business operations. The startup has raised $16.5 million to date, has early customers, and was profitable last year. AiXplain's...
read Jul 17, 2024Bhutan’s Student-Led AI Startup Secures Major Clients, Faces Scaling Challenges Amid Infrastructure Limitations
Bhutan's first AI startup, NoMindBhutan, is run by seven college students and has secured prominent clients, but faces challenges scaling due to the country's limited infrastructure. Key players: College students taking on the AI industry; NoMindBhutan was founded by Ugyen Dendup and Jamphel Yigzin Samdrup, two sophomores at Gyalpozhing College of Information Technology, which recently revamped its curriculum to focus on AI and data science: The seven-member team, all college students, operates out of their dorm room and rented spaces during college vacations, putting in long hours to balance their startup work with classes and assignments. The college has played...
read Jul 16, 2024Hong Kong Develops ChatGPT-Style AI Tool Amid OpenAI Access Restrictions
Hong Kong is testing its own ChatGPT-style AI tool for government employees, with plans to eventually make it available to the public, after OpenAI took steps to block access to its services from the city and other unsupported regions. Key developments in Hong Kong's AI efforts: The local government is actively pursuing the development of its own generative AI model, which could have significant implications for the city's tech landscape and its relationship with major AI companies: The Hong Kong government's innovation bureau is currently testing a ChatGPT-style tool called "document assistance application for civil servants," developed by a local...
read Jul 10, 2024Russian AI Spam Farm’s Fake Ukraine Story Tops Google, Erodes Online Trust
A Russian AI-powered spam farm spread a fake story about Ukraine's first lady buying a luxury car with U.S. aid, which quickly topped Google search results. Key details of the disinformation campaign: The fake story originated from an unknown French website, Vérité Cachée, which is part of a network of sites linked to the Russian government that spreads propaganda and disinformation: Vérité Cachée and similar sites in the network use generative AI to create and manipulate content, publishing thousands of articles attributed to fake journalists. The story was quickly picked up by Russian media outlets, shared on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels,...
read Jul 3, 2024AI Chatbot Controversy Ignites Leadership Turmoil at European Geosciences Union
A controversy over an AI chatbot developed in China has caused a rift at the European Geosciences Union (EGU), resulting in the firing of its president: AI chatbot sparks concerns: GeoGPT, an AI-powered chatbot being developed by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba as part of the Deep-time Digital Earth (DDE) initiative, has raised concerns about transparency, potential state censorship, and copyright infringement: Paul Cleverly, a visiting professor, highlighted "serious issues" with GeoGPT regarding lack of transparency, potential state censorship, and copyright infringement in an editorial. A group of publishers argued that GeoGPT was built off unlicensed literature and lacked transparency by...
read Jul 3, 2024AI-Powered Russian Fake News Network Increasingly Targeting 2024 US Election
A Russia-based network of fake news websites, powered by AI, is increasingly targeting the US election with viral disinformation stories aimed at sowing distrust among American voters. Key figures and tactics: The network is run out of Moscow by John Mark Dougan, a former US police officer, and uses sophisticated AI to generate fake articles and videos masquerading as legitimate local US news: Dozens of websites with American-sounding names like "Houston Post" and "DC Weekly" post a mix of rewritten real news and completely fabricated stories, often blending US political issues with pro-Russia narratives. AI-generated "reporter" profiles and fake whistleblower...
read Jul 3, 2024SoftBank Soars to All-Time High Amid AI Push, Boosting Son’s Wealth
Shares in Japanese tech giant SoftBank have reached an all-time high amid the company's push into AI and computer chips, signaling renewed investor confidence in CEO Masayoshi Son's vision. SoftBank's stock performance: The company's shares rose 1.5% to ¥10,705.00 (around $66) per share during regular trading hours in Tokyo on Wednesday, marking a record high for the investment firm: This surge can be partially attributed to the recovery of the Nikkei 225 benchmark index, according to Tomoaki Kawasaki, a senior analyst at IwaiCosmo Securities. SoftBank has also benefited from its growing reputation among investors as a "semiconductor-related stock" due to...
read Jul 3, 2024Meta Faces AI Training Ban in Brazil Over Data Misuse Concerns
Meta, the social media giant, has been ordered by Brazilian regulators to stop training its AI models on personal data from Brazilian users, marking a significant setback for the company's AI ambitions in one of its largest markets. Key developments: The Brazilian data protection authority (ANPD) has banned Meta from using public Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram data from Brazil for AI training purposes: The decision follows Meta's privacy policy update in May, which granted the company permission to use Brazilian users' posts, images, and captions for training its AI models. ANPD cited "risks of serious damage and difficulty to users"...
read Jul 2, 2024Redactive AI Raises $7.5M to Secure Enterprise Adoption of Generative AI
Redactive AI, an Australia-based security startup, has raised $7.5 million in seed funding to help corporations safely leverage generative AI without risking the exposure of sensitive information. Addressing a critical challenge: Companies are grappling with how to integrate AI agents and chatbots into their workflows while safeguarding proprietary data: Redactive AI offers tools that establish guardrails for the information AI systems can access and retrieve, enabling organizations to securely adopt these technologies. Founded by former Atlassian employees Andrew Pankevicius and Alexander Valente, along with AI engineer Lucas Sargent, the startup aims to address the cybersecurity concerns that arise during cloud...
read Jul 2, 2024AI Candidate Makes Historic UK Parliament Bid, Promising Tuition Cuts and Housing Reform
An AI candidate is running for UK Parliament for the first time: In a historic first, an Artificial Intelligence candidate named 'AI Steve' is running for a seat in the UK Parliament in the upcoming July 4 elections, representing the constituency of Brighton Pavillion. AI Steve was created by Sussex-based entrepreneur Steve Endacott, who will physically attend Parliament and vote on policies based on the AI's interactions with and feedback from constituents. Voters can directly interact with AI Steve 24/7 through its website, asking questions and providing opinions on policies. The AI candidate aims to recruit people from the constituency,...
read Jun 29, 2024Axelera AI Secures $68M to Challenge NVIDIA in Edge AI Chip Market
Axelera AI raises $68M in Europe's largest Series B round in the fabless semiconductor category to rival NVIDIA with its edge AI chips. Key details of Axelera's funding round: The Netherlands-based startup has secured $68 million in Series B funding, bringing its total capital raised to $120 million, to expand its AI processing unit (AIPU) solutions: The funding was led by major institutional investors including Invest-NL Deep Tech Fund, European Innovation Council Fund, Innovation Industries Strategic Partners Fund and Samsung Catalyst Fund. Axelera plans to use the capital to bring its existing AIPU solutions to new geographies and markets, while...
read Jun 29, 2024French AI Industry Faces Uncertain Future Amid Pivotal Presidential Election
The upcoming French presidential election has the country's thriving AI industry worried about potential setbacks: Polls suggest voters are leaning towards the far right or hard left, with campaign pledges that could negatively impact the AI industry's talent pipeline and increase taxes. Under President Emmanuel Macron, France has become a hub for AI startups and attracted significant investments from tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Meta. The election outcome could dramatically reshape the National Assembly and install a prime minister from either the far-right or left-wing coalition, leading to gridlock and uncertainty. Mistral AI and the Macron era: Mistral AI,...
read Jun 28, 2024EU Accuses Apple of Using AI Delays to Hinder Competition
The EU's competition chief Margrethe Vestager has criticized Apple for delaying AI features in the EU due to regulatory requirements under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), suggesting the company is using this as an excuse to hinder competition. Apple's AI delays in the EU: Apple recently announced it would delay certain AI features on EU iPhones, citing "regulatory uncertainties" and "interoperability requirements" under the DMA as the reasons: The delayed features include AI-powered screen mirroring and SharePlay, which were unveiled at WWDC 2024 for iOS 18 and macOS 15. Apple's decision has drawn scrutiny from the EU, with concerns that...
read Jun 27, 2024France’s AI Ambitions: Shaking Up the Global Tech Landscape
France's tech scene on the rise with AI push: France has been positioning itself as Europe's leading artificial intelligence hub, with high-profile companies like Mistral AI and H raising significant funding: French generative AI companies have raised $2.29 billion to date according to Accel and Dealroom data, the most of any European country, driven by investments in buzzy startups like Mistral AI and H. The French government under President Macron has actively championed the country's tech ecosystem through programs like Station F, the world's largest startup campus, and reforms to immigration and labor laws to help startups. France is slated...
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