Google Bard is now Gemini 🤖 | Airtel Africa launches fibre service 🛜

In today’s menu 🥘

🤖 Google rebrands its Bard AI chatbot to Gemini, introducing its dedicated Android app and Advanced model
🛜 Airtel Africa Launches Telesonic, Paving the Way for Digital Advancement in Africa
💳 Nigeria Sets New Record with N600 Trillion in Electronic Payment Transactions for 2023
🧾 MultiChoice agrees to a $37 million tax settlement with Nigerian tax authorities
🥽 Apple Vision Pro: A Glimpse into the Future of Work?

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🤖 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Google rebrands its Bard AI chatbot to Gemini, introducing its dedicated Android app and Advanced model

Google is renaming its Bard and Duet AI services as Gemini in an effort to sync with its multimodal AI model. Alongside the name change, Google is launching a dedicated Gemini Android application and a premium version with more advanced features.

Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, explained in a blog post that the rebranding reflects the advanced technology at the core of Gemini, which is now available in 40 languages on the web, in a new Android app and through the Google app on iOS. This renaming follows a similar move by Microsoft when they rebranded Bing Chat to Copilot.

Users who download the Gemini app can set it as their default assistant, replacing Google Assistant. Gemini’s launch will introduce a new conversational overlay on displays, providing contextual suggestions such as photo descriptions or additional information about on-screen articles.......continue reading

🛜 INFRASTRUCTURE

Airtel Africa Launches Telesonic, Paving the Way for Digital Advancement in Africa

In a significant move towards addressing the growing demand for wholesale data in Africa, Airtel Africa has unveiled Airtel Africa Telesonic Limited (‘Telesonic’), a state-of-the-art fibre bandwidth service. Leveraging ground fibre assets and submarine cable systems, Telesonic aims to provide comprehensive terrestrial fibre and submarine cable solutions, making a substantial impact on the continent’s digital landscape.

With a vast network extending over 75,000 kilometres of terrestrial fibre across Airtel Africa’s 14 markets, Telesonic is poised to bring about positive and transformative changes. The service is expected to enhance the quality of life for communities, bolster national economies, and significantly improve connectivity in crucial sectors such as education and healthcare.........continue reading

💳 E-PAYMENTS

Nigeria Sets New Record with N600 Trillion in Electronic Payment Transactions for 2023

In a recent report released by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System, electronic payment transactions in Nigeria surged to unprecedented heights in 2023, reaching a staggering N600 trillion. This remarkable increase represents a substantial 55% rise from the N387 trillion recorded in the previous year, showcasing the nation’s escalating reliance on digital payment methods.

The breakdown of the data reveals a notable surge in the total value of point-of-sale (PoS) transactions, which amounted to N10.73 trillion in 2023, marking a significant 27.85% increase from the N8.39 trillion recorded in 2022.

According to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System, March 2023 witnessed a zenith in e-payment transactions, with a record-breaking volume of 1.17 billion transactions. This was closely followed by December, which recorded 968 million transactions, underscoring the consistent and widespread adoption of electronic payment methods throughout the year.......continue reading

📱CRYPTOCURRENCY

The first-ever cryptocurrency bill in Kenya is being pushed to parliament by a local advocacy group

The Blockchain Association of Kenya (BAK), an advocate for digital asset policy, has put forward the country’s inaugural Virtual Assets Service Provider (VASP) bill to govern the Kenyan digital asset market. First introduced to the public on January 22, 2024, for consultation, the bill has received a spectrum of comments ranging from favorable to unfavorable from the Kenyan digital asset industry.........continue reading

OTHER STORIES

• Startups in Africa reported funding deals totaling $77 million last month, marking the lowest amount for any January since 2019, as reported by the deal tracking firm Africa: The Big Deal…..read more

• MultiChoice agrees to a $37 million tax settlement with Nigerian tax authorities….read more

• Ethiopia announces a ban on importing fuel-powered vehicles to prioritize green mobility….read more

• The Rise of Robots, the Rise of Jobs: How AI is Reshaping the Workforce….read more

• Apple Vision Pro: A Glimpse into the Future of Work?……read more