🤖 Nigeria's first LLM |📱US Senate passes TikTok bill

Today’s Menu ☕️

🤖 Nigeria launches first Multilingual Large Language Model
📱US Senate passes bill for TikTok owner, ByteDance, to Divest or Be Banned. President Biden has also signed too.
📱MTN and Investec Partner to Bring PayShap to Mobile Money, Driving Financial Inclusion in South Africa
🕶️ Ray-Ban Meta Gets Smarter: New Update Brings AI Features, Video Calling, and a Fresh Look
Opportunities

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🤖 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Nigeria launches first Multilingual Large Language Model

Nigeria has taken a significant step towards becoming a leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) with the launch of its first Multilingual Large Language Model (LLM). This innovative project, spearheaded by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, promises to enhance AI capabilities and empower the nation’s technological advancement.

Announcing the launch recently, Dr. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, emphasized the importance of this achievement. “The launch of the LLM signifies a crucial milestone in our national AI strategy,” Dr. Tijani stated. “This AI solution, developed through a collaborative effort between local and international partners, positions Nigeria at the forefront of AI development in Africa.”

LLMs are complex AI systems trained on massive datasets of text and code. These models can generate human-quality text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer your questions in an informative way. Nigeria’s LLM, specifically, is designed to be multilingual, meaning it can process and understand information in multiple languages spoken within the country.

The development of Nigeria’s LLM is a collaborative effort involving the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nigerian AI firm Awarritech, global tech company DataDotOrg, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the National Centre for AI and Robotics (NCAIR). The project will also be supported by over 7,000 fellows from the @3MTTNigeria programme. These collaborations highlights the importance of partnerships between government, academia, and private companies in driving innovation within the AI landscape...….continue reading

📱SOCIAL MEDIA

US Senate passes bill for TikTok owner, ByteDance, to Divest or Be Banned. President Biden has also signed too.

In a controversial move with global implications, the US Senate passed a bill on April 23rd, 2024, that could significantly alter the social media landscape. The bill, titled the “Protecting American User Data Act” (PAUDA), forces TikTok, the wildly popular short-form video platform owned by the Chinese tech giant ByteDance, to either divest its US operations or face an outright ban within a year.

The bill’s passage marks the culmination of growing concerns over data security and potential Chinese government influence on TikTok. Lawmakers have expressed anxieties about the app’s data collection practices, user privacy, and the possibility of the Chinese government using TikTok to manipulate content or conduct surveillance on American users.

President Biden has also signed the bill too...….continue reading

📲 MOBILE MONEY

MTN and Investec Partner to Bring PayShap to Mobile Money, Driving Financial Inclusion in South Africa

MTN South Africa, in collaboration with Investec and Electrum, is set to launch PayShap on its Mobile Money (MoMo) platform. This move will make MTN MoMo the first non-banking service provider to offer PayShap, a real-time, low-fee interbank digital payment solution. The partnership represents a major breakthrough in expanding financial services to South Africa’s unbanked population.

PayShap, developed by BankservAfrica, the Payments Association of South Africa, and the South African Reserve Bank, aims to modernize South Africa’s payments landscape by reducing reliance on cash and promoting faster, safer, and more affordable transactions. The service has gained significant traction since its initial launch in 2023, surpassing one million transactions within six months...….continue reading

🕶️ WEARABLES

Ray-Ban Meta Gets Smarter: New Update Brings AI Features, Video Calling, and a Fresh Look

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses just received a significant upgrade, making them even smarter and more appealing. Meta announced the update on April 23rd, 2024, bringing a wave of new features to its stylish specs.

• Real-time information at a glance: Tap into the power of Meta AI to identify objects, translate languages on the fly, and access relevant information about landmarks you encounter

• The Ray-Ban Meta glasses now support hands-free video calling through WhatsApp and Messenger. No more fumbling with your phone – initiate calls with a simple voice command and enjoy a seamless video chat experience

  continue reading

OTHER STORIES

• South African edtech startup, HyperionDev, secures $5 million for operational expansion….read more

• Ever wondered if you could leverage AI to write your blog content? Technology like ChatGPT offers intriguing possibilities, but how does Google view AI-generated articles?…..read more

• Kenya advances cryptocurrency regulation efforts in response to fraud and money laundering incidents….read more

OPPORTUNITIES

• Call for Applications: 4th Cohort of AUDA-NEPAD’s Healthcare Accelerator Program…..read more

• Mastercard Foundation Fund Invites Agribusiness SMEs to Apply for Resilience and Prosperity Grants….read more

• Huawei invites applications for Kenya’s Seeds for the Future Programme 2024…..read more

• Entries open for 2024 Edition of Global Startup Awards Africa: Aiming to spotlight Africa’s top innovators and entrepreneurs…..read more

• 12 African entrepreneurs win a total of US$400,000 in grants from the FINCA Ventures Prize Competition…..read more

• AgriTech4Egypt Innovation Challenge invites applications from agri-tech ventures for a sustainable agricultural future….read more

• Irish Tech Challenge 2024: Call for South African startups to help address global issues….read more