insert_link Namibia The role of regulatory investigations in the ICT industry As Namibia joins the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry starts to have a significant impact on the country’s economy, promoting equality of opportunity, industrial development, economic growth, and poverty eradication. The Namibian government has put laws in place to encourage the growth of ICT due to its importance to economic development. Through the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), the Ministry […] todayMay 22, 2024 26
insert_link Africa Will training AI to be more “African” undermine our literary ownership? By Seth Onyango, bird story agency Recent pushback by Singaporean writers against state efforts to use their work for AI training, has cast the spotlight on a similar conundrum in Africa. As efforts to imbue Large Language Models (LLMs) with a deeper understanding of African perspectives and narratives gain traction, the African literary community stands at a crossroads. Will they protect their intellectual property like […] todayMay 20, 2024 59
insert_link Africa TikTok in Kenya: the government wants to restrict it, but my study shows it can be useful and empowering By Stephen Mutie, Kenyatta University Every day, 750 million people around the world engage with Tiktok – the short-video sharing app. Kenyans are among its top users. According to a Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023, 54% of Kenyans sampled used TikTok for general purposes, the highest proportion among the countries in the survey. They also use TikTok to express themselves and connect with others. The app, […] todayMay 17, 2024 30
insert_link Science & Technology Is AI a Blessing or a Curse? Ronald Sangunji Weighs In By Dilia Mazula As the tech industry progresses, it triggers questions and debates regarding the potential risks, particularly concerning AI. Fears mount over the potential harm that could arise if AI falls into the wrong hands and is wielded for malicious purposes. Numerous online reports have investigated AI's capacity to manipulate and potentially deceive humans, with Deepfakes emerging as a concerning trend. Governments are increasingly apprehensive about […] todayMay 15, 2024 65
insert_link Opinion Pieces Artificial Intelligence powered attacks By Ms. Cornelia Shipindo, Manager: Cyber Security, Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) As Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology advances, Namibia stands at the threshold of unprecedented opportunities to reshape industries and elevate the quality of life for its citizens. From expanding productivity in agriculture and manufacturing to revolutionising healthcare delivery and transportation systems, the potential applications of AI appear boundless. However, amidst this wave of excitement […] todayMay 14, 2024 24
insert_link Science & Technology Science journalism in South Africa: social media is helping connect with new readers Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images, CC BY By Sisanda Nkoala, University of the Western Cape Science journalism is about taking complex academic research and turning it into easy-to-read content that is still accurate. Aside from informing readers through evidence-based journalism, it aims to make the wider public curious about scientific research. This article is an example of science journalism. As a media professor I conducted a study on […] todayMay 10, 2024 30
insert_link Africa African sci-fi: body hopping, artificial wombs and angry ghosts in a future Botswana By Nedine Moonsamy, University of Johannesburg Tlotlo Tsamaase has already proved her talent for African science fiction. Her masterly short stories, one previously shortlisted for the Caine Prize, are helping put Botswana on the literary map. Her debut novel, Womb City, interweaves the mythological and digital expanses of Batswana culture in dystopian fashion. We encounter a distant future world in which women remain charged with ensuring their own […] todayMay 10, 2024 39
insert_link Entertainment Universal’s music is returning to TikTok, ending a spat that hurt fans more than anyone By James Hall, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media platform. Universal first removed its artists’ work from TikTok about three months ago, restricting access to tunes from household names such as Billie Eilish, Adele, Harry Styles, Drake, Kendrick […] todayMay 6, 2024 36
insert_link Entertainment AI can now generate entire songs on demand. What does this mean for music as we know it? PeamDesign / Shutterstock Oliver Bown, UNSW Sydney In March, we saw the launch of a “ChatGPT for music” called Suno, which uses generative AI to produce realistic songs on demand from short text prompts. A few weeks later, a similar competitor – Udio – arrived on the scene. I’ve been working with various creative computational tools for the past 15 years, both as a researcher and a producer, and the […] todayMay 6, 2024 60