FRIDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2025, 01:16
WhatsApp is evolving beyond simple messaging. With nearly three billion global users, parent company Meta is integrating artificial intelligence and monetisation features into the app, reshaping how people chat, create, and earn. For South Africans, these updates could significantly impact personal communication and small business operations. AI Writing Help: Smarter Messaging Meta has...
Choosing the right influenza strains months before flu season remains a high-stakes guess. A new AI system from MIT aims to change that. Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health unveiled VaxSeer, a model that forecasts dominant flu strains and recommends vaccine […]
Anthropic, the U.S.-based developer of the Claude AI chatbot, says its technology was “weaponized” by hackers to conduct large-scale cyber attacks, extortion schemes, and employment fraud, raising concerns over how powerful AI tools are being exploited by threat actors. The company revealed that its models were used to write malicious code, plan attacks, and even […]
South Africa is facing a sharp rise in AI-powered fraud schemes, even as overall financial crime losses declined by 18% in 2024, according to the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), which released its Annual Crime Statistics Report on Tuesday. SABRIC reported that financial crime losses dropped from R3.3 billion in 2023 to R2.7 […]
As South Africa faces a sharp rise in counterfeit luxury goods, so-called “superfakes” are becoming increasingly sophisticated, posing a growing challenge to consumers, retailers, and law enforcement. Despite significant advances in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered authentication, counterfeiters are developing near-perfect replicas that even cutting-edge detection tools struggle to...
The health department plans to make the twice-a-year anti-HIV jab, lenacapavir, available at more than 300 government health districts with high HIV infection rates between April 2026 and March 2028. By April 2027, the department anticipates that it could start to use government money to buy cheaper generics.
After calling the National Convention a “tea party” where President Cyril Ramaphosa was “misled”, the ANC Youth League has made an about turn and reaffirmed support for the National Dialogue.
The “wounded” ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is likely to punish several of its councillors in at least two municipalities where they either abstained or boycotted special council meetings that saw their mayors facing motions of no-confidence from the opposition parties.
The Ministry of Digital Transition, Postal and Electronic Communications has launched a National Situational Analysis Workshop aimed at drafting the country’s first National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan. The event, held on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, brought together government officials, private sector leaders, academics, and civil society stakeholders to establish a shared...
The South African journalism community is mourning the loss of celebrated journalist Tshidi Madia, who died on Wednesday morning.
In a rare moment of cooperation between two of the world’s biggest AI labs, OpenAI and Anthropic temporarily opened up their proprietary AI models to each other for joint safety testing, aiming to uncover blind spots in existing safeguards and establish a framework for future cross-lab collaboration. The findings, released Wednesday, arrive at a time […]
ChatGPT remains the world’s most popular consumer AI product, but rivals like Google’s Gemini and xAI’s Grok are rapidly gaining ground, according to a new Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) report analyzing two and a half years of consumer AI adoption data. The fifth edition of the report tracked usage across top 50 AI products based on […]
All eyes are on Nvidia’s second-quarter earnings report set for release on Wednesday, as the chipmaker faces its first major investor test since last week’s mass AI-stock selloff. The results are expected to set the tone for the broader AI-driven tech sector, which has been rattled by mounting concerns over overvaluation and slower-than-expected returns. Nvidia, […]
Athi Geleba, Head of Digital Communications in the Presidency, has called for ethical, inclusive, and Africa-led adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in government communications, urging policymakers and public servants to ensure technologies reflect local realities and community needs. Speaking at the annual Women in Media and Communication panel discussion hosted by the Government...
As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes global economies, African leaders, researchers, and innovators are calling for ethical AI governance frameworks that prioritize local realities, safeguard civil rights, and build technological sovereignty. In 2021, UNESCO published its Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, establishing the first global standard for AI governance...
The Equality Court in Cape Town on Wednesday found EFF leader Julius Malema guilty of hate speech.
A woman and her son died after they were shot in a house robbery in Barberton, Mpumalanga, on Monday.
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero said infrastructure issues in Orange Farm, the southernmost township 45km from the CBD, were caused by a lack of coordination between contractors and city departments.
YouTube has quietly used artificial intelligence to alter videos without notifying creators or seeking permission, sparking debate over transparency, trust, and the blurred boundaries between reality and digitally mediated experiences. The controversy began when popular music YouTuber Rick Beato, who has more than 5 million subscribers, noticed something unusual in one of his videos. “I […]
Ghana is set to become Africa’s first AI-powered agricultural hub following a $100 million investment from Degas Limited, a global agri-tech company. The four-year commitment was announced after a strategic meeting between President John Dramani Mahama and Degas CEO Doga Makiura during the Ghana Presidential Investment Forum on the sidelines of the Tokyo International Conference […]
Artificial intelligence has become the corporate obsession of 2025. From the explosion of ChatGPT to the everyday integration of tools like Microsoft Copilot, companies echo with conversations about how AI is a competitive advantage or how it will improve productivity and customer experiences. According to Gartner, 79% of companies perceive AI as an essential part […]