Sciencetechnology

As AI tools become increasingly common in southern African newsrooms for tasks such as transcription, headline writing and content drafting, editors are embracing efficiency gains while insisting that human expertise and editorial judgement remain essential to safeguard accuracy and credibility.

The Menlo Park-based company confirmed on Friday that more than 2,000 local positions will be eliminated in late July, marking one of the largest regional workforce reductions in its ongoing restructuring.

The features are currently being introduced to YouTube Premium users on Android in selected markets, with iOS and wider global availability expected later.

Under the rollout, Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus will each cost $3.99 per month (Sh515), while WhatsApp Plus will cost $2.99 per month (Sh385).

According to the patent filing, the technology would use motion sensors and on-device intelligence to recognise sudden movements commonly associated with phone theft, such as a device being grabbed and rapidly moved away from the owner.

After nearly 10 years, YouTube Music’s playlist sorting update may not be the platform’s flashiest feature launch, but for many loyal users, it represents something equally important: finally being heard.

Sodium-ion batteries are a promising alternative because they use abundant materials. But sodium has shortcomings that have blocked it from being used as a replacement for lithium.

At the centre of social media is a powerful psychological mechanism: validation. Platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, and YouTube, are built around feedback loops. Likes, shares, comments, and views act as signals of social approval.

Pope Leo XIV called for artificial intelligence to be more strictly regulated, warning that it can help spread misinformation and normalize war. He also issued an unprecedented apology for the church's role in slavery.

The project, which was unveiled with high expectations during President William Ruto’s 2024 State Visit to the United States, is now facing renewed scrutiny over its energy requirements and long-term feasibility.

Before full electrification, Kenya still faces more immediate structural priorities: reliable electricity supply, better roads, stronger drainage systems, rural electrification, and affordable transport access.

For many speakers in Nairobi, the real challenge is no longer whether Africa will adopt AI, because we are, but whether the systems shaping African societies will genuinely understand the people using them.

The forum attracted delegates from 75 countries, alongside 140 speakers and investors managing over $50 billion in assets under management.

Apple’s naming system is no longer random. It is a structured hierarchy designed to segment users based on budget, performance needs, and design preference.

The company says the updates mark its shift from a music streaming service into a broader, all-in-one audio and content ecosystem.

Instead of switching between apps, creators will be able to generate, edit, and enhance content in one place using AI-powered workflows.

From WhatsApp chats to TikTok’s evolving features, stickers, GIFs and memes are transforming online communication into a faster, more visual and emotionally expressive global language.

Google has unveiled AI-powered image editing tools driven by its Gemini models, introducing a “click-and-edit” system that positions it as a growing challenger to Canva’s template-based design platform.

Google unveils a major expansion of its Gemini AI ecosystem at I/O 2026, introducing new models, agentic tools, Search upgrades, and hardware innovations including smart glasses and Android XR.

Google unveils Gemini Omni at I/O 2026, a multimodal AI system that enables users to create and edit video, images, audio and text through simple conversational prompts, marking a major leap in creative AI tools.

Elon Musk took on Sam Altman, accusing him of betraying OpenAI's original nonprofit mission.

This would let users start a video conversation from within a chat thread without needing to jump to another app such as Google Meet, WhatsApp or FaceTime.

The Pope urges governments, tech firms, educators, and media to act as AI-driven platforms reshape how people think, relate, and communicate.

According to ICT CS William Kabogo, the Digital Superhighway Programme remains a key pillar of Kenya’s digital transformation agenda, aimed at expanding connectivity, supporting innovation, and improving access to government services.

AirDrop-style sharing on Android is a major upgrade, especially for users in Kenya who frequently share videos, notes, and media in school and daily life.

Google says the change is aimed at stopping tactics where publishers or networks try to artificially influence what AI systems say, rather than focusing on genuine, helpful content for users.

The move places OpenAI into growing competition with budgeting apps, fintech platforms, and digital banking tools as AI companies continue expanding into personal productivity and financial services.

PwC says this reflects a widening gap between ambition and execution, with African firms investing less in AI than global tech leaders.

Industry observers believe the move could be linked to rising infrastructure costs and the growing misuse of free accounts.

The dispute centres around the integration of ChatGPT into Siri and Apple Intelligence features announced during Apple’s AI rollout in 2024.

With the new mobile integration, developers can now remotely check the progress of coding tasks, monitor ongoing workflows, and interact with projects without needing to remain on a desktop computer.

YouTube Shorts, the platform’s answer to TikTok and Instagram Reels, was originally built around quick vertical videos consumed mainly on phones.

According to LinkedIn, the feature will allow professionals to create consultation profiles where users can book sessions, schedule meetings, and make payments without leaving the app.

The feature, which is currently rolling out to iOS users, replaces the existing Bookmarks section within the X mobile app.

WhatsApp remains the country’s most widely used messaging platform, making the addition of private AI tools significant, but not many people use the Meta AI.

Anthropic’s new Claude for Legal tool brings AI-powered contract review, drafting, and compliance support to legal teams, while offering practical document analysis benefits for businesses and individuals.

CS Kabogo disclosed that X is among the platforms operating under new conditions, including a requirement to set up a physical office in Kenya within three months.

According to Google, Googlebook devices are built to mirror the kind of ecosystem integration seen between iPhones and Macs, enabling smoother continuity between mobile and desktop use.

According to Meta, the feature will not give parents access to private messages or exact viewing history. Instead, it will provide high-level alerts showing when a teen has adjusted interests that affect their recommendation feed, such as new topics, creators, or content categories they begin interacting with.

Sam Altman testified in trial that could determine the future of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.

Spotify marks its 20th anniversary with a new feature that compiles users’ complete listening history, highlighting top songs, artists and milestones across their time on the platform.

The company said the development signals a major shift in the cybersecurity landscape, where artificial intelligence is no longer only being used defensively by technology companies, but also offensively by hackers and cybercriminal groups.

As smart home technology, AI-powered wellness tools, and connected devices continue to expand globally, Mother’s Day 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most technology-driven gifting seasons Kenyan consumers have seen in recent years.

The new Google Health app introduces a redesigned structure built around four main sections: Today, Fitness, Sleep, and Health.

Major AI companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI are also accelerating development of similar generative audio systems, suggesting that Spotify is part of a much larger shift in the industry.

Colossus 1 is one of the largest AI supercomputing systems ever built. The system reportedly contains more than 220,000 NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs), which are specialised chips used to train and run AI models.

The reports further claimed that manually deleting the files may not permanently remove them, as Chrome could potentially redownload the model if certain AI-related features remain enabled.

Nebsam Digital Solutions has launched an AI-based vehicle monitoring platform in Kenya that uses dual cameras, GPS and speed detection to flag speeding, fatigue and phone use, sending instant alerts to control centres or fleet managers.

The US government, coordinated through NIST, has asked major tech companies including Google, Microsoft and xAI to share access to unreleased AI models for safety testing. Experts say the results could indirectly affect AI use in Kenya.

Apple has agreed to pay a $250 million settlement in a US class-action case over delayed AI-powered Siri features linked to “Apple Intelligence,” which were previewed at WWDC 2024 but missing or limited at later iPhone launches.