MultiChoice Group said that it is open to US media giant Comcast acquiring a larger stake in its video streaming platform, Showmax.
Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal in the US and Sky in the UK, last year acquired a 30% stake in Showmax for an undisclosed sum. NBCUniversal has been instrumental in the relaunch of Showmax, details of which were also unveiled on Monday, with the platform utilising the same technology that underpins Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming offering.
Asked whether in terms of the agreement between MultiChoice and Comcast, the US firm can increase its stake in Showmax, Mawela said: “Absolutely!” He added that such an arrangement is not precluded under the terms of their deal. “They decided to take 30% to start with, but who knows what the future holds?”
MultiChoice Nigeria
Asked whether Comcast could increase its stake to more than 50% in Showmax, effectively taking control of the business, Mawela declined to “speculate”, but said: “Everything we do is in the interests of our shareholders. If someone wants to make an offer, the board has a fiduciary duty to consider it… Let’s leave it at that; our responsibility is to our shareholders.”
Comcast isn’t the only international media giant interested in MultiChoice’s growth potential. France’s Canal+, which is owned by media giant Vivendi Group, has acquired a “passive” 31.7% stake in MultiChoice. It acquired the shares in the group, which is listed on the JSE, in the open market.
“They are passive shareholders, just like all other shareholders,” said Mawela on Canal+’s investment, which it built up over a number of years. He added that Canal+ had no direct involvement in the development of the new Showmax platform and that MultiChoice had no duty to confer with the company before engaging with other broadcasters, including Comcast and its subsidiaries, on its development.
“We have a relationship where we talk from time to time,” he explained. “This strategy [for Showmax] was developed by management and the board… It has to remain like that until such time as something changes from a strategic perspective… We need to put our heads down, do the work and make sure we run a successful, sustainable business so shareholders can benefit from that.”
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Lyca Mobile, the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) launched in South Africa in 2017, has stopped providing services to its customers and has announced that it is closing down.
“Sadly, it is no longer possible for Lyca Mobile to continue providing a service. Lyca Mobile services in South Africa will shut down on 9 January 2024. You will need to move to another mobile network operator before this date to continue using your mobile number,” the company said on its website.
Lyca Mobile is one of the largest MVNOs in the world, with operations in some 60 international markets including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, the UK and the US.
Lyca Mobile, src: google.com
Like most MVNOs in South Africa, Lyca Mobile had been piggybacking on the network infrastructure of Cell C. Lyca Mobile is a subsidiary of Lyca Group, a multinational telecommunications and entertainment company founded and chaired by British-Indian entrepreneur Allirajah Subaskaran. “I built Lycamobile to create a world in which no matter how far people venture, they can always connect with their family and friends,” said Subaskaran on the Lyca Group website.
The company pulled out of the Romanian market in December, with a notice similar to the one on the South African website published on its Romanian site. South African customers were urged to port their cellular numbers to other networks by 9 January if they wanted to keep using them.
According to Daniel Swart, chief commercial officer at MVN-X, a network-agnostic mobile virtual network enabler, branded MVNOs such as TFG Connect and Capitec Connect, for example, which already have a customer base to which they can market mobile services, tend to have more staying power.
“The MVNO market is poised for growth, but MVNOs must gear themselves to retaining their customers. It’s a difficult space to play in, and the market is very competitive,” said Swart.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
By Mamsi Nkosi Each industrial revolution has caused disruption, but it doesn’t necessarily mean a net loss of jobs. While automation and artificial intelligence (AI) can eliminate jobs and industries, they also create new ones. AI has already improved our lives, especially in the service industry, by increasing efficiency and giving us more free time for tasks like booking flights or ordering food. However, these improvements are somewhat superficial. AI’s impact goes deeper, with potential benefits in medicine, education, and solving complex scientific problems. For instance, Japan uses “carebots” to address the demand for elderly care. On the flip side, AI’s displacement of repetitive work can create opportunities for more creative and high-value roles. This transformation highlights the socio-economic impact of AI, leading to shifts in wealth distribution that require policymakers to adapt to an increasingly automated society, ensuring that power and wealth aren’t concentrated in ever fewer hands as automation takes hold and inevitably displaces workers, especially those on the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder.
Crucial skills for an AI-driven world AI literacy means understanding AI’s role in daily life, industries, and communities, including its definition, operation, strengths, and limitations. You don’t need to be a programmer to appreciate AI’s impact, as it’s involved in everyday tasks like online privacy management, restaurant reservations, and job searches. While some may seek a deeper understanding of data science and algorithms, basic AI literacy is vital for everyone in today’s AI-driven world, and the even more AI-powered one that’s coming. There are four core pillars for AI literacy: Concepts: AI literacy encompasses understanding fundamental AI concepts, such as how AI learns from data and the connection between personal information and AI interactions. This knowledge helps individuals comprehend AI capabilities and limitations. Context: Recognising the importance of context in AI is crucial. The impact, strengths, and limitations of AI can vary significantly depending on the situation. For instance, AI recommendations in entertainment might result in minor inconveniences, but in fields like healthcare or finance, AI errors can have severe consequences. Industry leaders must prioritize best practices to manage risks and enhance ROI in different contexts.
Prof. Mark Nasila, Chief Data and Analytics Officer in FNB Chief Risk Office
Capability: As AI becomes more prevalent, individuals need to take action, which can vary widely. This may include teaching children about privacy when interacting with digital assistants, doctors understanding AI tools for medical practice, or programmers integrating AI into applications. AI literacy goes beyond understanding; it involves the ability to apply AI concepts effectively in specific contexts. Creativity: AI technologies continue to evolve and find new applications, from generating music to writing books. Expanding AI literacy to diverse backgrounds and professions fosters creativity and the ability to envision innovative ways to utilize and benefit from AI technology. Crucial skills for Africa’s AI-driven future Africa faces unique challenges, and as a result, it requires a unique approach to AI if it’s to harness everything it has to offer and modernise its industries accordingly. Success with AI in Africa starts with these four elements: Leadership and Change Management: Effective leadership plays a pivotal role in the success of AI and automation in organizations. Leaders need to educate their workforce about the benefits of automation, counter the perception of job loss, and incentivise employees to support the transition. Communication, incentives, and providing necessary resources are key components of successful change management.
Adaptation and Innovation: Individuals must be willing to adapt and update their skillsets to embrace automation. This adaptation is particularly crucial in IT, where IT managers should shift their focus from managing manual processes to overseeing automated ones. Embracing change can lead to more diverse and highly skilled job roles and transform IT from a cost center to a profit center. Managing AI and Automation: Managing AI and automated systems requires a different approach than managing human employees. Employees must learn to work alongside machines, leveraging the strengths of both. Effective communication, setting clear objectives, and documenting maintenance tasks are essential for optimizing the performance of automated systems and preventing recurring issues. Intelligence Management: The introduction of AI necessitates the role of IT data intelligence officers who can interpret data generated by automated processes and turn it into valuable insights. This role emphasizes the importance of spotting trends and opportunities in data and demands skills in data science and mathematical logic applied to philosophy, bridging the gap between human wisdom and machine understanding. It’s also essential to instill AI literacy in learners and help them understand and prepare for the jobs AI will create, rather than fearing it limiting their prospects. The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t solely destructive; it will result in the creation of new roles and the transformation of existing ones, presenting opportunities for career switches. Reports suggest that roughly 30% of jobs are currently at risk, with some individuals already experiencing job loss.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, AI is expected to replace 85 million jobs by 2025 but simultaneously create 97 million new jobs. The key challenge now is not whether AI will change the workplace but how companies can effectively integrate it to enhance human productivity rather than replace it. Notably, machine learning and AI jobs face less competition due to a shortage of skilled talent, making them promising career options in a competitive job market. New jobs are already coming Various roles are emerging in the field of AI, including AI trainers and professionals supporting data science, with expertise in modeling, computational intelligence, machine learning, mathematics, psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience. AI shouldn’t just be viewed through the lens of automation, it will also change the nature of work, leading to safer and more humane jobs. PwC predicts that the healthcare industry stands to gain the most from AI, potentially creating nearly 1 million job opportunities, particularly in AI-assisted healthcare technician roles. AI is also making strides in automated transportation, with companies like Uber and Google investing heavily in AI-powered self-driving vehicles, leading to increased demand for AI and machine learning engineers in this sector.
Furthermore, as AI becomes prevalent across industries, there will be a surge in the demand for an AI maintenance workforce, necessitating a significant number of developers and engineers to upkeep AI systems. AI’s implementation will facilitate business growth, enhancing performance, employee retention, and customer acquisition, resulting in expanded job opportunities. While concerns understandably persist about AI replacing jobs or making others obsolete, it’s essential to recognise that certain aspects of jobs may be automated, but human ingenuity, empathy, and creativity remain irreplaceable in many roles, and will likely become even more important as AI becomes more prevalent. “This mixed view of Al is not surprising because the technology does more than automate tasks; it changes the nature of the work we do,” says Rachel Russell. Change is constant across industries and societies, by some estimates, 65% of the children in schools today will end up in jobs that don’t exist today. Another emerging job sector is that of “prompt engineers”, who are able to get the best out of AI and LLM systems, and AI auditors, who check outputs for accuracy and usefulness and guard against biases or other undesirable outcomes. AI creates jobs with more value While AI undoubtedly replaces some jobs, it also creates new, well-paying positions in their stead. For instance, in U.S. automotive factories, assembly line workers are being substituted by advanced AI-driven robotics. However, these workers are not losing their jobs; they are transitioning to new roles as robotics technicians. Companies are using the enhanced productivity to invest in workforce training, resulting in safer and higher-paying positions for these employees. Moreover, many white-collar workers are moving into higher-paying roles as trainers, utilizing their expertise to train AI applications like chatbots in industry best practices. A company called Zendrive, meanwhile, employs AI to enhance drivers’ performance and road safety, drawing on over 100 billion miles of driver data. Analyzing driver behavior using data from their smartphones, provides specific recommendations to reduce the likelihood of accidents, leading to safer roads and reduced insurance premiums.
“The future belongs to those ready to embrace the Al wave,” frontend developer and educator Vivek Agarwal says. “Remember, Al may not take away your job, but it could be something that can help you do it more effectively.”
Prof. Mark Nasila, Chief Data and Analytics Officer in FNB Chief Risk Office
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Bitcoin is experiencing a remarkable resurgence in 2023, defying economic challenges and surprising skeptics who declared the demise of the cryptocurrency market. The world’s most valuable digital currency has not only doubled in value, with a nearly 150% surge since the year’s onset, but has also witnessed a noteworthy recovery in active addresses. Data from AltIndex.com reveals that after a two-year decline, the number of active Bitcoin addresses has rebounded, registering an impressive increase of 2.6 million in 2023. Heightened Interest from Mainstream Investors. The revitalization of Bitcoin’s network is attributed to heightened interest from mainstream investors, marking 2023 as a pivotal year for the cryptocurrency. Despite facing substantial global headwinds, Bitcoin, which bore the brunt of a crypto price crash, gained traction among mainstream investors.
Bitcoin
This influx of attention not only fueled its value surge but also reshaped the global perception of digital assets. BlackRock’s Application Intensifies Institutional Interest The failure of mainstream investments, coupled with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, prompted investors to seek more transparent and alternative options, boosting confidence in Bitcoin. Notably, BlackRock’s application for a Bitcoin ETF further intensified institutional interest, facilitating the recovery of almost all losses incurred the previous year. Surge Marks Renewed Interest
This surge in interest translated into increased activity within Bitcoin’s network, marking a reversal in the trend of declining active addresses observed over the past two years. Glassnode, a crypto analytics platform, illustrates the historical trajectory of active BTC addresses. The years between 2013 and 2017 witnessed a constant rise, peaking in 2017 with a record-breaking increase of over nine million new addresses. However, the subsequent year saw a significant setback, with a 75% value loss in 2018 leading to a drop of 9.7 million active addresses—the most substantial decline recorded. Crypto Winter Causes Reduction of Addresses. While 2019 and 2020 saw a partial recovery, with increases of 2.3 million and 6.6 million addresses, respectively, the trend reversed in the following two years. Market turbulence and the exodus of “market tourists” during the crypto winter caused a reduction of over three million active addresses in 2021, followed by an additional loss of 695,000 in the subsequent year. 20.8 Million Active Bitcoin Addresses in 2020Although the number of active addresses rebounded by 2.61 million in 2023, bringing the total to 20.19 million year-to-date, this still falls short of recovering the losses incurred in the past two years. In December 2020, Bitcoin’s network boasted 20.8 million active addresses, surpassing the current year-end count by 1.1 million.
Bitcoin’s Significant Comeback Remarkably, almost 90% of Bitcoin addresses are currently in a profitable state, showcasing the cryptocurrency as one of the top performers in the crypto space. Glassnode’s data indicate a substantial increase in addresses with positive returns, soaring from 51.4% in December of the previous year to an impressive 89.6% in the last week, emphasizing Bitcoin’s robust performance over the past twelve months.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Kaspersky says that its detection systems have discovered an average of 411,000 malicious files every day, which is an increase of nearly 3% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Particular types of threats also escalated: experts observed a marked surge of 53% in attacks involving malicious Microsoft Office and other types of documents. Attackers leaned towards more dangerous tactics, such as utilising backdoors to infiltrate systems undetected. These insights, detailed in the Kaspersky Security Bulletin: Statistics of the Year Report (https://apo-opa.co/3TkL55X), underscore the evolving landscape of cyber threats.
In 2023, Kaspersky’s systems detected almost 125 million malicious files in total. Windows continued to be the primary target for cyberattacks, accounting for 88% of all malware-filled data detected daily. Malicious families disseminated through various scripts and different document formats ranked among the top three threats, accounting for 10% of all malicious files detected daily.
Denis Parinov, a cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky.
Kaspersky’s detection systems discovered a rather significant daily increase of malicious files in various document formats – for instance, Microsoft Office, PDF, etc. – rising by 53% to about 24,000 files. The growth may be linked to a rise in attacks utilising phishing PDF files, designed to pilfer data from potential victims.
The most widespread type of malware continues to be trojans. This year, there has been a notable uptick in the use of backdoors, registering a growth from 15,000 detected files per day in 2022 to 40,000 in 2023. Backdoors stand out as one of the most hazardous types of trojans, providing attackers with remote control over a victim’s system to carry out tasks such as sending, receiving, executing, and deleting files, as well as harvesting confidential data and logging computer activity.
“The cyberthreat landscape continues to evolve, becoming more dangerous year after year. Adversaries continue to develop new malware, techniques and methods to attack organisations and individuals. The number of vulnerabilities reported is also growing annually, and threat actors including ransomware gangs use them without hesitating. Furthermore, the entry barrier into cybercrime is now being lowered due to the proliferation of AI, which attackers use, for example, to create phishing messages with more convincing texts. In these times, it is essential both for large organisations and for every regular user to embrace reliable security solutions. Kaspersky experts are dedicated to tackling these ever-evolving cyberthreats, ensuring a secure online experience for users every day and providing vital threat intelligence about relevant threats,” comments Vladimir Kuskov, Head of Anti-Malware Research at Kaspersky.
The discoveries are based on Kaspersky detections of malicious files from January to October and are part of Kaspersky Security Bulletin (KSB) – an annual series of predictions and analytical reports on key shifts within the cybersecurity world.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Apps and websites that use artificial intelligence to undress women in photos are soaring in popularity, according to researchers. In September alone, 24 million people visited undressing websites, according to the social network analysis company Graphika.
Many of these undressing, or “nudify”, services use popular social networks for marketing, according to Graphika. For instance, since the beginning of this year, the number of links advertising undressing apps increased more than 2 400% on social media, including on X and Reddit, the researchers said. The services use AI to recreate an image so that the person is nude. Many of the services only work on women.
These apps are part of a worrying trend of non-consensual pornography being developed and distributed because of advances in AI — a type of fabricated media known as deepfake pornography. Its proliferation runs into serious legal and ethical hurdles, as the images are often taken from social media and distributed without the consent, control or knowledge of the subject.
Artificial Intelligence
One image posted to X advertising an undressing app used language that suggests customers could create nude images and then send them to the person whose image was digitally undressed, inciting harassment. One of the apps, meanwhile, has paid for sponsored content on Google’s YouTube, and appears first when searching with the word “nudify”.
A Google spokesman said the company doesn’t allow ads “that contain sexually explicit content. We’ve reviewed the ads in question and are removing those that violate our policies.” Neither X nor Reddit responded to requests for comment.
Non-consensual pornography of public figures has long been a scourge on the internet, but privacy experts are growing concerned that advances in AI technology have made deepfake software easier and more effective.
“We are seeing more and more of this being done by ordinary people with ordinary targets,” said Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “You see it among high school children and people who are in university.”
Many victims never find out about the images, but even those who do may struggle to get law enforcement to investigate or to find funds to pursue legal action, Galperin said.
In November, an American child psychiatrist was sentenced to 40 years in prison for using undressing apps on photos of his patients, the first prosecution of its kind in the US under law banning deepfake generation of child sexual abuse material.
TikTok has blocked the keyword “undress”, a popular search term associated with the services, warning anyone searching for the word that it “may be associated with behaviour or content that violates our guidelines”, according to the app. A TikTok representative declined to elaborate. In response to questions, Meta Platforms also began blocking key words associated with searching for undressing apps.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Meta Platforms has started to roll out end-to-end encryption for all personal chats and calls on Messenger and Facebook. The end-to-end encryption feature will be available for use immediately, the social media giant said, but it may take some time for all Messenger accounts to be updated with default end-to-end encryption.
Messenger previously had the option to turn on end-to-end encryption, allowing a message to be read only by the sender and its recipients, but with this change messages would be encrypted by default, Meta said. Meta, whose WhatsApp platform already encrypts messages, has said encryption can help keep users safe from hackers, fraudsters and criminals.
End-to-end encryption has been a bone of contention between companies and governments. The British government had urged Meta in September not to roll out encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger without safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Meta Platforms and IBM are joining more than 40 companies and organisations to create an industry group dedicated to open-source artificial intelligence work, aiming to share technology and reduce risks.
The coalition, called the AI Alliance, will focus on the responsible development of AI technology, including safety and security tools, according to a statement on Tuesday. The group also will look to increase the number of open-source AI models — rather than the proprietary systems favoured by some companies — and develop new hardware and team up with academic researchers.
Artificial Intelligence
Proponents of open-source AI technology, which is made public by developers for others to use, see the approach as a more efficient way to cultivate highly complex systems. Over the past few months, Meta has been releasing open-source versions of its large language models, which are the foundation of AI chatbots.
The group will eventually establish a governing board and technical oversight committee
“We believe it’s better when AI is developed openly — more people can access the benefits, build innovative products and work on safety,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, said in the statement.
The group will eventually establish a governing board and technical oversight committee. Participants include Oracle, AMD, Intel and Stability AI, as well as academic and research organisations such as the University of Notre Dame and the Mass Open Cloud Alliance.
The recent chaos at ChatGPT-creator OpenAI, which fired and rehired its well-known CEO, has intensified a global debate about how transparent companies should be in developing powerful AI technology. OpenAI wasn’t listed as an AI Alliance participant.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
South Africa’s motoring industry will likely produce its first electric vehicle (EV) in 2026, the trade minister said on Monday, as he outlined plans for the country’s green transport transition. The electrification of transport is one of the key pillars underpinning South Africa’s Just Energy Transition (JET) plan for a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy. The JET plan estimates that an investment of R128-billion would be needed from 2023 to 2027 for the transport sector to contribute meaningfully to South Africa’s decarbonisation commitments.
South Africa is the largest automotive manufacturing hub on the African continent, hosting global brands such as Toyota, Isuzu, Volkswagen, Ford and Mercedes-Benz, among others. It is also highly integrated into the global supply chain, drawing components from across the world and exporting the final consumer product to more than 150 countries worldwide.
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
If you possess a Google account that has remained inactive or unsigned for at least two years, it is advisable to log in promptly. Google has declared that commencing December 1, 2023, it will initiate the deletion of inactive accounts as part of a new policy aimed at safeguarding users from security threats, including spam, phishing, and account hijacking.
According to Google, an inactive account is one that has not been utilized across its product spectrum—such as Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, Google Photos, and Google Search—for a minimum of two years. Activities encompass reading or sending an email, watching a video, sharing a photo, downloading an app, using Google Search, or signing in with Google to a third-party app or service.
Google CEO, Sundar Pichai
Prior to deletion, Google will dispatch multiple warning notifications to the affected accounts and their recovery emails, if available. Users will have an eight-month window to take action and prevent the deletion of their accounts. This action can include signing in, downloading their data, or opting to delete their accounts themselves.
Certain exceptions exist within this policy. Google will refrain from deleting accounts that have made recent purchases of Google products, apps, services, or subscriptions, or possess a gift card with a monetary balance.
Furthermore, Google will not delete accounts that actively subscribe to or engage in financial transactions for a published app or game, or those that oversee a minor account through Family Link. Additionally, accounts that have acquired digital items, such as books or movies, will also be exempt from deletion.
Google’s policy to delete inactive accounts aims to enhance security and privacy for users and free up storage space. With 15 GB of free storage per account, shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos, users can manage space by deleting unnecessary files or choosing a paid plan like Google One for additional storage.
It’s noteworthy that Google is not the sole company implementing such measures. Other platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, also adopt policies to remove inactive accounts. This practice aids in maintaining their user base, reducing spam, and ensuring compliance with data protection laws.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry delet
