Artificial intelligence

XR headset from Samsung to challenge Apple Vision Pro

Samsung’s upcoming XR headset is expected to feature a 4K micro-OLED display from Sony, according to recent reports.

The 1.35-inch screen is slightly smaller than Apple’s Vision Pro but offers a higher resolution and a wider colour gamut.

The Vision Pro has struggled to gain mass appeal due to its high price, leaving space for rivals to introduce alternatives.

Samsung’s device is likely to be positioned as a direct competitor, offering premium features at a potentially more accessible price point.

Other companies are also preparing to challenge Apple in the XR space. Sony’s high-end model is already available, and Meta is reportedly expanding its Quest lineup. Samsung has hinted at additional smart glasses, though details remain scarce.

Apple may respond with an updated Vision Pro, adding to the competition in the XR market. With several key players developing new headsets, 2025 could be a defining year for immersive technology.

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Reddit launches new tools to improve user engagement

Reddit has introduced new tools to help users follow community rules and track content performance, aiming to boost engagement on the platform. The update comes after a slowdown in user growth due to Google’s algorithm changes, though traffic from the search engine has since recovered.

Among the new features is a ‘rules check’ tool, currently being tested on smartphones, which helps users comply with subreddit guidelines. Additionally, a post-recovery option allows users to repost content in alternative subreddits if their original submission is removed. Reddit will also suggest subreddits based on post content and clarify posting requirements for specific communities.

The company has enhanced its post insights feature, offering detailed engagement metrics to help users refine their content. This follows Reddit’s December launch of Reddit Answers, an AI-powered search tool designed to provide curated summaries of community discussions, which is still in beta testing.

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Microsoft to boost AI investment in South Africa

Microsoft has announced plans to invest an additional 5.4 billion rand (about $296.81 million) by 2027 to enhance its cloud and AI infrastructure in South Africa.

The investment comes in response to the increasing demand for the company’s Azure services in the region, with a particular focus on meeting the needs of businesses integrating AI technology into their operations.

Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, revealed the initiative during an event in Johannesburg, confirming that the company would also fund technical certification exams for 50,000 individuals.

These exams will cover crucial digital skills, including cloud architecture, AI, and cybersecurity, aiming to address the shortage of skilled professionals in high-demand sectors.

The new investment builds on Microsoft’s previous spending of 20.4 billion rand to establish South Africa’s first enterprise-grade data centres in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

These data centres have become essential hubs for handling the computational demands of AI, as local businesses look to adopt AI-driven solutions.

The company’s broader strategy includes a global commitment to invest around $80 billion in 2025 to further develop data centres and deploy AI and cloud-based applications. South Africa, as a growing tech hub, is expected to play a key role in Microsoft’s plans for the future.

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AxeleraAI receives $66 million EU grant for AI chip development

AxeleraAI, a promising AI chipmaker based in Eindhoven, Netherlands, has been awarded a €61.6 million ($66 million) grant by the European Union to develop its Titania chip.

The grant, provided by EuroHPC, aims to bolster Europe’s AI capabilities by supporting the development of a chip specifically designed for “inference” computing in data centres.

However, this initiative is part of the EU’s broader strategy to enhance its AI sector and reduce its dependency on US and Chinese technologies.

Fabrizio Del Maffeo, CEO of AxeleraAI, expressed pride in the award, viewing it as a significant opportunity for the Dutch company to expand its business.

The new chip will be built on the open-source RISC-V standard, a growing alternative to more traditional chip systems like those from Intel and Arm. AxeleraAI’s existing Metis chip is already being used in edge AI applications, such as monitoring safety in factories through CCTV analysis.

While the company does not aim to compete with industry giants like Nvidia in training AI models, Del Maffeo stated that the Titania chip is designed to excel in running large AI models once they are trained.

This shift towards more affordable inference computing is expected to become increasingly important as the demand for AI solutions grows. AxeleraAI has already raised $200 million from investors, including Samsung, since its founding in 2021.

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AI-driven dubbing comes to Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video is introducing AI-powered dubbing for select movies and series in English and Spanish, aiming to expand its reach and enhance accessibility.

The feature, launching on Wednesday, will initially be available on 12 licensed titles that currently lack dubbing support.

With over 200 million customers worldwide, Prime Video‘s adoption of AI technology follows a growing trend among media companies using artificial intelligence to enhance viewer experiences.

Other firms, such as Disney’s ESPN, have also explored AI-driven solutions to personalise content and attract younger audiences.

The integration of AI-assisted dubbing reflects a broader industry shift towards technology-driven innovation in content distribution.

By using AI to bridge language barriers, Prime Video seeks to engage a wider audience and improve the global accessibility of its library.

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Google acknowledges AI being used for harmful content

Google has reported receiving over 250 complaints globally about its AI software being used to create deepfake terrorist content, according to Australia’s eSafety Commission.

The tech giant also acknowledged dozens of user reports alleging that its AI program, Gemini, was being exploited to generate child abuse material. Under Australian law, companies must provide regular updates on their efforts to minimise harm or risk hefty fines.

The eSafety Commission described Google’s disclosure as a ‘world-first insight’ into how AI tools may be misused to produce harmful and illegal content.

Between April 2023 and February 2024, Google received 258 reports of suspected AI-generated extremist material and 86 related to child exploitation. However, the company did not specify how many of these reports were verified.

A Google spokesperson stated that the company strictly prohibits AI-generated content related to terrorism, child abuse, and other illegal activities.

While it uses automated detection to remove AI-generated child exploitation material, the same system is not applied to extremist content.

Meanwhile, the regulator has previously fined platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram for failing to meet reporting requirements, with both companies planning to appeal.

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Singapore expands charges in server fraud case

Singapore authorities have filed additional charges against three men in a widening investigation into server fraud, which may involve AI chips, court documents revealed on Thursday.

The suspects are accused of deceiving tech firms Dell and Super Micro by falsely representing the final destination of the servers they purchased.

Officials have stated the servers could contain Nvidia chips but have not confirmed whether they fall under US export controls.

The case is part of a broader probe involving 22 individuals and companies suspected of fraudulent transactions. US authorities are also investigating whether Chinese AI firm DeepSeek has been using restricted American chips.

Singapore has confirmed that some servers were sent to Malaysia, where authorities are now examining if any laws were violated.

Two suspects, Aaron Woon and Alan Wei, face additional fraud charges, while a third, Li Ming, had his earlier charge updated to include an alleged offence dating back to 2023.

Lawyers representing the men have either declined to comment or stated that the case is complex due to its international scope.

Meanwhile, Singapore police have seized 42 electronic devices and are analysing bank statements as they work with foreign law enforcement to trace the movement of funds.

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Microsoft drops parts of CoreWeave partnership

Microsoft has reportedly scaled back parts of its agreements with cloud computing provider CoreWeave due to delivery issues and missed deadlines, according to the Financial Times.

Despite maintaining several contracts worth billions, the tech giant has moved away from certain deals, though the decision is said to be unrelated to any broader changes in its data centre strategy.

CoreWeave, backed by Nvidia, specialises in providing high-powered AI computing resources and competes with major cloud providers like Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS.

The company is preparing for a major initial public offering (IPO) in New York, aiming for a valuation exceeding $35 billion and seeking to raise over $3 billion.

The cloud provider recently expanded its capabilities by acquiring AI developer platform Weights & Biases for an undisclosed sum.

Neither Microsoft, CoreWeave, nor Nvidia have responded to requests for comment regarding the report.

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Alibaba unveils new AI model boosting shares by 8%

Alibaba Group’s latest AI breakthrough sent its Hong Kong-listed shares soaring more than 8% on Thursday.

The e-commerce giant announced its new AI reasoning model, QwQ-32B, which it claims performs on par with DeepSeek’s R1 model despite having far fewer parameters—32 billion compared to 671 billion.

The unveiling comes as China pushes for advancements in AI, humanoid robots, and 6G technology, with government support pledged on Wednesday.

Alibaba’s new model is available through its chatbot service, Qwen Chat, which offers various AI models, including the high-powered Qwen2.5-Max.

The company said QwQ-32B demonstrated strong performance in areas such as mathematical reasoning, coding, and problem-solving, competing closely with top global models like OpenAI’s o1 mini and DeepSeek’s R1.

DeepSeek has gained recognition in China for producing highly efficient AI models at a fraction of the cost of its Western rivals.

Meanwhile, another Chinese AI innovation also made headlines on Thursday. A startup called Monica introduced an AI agent named Manus, which reportedly outperformed OpenAI’s Deep Research on an AI assistant benchmark.

Unlike traditional chatbots, AI agents are designed for more complex tasks, with Manus capable of creating travel itineraries and comparing insurance policies.

Currently available by invitation only, the agent gained significant attention online, with a demonstration video amassing over 280,000 views and users eager to gain access.

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Google unveils experimental AI search for premium users

Google has introduced an experimental version of its search engine that removes the traditional 10 blue links in favour of AI-generated summaries.

The new ‘AI Mode’ is available to subscribers of Google One AI Premium, a $19.99 per month plan, and can be accessed through a tab alongside existing options like Images and Maps.

Users will see a detailed AI summary with hyperlinks to cited sources, replacing standard search results with a search bar for follow-up questions.

The feature is powered by a customised version of Google’s Gemini 2.0 model, designed to handle complex queries more effectively.

AI Overviews, which provide summaries atop search results, are already available in over 100 countries, with advertisements integrated into them since last May. Google says the new AI-driven approach responds to demand from “power users” seeking more AI-generated responses.

As Google pushes deeper into AI-powered search, it faces competition from Microsoft-backed OpenAI, which introduced search capabilities to ChatGPT last October.

The shift has raised concerns among content creators, with edtech company Chegg suing Google in February, alleging that AI previews are reducing demand for original content and hurting publishers’ ability to compete.

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