Capacity development Archives | Page 220 of 305

Match Chat: AI comes to Wimbledon to modernise the fan experience

Wimbledon is embracing AI to engage a younger, tech-savvy audience by launching a live in-game AI assistant during this summer’s Championships.

The new Match Chat feature will allow fans to interact with real-time match data while watching games. Viewers can ask questions about shot speed, player positioning, and in-game stats—effectively combining the experience of watching live tennis with the interactivity of a video game.

Aimed at younger audiences more accustomed to multitasking and second-screen experiences, Match Chat is part of a broader push to modernise tennis and attract new followers. Fans can follow match insights on their phones without missing the live action on the court.

Wimbledon’s use of AI mirrors developments in other major sporting events. At the Paris Olympics, AI was deployed for real-time performance analysis, athlete tracking, and broadcasting enhancements, signalling a broader trend in how top-tier sports use AI to boost viewer engagement.

Though some traditionalists may be sceptical about the increasing role of technology in tennis, the innovation has been welcomed by figures such as Judy Murray, mother of two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray. She praised the move as a smart way to connect with the next generation of tennis fans.

With this blend of tradition and tech, Wimbledon hopes Match Chat will enhance the fan experience while preserving the spirit of the game.

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LACNIC launches regional internet skills program

LACNIC has launched the Research and Development (R&D) Ambassadors Program to improve internet infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean. That initiative is designed to identify and support emerging technical leaders who can help address persistent connectivity challenges in the region.

The program focuses on enhancing expertise in areas such as internet measurement, routing, and IPv6, to build stronger local digital ecosystems. The first cohort of ambassadors, presented during LACNIC 43, showcased projects demonstrating strong local involvement, such as the expansion of the RIPE Atlas measurement network in Chile and increased active probes in Bolivia.

The ambassadors actively engaged their communities to promote best practices and build technical skills, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing at the local level. However, despite these promising initiatives, the program’s long-term effectiveness remains uncertain.

Challenges, such as limited resources and uneven technical expertise across countries, raise questions about whether these efforts can scale or lead to broader improvements in regional connectivity. Sustainability remains a key concern, especially in uneven infrastructure development areas.

Despite challenges, the program is key in promoting digital inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean, where internet access remains limited. LACNIC’s efforts support global goals to close the digital divide by empowering local leaders and building capacity. Continued investment in infrastructure and skills is essential for lasting impact and regional digital growth.

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Orange, AFD, and Proparco unite for inclusive and sustainable digital growth

Orange, AFD Group, and Proparco have signed a three-year agreement to accelerate digital inclusion and promote sustainable development across 20 countries, primarily in Africa and the Middle East. The partnership will focus on deploying high-speed digital infrastructure, including network backbones and submarine cables, to address connectivity gaps in underserved and rural regions.

That initiative responds to stark disparities in internet access, with only 37% of Sub-Saharan Africa connected compared to over 91% in Europe. Beyond infrastructure, the partnership focuses on improving access to essential digital services in key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and education, while also promoting financial and energy inclusion to reduce inequalities and empower remote communities.

A major priority is supporting youth and fostering local innovation through programs that provide digital skills training and professional integration opportunities, enabling young people to participate actively in the digital economy. At the same time, the initiative aims to build vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystems so that communities can become creators, not just consumers, of technology.

Environmental sustainability and ethical responsibility are also at the heart of the collaboration, with strong commitments to reducing the digital sector’s ecological footprint and ensuring responsible practices in areas like data use, cybersecurity, and AI. The partnership seeks to embed inclusivity, innovation, and sustainability into the digital transformation process.

That partnership reflects a shared goal of using digital technology to promote equality and sustainable development, focusing on sovereign, innovative, and locally driven digital services.

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Hexagon unveils AEON humanoid robot powered by NVIDIA to build industrial digital twins

As industries struggle to fill 50 million job vacancies globally, Hexagon has unveiled AEON — a humanoid robot developed in collaboration with NVIDIA — to tackle labour shortages in manufacturing, logistics and beyond.

AEON can perform complex tasks like reality capture, asset inspection and machine operation, thanks to its integration with NVIDIA’s full-stack robotics platform.

By simulating skills using NVIDIA Isaac Sim and training in Isaac Lab, AEON drastically reduced its development time, mastering locomotion in weeks instead of months.

The robot is built using NVIDIA’s trio of AI systems, combining simulation with onboard intelligence powered by Jetson Orin and IGX Thor for real-time navigation and safe collaboration.

AEON will be deployed in factories and warehouses, scanning environments to build high-fidelity digital twins through Hexagon’s cloud-based Reality Cloud Studio and NVIDIA Omniverse.

Hexagon believes AEON can bring digital twins into mainstream use, streamlining industrial workflows through advanced sensor fusion and simulation-first AI. The company is also leveraging synthetic motion data to accelerate robot learning, pushing the boundaries of physical AI for real-world applications.

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ChatGPT now supports MCP for business data access, but safety risks remain

OpenAI has officially enabled support for Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) in ChatGPT, allowing businesses to connect their internal tools directly to the chatbot through Deep Research.

The development enables employees to retrieve company data from previously siloed systems, offering real-time access to documents and search results via custom-built MCP servers.

Adopting MCP — an open industry protocol recently embraced by OpenAI, Google and Microsoft — opens new possibilities and presents security risks.

OpenAI advises users to avoid third-party MCP servers unless hosted by the official service provider, warning that unverified connections may carry prompt injections or hidden malicious directives. Users are urged to report suspicious activity and avoid exposing sensitive data during integration.

To connect tools, developers must set up an MCP server and create a tailored connector within ChatGPT, complete with detailed instructions. The feature is now live for ChatGPT Enterprise, Team and Edu users, who can share the connector across their workspace as a trusted data source.

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Meta offers $100M bonuses to poach OpenAI talent but Altman defends mission-driven culture

Meta has reportedly attempted to lure top talent from OpenAI with signing bonuses exceeding $100 million, according to OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman.

Speaking on a podcast hosted by his brother, Jack Altman, he revealed that Meta has offered extremely high compensation to key OpenAI staff, yet none have accepted the offers.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is said to be directly involved in recruiting for a new ‘superintelligence’ team as part of the latest AI push.

The tech giant recently announced a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI and brought Scale’s CEO, Alexandr Wang, on board. Altman believes Meta sees ChatGPT not only as competition for Google but as a potential rival to Facebook regarding user attention.

Altman questioned whether such high-compensation strategies foster the right environment, suggesting that culture cannot be built on upfront financial incentives alone.

He stressed that OpenAI prefers aligning rewards with its mission instead of offering massive pay packets. In his view, sustainable innovation stems from purpose, not payouts.

While recognising Meta’s persistence in the AI race, Altman suggested that the company will likely try again if the current effort fails. He highlighted a cultural difference, saying OpenAI has built a team focused on consistent innovation — something he believes Meta still struggles to understand.

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OpenAI brings DALL-E image creation to WhatsApp users worldwide

OpenAI has officially launched image creation capabilities for WhatsApp users, expanding access to its AI visual tools via the verified number +1-800-ChatGPT. Using natural language prompts, the feature enables users to generate or edit images directly within their chats.

Previously limited to the web and mobile versions of ChatGPT, the image generation tool—powered by DALL-E—is now available globally on WhatsApp, free of charge. OpenAI announced the rollout via X, encouraging users to connect their accounts for enhanced functionality.

To get started, users should save +1-800-ChatGPT (+1-800-242-8478) to their contacts, send ‘Hi’ via WhatsApp, and follow the instructions to link their OpenAI account.

Once verified, they can prompt the AI with creative requests such as ‘design a futuristic skyline’ or ‘show a dog surfing on Mars’ and receive bespoke visuals in return.

The move further integrates generative AI into everyday messaging, making powerful image-creation tools more accessible to a broad user base.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp is preparing to introduce in-app advertising. With over two billion active users, Meta plans to monetise the platform more aggressively—signalling a notable shift in WhatsApp’s strategy.

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UK cyber agency warns AI will accelerate cyber threats by 2027

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has warned that integrating AI into national infrastructure creates a broader attack surface, raising concerns about an increased risk of cyber threats.

Its latest report outlines how AI may amplify the capabilities of threat actors, especially when it comes to exploiting known vulnerabilities more rapidly than ever before.

By 2027, AI-enabled tools are expected to shorten the time between vulnerability disclosure and exploitation significantly. The evolution could pose a serious challenge for defenders, particularly within critical systems.

The NCSC notes that the risk of advanced cyber attacks will likely escalate unless organisations can keep pace with so-called ‘frontier AI’.

The centre also predicts a growing ‘digital divide’ between organisations that adapt to AI-driven threats and those left behind. The divide could further endanger the overall cyber resilience of the UK. As a result, decisive action is being urged to close the gap and reduce future risks.

NCSC operations director Paul Chichester said AI is expanding attack surfaces, increasing the volume of threats, and speeding up malicious activity. He emphasised that while these dangers are real, AI can strengthen the UK’s cyber defences.

Organisations are encouraged to adopt robust security practices using resources like the Cyber Assessment Framework, the 10 Steps to Cyber Security, and the new AI Cyber Security Code of Practice.

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Meta AI adds pop-up warning after users share sensitive info

Meta has introduced a new pop-up in its Meta AI app, alerting users that any prompts they share may be made public. While AI chat interactions are rarely private by design, many users appeared unaware that their conversations could be published for others to see.

The Discovery feed in the Meta AI app had previously featured conversations that included intimate details—such as break-up confessions, attempts at self-diagnosis, and private photo edits.

According to multiple reports last week, these were often shared unknowingly by users who may not have realised the implications of the app’s sharing functions. Mashable confirmed this by finding such examples directly in the feed.

Now, when a user taps the ‘Share’ button on a Meta AI conversation, a new warning appears: ‘Prompts you post are public and visible to everyone. Your prompts may be suggested by Meta on other Meta apps. Avoid sharing personal or sensitive information.’ A ‘Post to feed’ button then appears below.

Although the sharing step has always required users to confirm, Business Insider reports that the feature wasn’t clearly explained—leading some users to publish their conversations unintentionally. The new alert aims to clarify that process.

As of this week, Meta AI’s Discovery feed features mostly AI-generated images and more generic prompts, often from official Meta accounts. For users concerned about privacy, there is an option in the app’s settings to opt out of the Discovery feed altogether.

Still, experts advise against entering personal or sensitive information into AI chatbots, including Meta AI. Adjusting privacy settings and avoiding the ‘Share’ feature are the best ways to protect your data.

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Plumbing still safe as AI replaces office jobs, says AI pioneer

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Geoffrey Hinton, often called the ‘Godfather of AI,’ has warned that many intellectual jobs are at risk of being replaced by AI—while manual trades like plumbing may remain safe for years to come.

Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Hinton predicted that AI will eventually surpass human capabilities across most fields, but said it will take far longer to master physical skills. ‘A good bet would be to be a plumber,’ he noted, citing the complexity of physical manipulation as a barrier for AI.

Hinton, known for his pioneering work on neural networks, said ‘mundane intellectual labour’ would be among the first to go. ‘AI is just going to replace everybody,’ he said, naming paralegals and call centre workers as particularly vulnerable.

He added that while highly skilled roles or those in sectors with overwhelming demand—like healthcare—may endure, most jobs are unlikely to escape the wave of disruption. ‘Most jobs, I think, are not like that,’ he said, forecasting widespread upheaval in the labour market.

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