How Google kicked out star ethics researcher Timnit Gebru
It is often argued that scholarship is always a conversation and always a work in progress. However, on the evening of Wednesday, December 2, Timnit Gebru, the co-lead of Google’s ethical AI team, announced via Twitter that the company had forced her out. Gebru, a widely respected leader in Artificial...
Road to energy transition might be bumpy, but banning fossil fuels is treacherous for Africa
What can be done to take natural gas off the banned fossil fuels list? The biggest concern about the continued use of natural gas comes down to one word: flaring. Flaring is the practice of routinely burning off associated natural gas that is produced from the reservoir during oil production....
African countries require balanced approach to the energy transition
Africa stands at a precarious juncture, where the transition from fossil fuels to renewables intersects with the economic benefits of a strategically managed oil and gas industry. Down one road, the continent expands exploration and production of its vast natural gas and oil reserves to bring electricity, fuel and financial...
Amref forms team to review universal health coverage progress in Africa
African countries that announced universal health coverage are set for review of the programmes following formation of an independent commission by the African Medical Research Foundation (Amref). African countries, with the weakest health infrastructure in the world, have committed to universal healthcare by 2030 in line with United Nation’s Sustainable...
From artificial intelligence to alternative intelligence, then augmented intelligence
I have already curated and copied the relevant elements, using portions from Okon’s mind. I possess the value of curiosity in sufficient levels to propel myself forward. The question is, do I possess the bravery as I currently understand that term? Unfortunately, the phenomenon of self-awareness arising in the semi-structured...
Future of work is ‘collaborative configurations of minds’
Prior to uploading to the current platform, human minds had a long history of organic collaboration. As many of us were in a position to observe at the time, such models ranged from the highly structured and hierarchical environments of department heads, middle management and line staff to extemporaneous gatherings...
Ecotourism now big risk to great apes and other animals in the wild
Wildlife veterinarian Stephen Ngulu starts his typical working day watching from a distance as the chimpanzees under his care eat their breakfast. He keeps an eye out for runny noses, coughing or other hints of illness. These days, Ngulu and others at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy’s Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in...
Coronavirus origin: ‘Without it, we are flying blind’
It is a big ask. Intensified detection of coronavirus in humans might require doing a thorough evaluation of any patient who comes to any hospital or clinic with the kind of symptoms that are usually dismissed. An unexplained fever or the symptoms of a respiratory infection that has no obvious...
Pivot point: Efforts shift from vaccine to tracking origin of coronavirus
With cases soaring in the United States and elsewhere, the Covid-19 pandemic is nowhere near its end – but with three vaccines reporting trial data and two apparently nearing approval by the US Food and Drug Administration, it may be reaching a pivot point. In what feels like a moment...
US recall of troops from Somalia may cut off intelligence flow for Kenya
The decision by outgoing US President Donald Trump to withdraw American troops from Somalia is expected to force Kenya and Ethiopia back to the drawing board as the move by Washington will cut off intelligence flow the two East African countries need badly to keep Islamist militants at bay. The...
