A selection of tech news from Nigeria and Africa at large.
Fake Chatgpt Apps | SME Digital Marketing Bootcamp | Buupass Digitise Mobility | Starlink In Nigeria | Reduced Migrants Remittances
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Fake ChatGPT apps flood Google Play, iOS stores, as users get defrauded – Nairamatrics
Fraudsters are taking advantage of the popularity of OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, by creating apps representing the chatbot to defraud people.
While the AI tool is currently available only on the web and is free, several apps claiming to be ChatGPT have flooded the Google Play Store and Apple iOS Store and are charging for a subscription.
In the beta version of ChatGPT, available since November 30, 2022, users do not need to pay any fee or subscription. Users are only required to just create an account with a Google or Microsoft email. However, one of the fake apps on the Apple Store is charging users $7.99 dollars subscription fee and has recorded several downloads.
On the Google Play Store, a search for ChatGPT produces results of over 10 apps and most of them have recorded over 100,000 downloads each. Apple and Google are yet to take action on these apps as of publication time.
ChatGPT is an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, a research firm based in San Francisco. It is a language learning model compatible with both supervised and reinforcement machine learning techniques. Unlike most other chatbots, ChatGPT relies on a vast and complex learning model. It can understand your messages’ meaning and context and generate human-like responses. Read more here
Firm launches digital marketing bootcamp for SMEs – PUNCH
AT3 Resources has announced it would be hosting a week-long digital marketing bootcamp for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises.
The bootcamp themed ‘Leveraging Possibilities for SMEs in The Digital Age,’ was in commemoration of the firm’s fifth anniversary. In a statement, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer, AT3 Resources, Tosin Adefeko, said, “In the course of our journey, we frequently encounter small-medium businesses who desire communications interventions but do not have the requisite knowledge or resources to support their growth.
“In commemoration of our milestone 5th anniversary, we decided to lend our support to the growth of small businesses in tune with our belief that SMEs are the lifeblood of our economy.”
The firm further stated the bootcamp which is the first edition is designed to empower SMEs to seize the growth opportunities presented by the digital era.
“During the bootcamp, participants will be armed with the best digital marketing tools, tips, trends, tactics, and strategies from leading industry experts that will support them in their quest to actualise their full potential as well as shape how they connect with their target audiences.” Read more here
BuuPass to digitise mobility in Africa – The Guardian
BuuPass, which has its roots in Kenya, offers an online bus booking system, which enables travelers to reserve seats and make payments in a convenient and timely way. The venture-backed startup, through its all-in-one web and Application Programming Interface (API) solutions, caters to both transport operators and travelers across Africa.
Founded in 2016, BuuPass provides solutions to both operators and end users in the mobility ecosystem. Its web platform enables long-distance transport operators to digitise and manage their services, inventory and sales, minimise cash leakages, and run seamless online bookings through its Bus Management System (BMS).
With focus on bridging the gap between the operators and the over 500 million mobile phone users in Sub-Saharan Africa, founders Wyclife Omondi and Sonia Kabra, said: “BuuPass solves key customer pain points on B2B and B2C side while building scalable infrastructure and digitising the transport industry from the grassroots. Yet, digitising mobility across Africa wouldn’t be a walk in the park, given the continent’s regional complexities.”
According to the International Transport Forum (2018) Blockchain and Beyond, held in Paris, three major layers are required to bolster the digitisation of mobility – operators, IT providers and mobility service providers. Read more here
Starlink is now in Nigeria but for only those earning dollars – Nairamatrics
The much-anticipated operation of Space X’s Starlink in Nigeria has commenced, as Nigerians who pre-ordered the company’s hardware have been receiving their orders and enjoying high-speed internet via satellite.
However, Nairametrics can confirm that the service is available to only those who have dollar cards to make payments for the hardware online. This means that many Nigerians who want the service will not be able to purchase its hardware, let alone subscribe until the company establishes its physical presence in the country and starts accepting naira for payments.
Aside from the hardware, which costs $600, subscriptions for the service costs $43 a month according to information provided by Starlink. While it would have been easier for many Nigerians to purchase Starlink through the use of virtual dollar cards, the suspension of the service by providers such as Flutterwave and Eversend, has made it difficult. Read more here
WorldRemit Data: Inflation Forces Migrants to Reduce Remittances despite Financial Hardship for Family Overseas – Tech Economy
WorldRemit, a leading digital remittances company, announces the results of its second Cost of Living index, where the organization has sought to understand how the worsening inflation crisis has affected the lives of international money senders around the world. The survey found that 82% of remittance senders, including Cameroonian migrants, agreed that the cost of living for the people who they send money to has risen since the start of the year.
Highlighting the impact of inflation on people around the world, almost half (45%) noted they now only send money to immediate family, rather than friends and distant relatives. 1 in 9 people worldwide rely on money sent from friends and relatives who have migrated abroad for work.
With several factors contributing to increased financial pressure, new data showed that 72% of respondents in the US, 41% in Australia, and 44% in the UK have taken up a side hustle (a job in addition to their main source of income), with 27% of respondents on average across our three markets indicating they did so to support the increase in their own cost of living. Read more here
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