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Several ministries and agencies under the administration of President Bola Tinubu have reportedly expended no less than ₦1.8 billion on air tickets, estacodes, and duty tour allowances between July and September 2024.
This data, sourced from GovSpend, raises questions about the government’s spending priorities amidst ongoing economic challenges facing the nation.
The expenditures encompass a wide range of ministries and agencies, including the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Ministry of Youth Development, and the Ministry of Women Affairs.
Other notable entities involved are the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Additionally, the Technical Aid Corps, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission also contributed to this substantial spending.
Checks by Punch showed that the ministries and agencies spent ₦755,884,949.44 on Duty Tour Allowances and another ₦1,044,858,941.48 on estacodes and air tickets and foreign trips, totalling ₦1,800,743,930.92 spent between July and September 26, 2024.
Among the biggest spenders are the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, which spent ₦322m; the Ministry of Finance with a total spending of ₦187.2m; the ICPC with ₦150m; and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources with ₦108m all in the space of three months.
Recall that the President, Bola Tinubu, had placed a three-month ban on publicly-funded trips for Ministers and heads of agencies beginning April 1 2024, in a letter dated March 2 2024, from the Office of the President’s Chief of Staff.
The letter explained that the ban aimed to reduce the rise in expenses incurred by MDAs on international travel and ensure that the ministers and heads of agencies were focused on their respective mandates.
While the ban period has elapsed, it was discovered that some ministries incurred as much as ₦21m in expenses for travel tickets and estacodes within days.
The Chairman of the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, who spoke with Punch on the development described the figures as “a wasteful expenditure,” saying, “We have advised the government that during these austere times, they should implement their policy that government officials should not spend on frivolities. We can even excuse the Ministry of Blue Economy because it is new, we are just learning about Blue Economy and how to make it work for us.
“But some other ministries have been operating for ages, and most Nigerians know what they are supposed to do and what they should not do. So, there is no reason for the Ministry of Women Affairs and several of them like that to spend so much on foreign trips and seminars.”
The Executive Director of the Rule of Law Accountability and Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwaguma, described the spending as “a misallocation of government resources”, adding that the development underscored the need for stringent policies regarding travel and expenditure by government officials.
“These expenditures should prompt a re-evaluation of government spending practices and policies to ensure that public funds are used effectively and in the best interest of the populace,” He said
Also, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, lamented that the travels had not attracted needed foreign direct investments to the country.
Bishop Oyedepo: It Is Insensitive To Buy Rolls Royce During These Austere Times – Patrick Doyle
AFOLABI
Veteran actor, Patrick Doyle has stated that it is insensitive for members of a church to buy Rolls Royce for their general overseer at a time when many Nigerians can barely feed themselves.
The thespian submission is coming barely 24 hours after the founder of the Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, was gifted two Rolls Royce Cullinan at his 70th birthday party.
Speaking via his social media account, Doyle argued that the money used in purchasing the luxury cars could have been used to erect structures that would be of benefit to the general public.
He warned that showing off wealth while the masses are suffering might lead to the spark that would cause the anticipated revolution.
The actor wrote, “In these austere times, we all need to be sensitive how we mark landmark celebrations for ourselves or in honour of persons we hold in high esteem. We should even be sensible enough to tone down the public appearance of our affluence. Now is not the time to ride around our streets filled with hungry and despondent Nigerians in our luxury cars.
“I personally know of a friend of mine who has a Rolls Royce and many other luxury cars in his fleet. He now drives around in a Ford Escape, not as a show of false modesty, but as a gesture of sensitivity to the prevailing hardship in the land. Sadly, not many others in his socio-economic class are doing the same thing. The insensitivity of the elite may very well provide the spark for the long anticipated revolution Nigeria needs for a reset. I am still in a wonder bubble how or why congregants of a denomination chose to celebrate the birthday of their founder by buying him a Rolls Royce at this time.
“In my naive opinion, I find it to be insensitive in the extreme. While I appreciate the importance of celebrating a man like their founder, a more sensitive gesture would have been to build a socially relevant facility or institute a scholarship scheme in his honour. The cost of the Rolls Royce could certainly have funded any of the things I just mentioned. We appear to be a people who get stuck on old formats and ways of doing things. When congregations used to buy cars for their pastors, it was at a time many of the pastors could not on their own muster the resources to buy one themselves. This is certainly not the case in this instance. The celebrator, in this case, already has a fleet of luxury autos and even aircrafts. A more befitting birthday gift might have been the construction and equipping of a vocational training centre in his name or any other such thing.
“The public already has the impression that as the founder of 2 elite private universities, he is not sufficiently acquainted with the sufferings of the masses. So, a gesture such as I have suggested might have helped to mitigate that impression. This is my humble opinion offered from the depth of my affection for the great man who I personally hold in the highest esteem.’’
An investigative report by FIJ reveals that social media influencer and crossdresser, Bobrisky spent only three weeks of her or his sentence in prison and the rest in a secret location
Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, the Nigerian crossdresser popularly known as Bobrisky served only three weeks of her or his six-month sentence in prison, a report by FIJ has revealed.
The report follows the revelation on Tuesday by Martins Vincent Otse, a social media activist popularly known as VeryDarkMan of an audio in which Bobrisky was alleged to have claimed that she or he spent his or her sentence mostly out of prison and that she or he compromised operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with N15m to drop the ‘money laundering’ charge against him or her.
According to the FIJ report, while Bobrisky was indeed taken to Kirikiri prison in April after his or her sentence was pronounced, the news report deposes that he or she left after just three weeks.
According to the FIJ report, Bobrisky was guided like a president for the three weeks she or he spent in prison before he was moved out.
GWG.ng had also reported that Bobrisky looked very chubby after she or he came out of prison spurning reports as to whether she or he became pregnant while in custody.
‘GUARDED LIKE A PRESIDENT’
“Bob spent only three weeks here with us in Kirikiri before she was taken out to another place we don’t know,” a prison official told FIJ. “That was where she spent her time; it was an ‘arrangee thing’. And money was involved.”
The source also told FIJ how Bobrisky was “guarded like a president” until she was “secretly taken away after three weeks”.
“She received VIP treatment all through,” said the source. “She lived in a special cell. The money she said she paid is actually true; no lies. Yes, she paid the money.”
The revelations by the source are in consonance with a 2019 undercover investigation by FIJ founder ‘Fisayo Soyombo, for which he deliberately got himself detained for five days by the police and incarcerated for eight days by the prison service, discovering that it was possible to pay money to live in well-furnished apartments inside prisons, pay to bring in phones, drugs and sundry outlawed items, strike one’s name off the prison records and even live outside the prison while supposedly serving out a jail term.
VIDEO CALL CAMERA ON BOBRISKY
Although the prison authorities did not allow Bobrisky to mingle freely with other inmates, consequently reducing the chances of her eventual disappearance being spotted, the prison official told FIJ about one noteworthy incident.
“There was this day one guy was on a video call with his girlfriend, and he suddenly turned the camera on Bobrisky,” the official said. “It was deemed an invasion of Bobrisky’s privacy, so, as punishment, he was locked up in his cell for nearly two months.”
The source added: “As I said, she was heavily guarded, so there weren’t many of such incidents to point at. And she was quietly taken away after three weeks.”
Source: FIJ
Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has said he is too big for anybody to fight him, adding that all his imaginary and potential political enemies cannot fight him.
Wike said contrary to reports that Ijaw people were against him in the ongoing political crisis against Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, Ijaw nation is solidly behind him.
Speaking at a civic reception organised in his honour by Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress, in Port Harcourt, yesterday, Wike said he chose to make Fubara his successor against the opinion of some Ijaw people in 2023.
His words: “It is not true that Ijaw people are fighting me. A father may have 12 children, one can be an armed robber. These people who are going to television to attack me, where were they when we made an Ijaw governor? Nobody is fighting me. I am too big for anybody to fight. All these people put together cannot fight me.
“I told them if you put your hand in Rivers State matter, fire will burn you. Today, they are crying everywhere. Instead of concentrating on how to win elections in their states, they were busy having meetings in Enugu and Taraba states. Who is losing now?”
He warned politicians outside the state to stay out of the Rivers State politics, noting that “Rivers state is very special to me”. Wike alleged that before the civic reception, some boys were sent to bomb the venue of the event at Rainbow Town.
“They sent some boys to come and bomb this place with dynamite. They were arrested by the police. You are encouraging crime in Rivers State. Nobody has a monopoly on violence. We cannot turn investors away from our state through violence.
”I initiated the ring road project. Today, they are going about bragging that they started it. Go to Abuja, I am repeating what I did in Rivers State,”he added.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the PDP Elders Council in the state, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, described Wike as the “most celebrated Rivers politician at the national stage.’’
Wike was accompanied to the reception by members of the G-5 also known as the integrity group led by former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, former Governor Chikezie Ikpeazu and David Umahi. Others include Adamawa State governor, Umaru Fintiri, and Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, among others.
A Nigerian woman has come forward with an account of how her boyfriend, a lecturer at Auchi Polytechnic in Edo State, abandoned her with a twin pregnancy after securing his visa to the UK.
The yet-to-be-identified woman, who shared her story on Saturday via X under the handle #dat_edogirl, revealed the painful details of her ordeal.
In a series of posts, she recounted how she met the lecturer in mid-2019 and fell deeply in love, believing they had a future together.
“He told me about his plans to travel outside the country where his elder brother was,” she said, adding that when they met, he expressed his dissatisfaction with his lecturing job at Auchi Polytechnic, saying he was seeking greener pastures abroad.
By 2022, the lecturer informed her that his visa had been approved, and while she was initially thrilled for him, the joy quickly turned to sorrow when she discovered she was pregnant.
“When I told him about the pregnancy, he said he wouldn’t advise me to keep it because he was traveling and wasn’t ready to be a father,” she recounted.
Despite the potential risks to her life, he pushed her to terminate the pregnancy, even suggesting the use of pills.
“I just told him I wasn’t ready to lose my life,” she added.
Unknown to her at the time, she was carrying twins. Throughout her difficult pregnancy, the lecturer completely cut off contact.
“This guy never called, even once, or replied to my WhatsApp messages,” she said, adding that her nine-month journey was filled with sickness, and she was frequently hospitalised.
The twins were eventually born through a difficult Caesarean section, with one of the babies placed on oxygen due to complications. Even after sharing the news of the birth, the father remained unresponsive.
“I did a video with my phone and sent it on WhatsApp to Kola, still he didn’t reply,” she said.
The financial strain soon became overwhelming as her family struggled to pay the hospital bills.
“My mum was running helter-skelter just to source funds,” she said, with the final bill amounting to 233,000 Naira.
After being discharged, she continued to care for the children alone.
“I named my children myself, did everything myself; he didn’t care or show interest,” she lamented.
Reaching out to his family also proved fruitless, as his brother in Nigeria blocked her after promising to speak with him.
The situation worsened when she travelled to Ondo State to confront her father’s family. She borrowed money from a loan app to make the journey with her mother and children.
Upon arrival, the lecturer’s brother intercepted them at the gate of Adeyemi College of Education and took them elsewhere to avoid creating a scene. When they eventually spoke with the father, he refused to accept responsibility.
“He insulted me and my family to the extent I started crying,” she said, devastated by the verbal abuse.
She blocked his number and finally decided to share her story publicly, appealing for help.
“Please if you know his family in Ondo kindly help me reach out to them. The economy is hard, feeding, clothing, and the kids need to go to school,” she said.
She added, “I am not interested in marrying Kola or having any relationship with him… I just want my kids taken care of.”
An aide of former President Mohammed Buhari has refuted the claim of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Yemi Cardoso, who blamed the current economic hardship in the country on the poor handling of the nation’s economy between 2015 and 2023 when Buhari served two terms.
The aide said the money supplied by the CBN during the review period was N7.5tn, far less than the N35tn Cardoso stated.
This came as the latest data from the CBN showed that the total money supply in the Nigerian economy increased by 14.22 per cent to N107.1tn between January and August 2024. The country’s money supply was N93.77tn in January 2024.
At a recent media briefing to disclose the decisions of the September edition of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting of the apex bank in Abuja, Cardoso said, “In 2015, the money supply was about N19tn. And in 2023, it was N54tn. That’s a huge increase, a very, very huge increase, and a substantial amount of that was through Ways and Means.”
According to him, the printing of N35tn led to a huge amount of money in circulation, translating to too much money chasing the same amount of goods.
Cardoso’s remarks referred to the large-scale issuance of money through ‘Ways and Means,’ a process where the CBN lends money to the government.
This approach, not backed by equivalent economic output or productivity, flooded the economy with excess naira, reducing its value, he argued.
But Buhari’s aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation to comment on the matter, argued that the figures were inaccurate.
The senior aide said the aggregate total of the Ways and Means advances on the Consolidated Revenue Fund was N7.5tn in the eight years Buhari served.
“I have read the story and my thinking is that Nigerians will just be laughing at them. The real position of things is that from the beginning, when the then-acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (was in office), that issue arose from that moment.
“The CBN was called by the National Assembly, what were their numbers? And the numbers for Buhari were not more than N7.5tn for all eight years.
“The Cable newspaper did a report challenging the National Assembly that they had promised to release a report. They (NASS) said they were going to release a report. The last time we heard that, they said they would release it in September. There are numbers, as given authoritatively by the central bank,” he stated.
The aide backed his argument with a letter that he claimed was the response of the CBN to a request by the Senate on the matter at the time.
The letter, dated January 16, 2023, and titled, ‘Re: The Senate Special Committee on Ways and Means,’ was addressed to the office of the Senate Majority Leader.
It read in part, “All letters received by the CBN for processing of the advances are provided in Appendix 1 & 2. However, kindly note that the figure of -22,719,7033,774,306.90 is the balance of the Treasury Sub-Treasury Account as of December 19, 2022. This account is the account mandated for granting overdraft facilities to the Federal Government account.
“We have also attached a summary page that details the Ways and Means granted between 2015 and 2022 as Appendix 3.”
Buhari’s administration, from 2015 to 2023, faced significant fiscal challenges, including falling oil prices and reduced oil revenues.
To manage deficits, the government increasingly relied on the central bank to finance its spending, printing trillions of naira.
This monetary expansion, according to both Cardoso and Finance Minister Wale Edun, was not matched by productivity, leading to runaway inflation and a weakened currency, which made everyday goods and services less affordable for Nigerians.
Several efforts to get the CBN and presidency officials to react to the claims made by the former ex-President’s aide were not successful, as they had yet to respond to enquiries up till when this report was filed on Saturday night.
Money supply rises
Meanwhile, the total money supply in the Nigerian economy has increased by 14.22 per cent to N107.1tn between January and August 2024, according to the latest figures from the CBN. The country’s money supply was N93.77tn in January 2024.
The CBN also stated that there was a 0.75 per cent month-on-month increase from N106.3tn in July and a 5.6 per cent rise from N101.4tn in June.
Year on year, it was an increase of 65 per cent from N64.8tn recorded in August 2023.
Money supply is the total of all of the currency and other liquid assets in a country’s economy on the date measured. It includes all cash in circulation and all bank deposits that the account holder can easily convert to cash.
The money supply M2, consisting of currency outside banks, narrow money, demand deposits, and quasi-money, is indicative of the growing liquidity in the Nigerian economy.
Hence, this sharp rise in liquidity continues to pose challenges for the CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee as it grapples with balancing economic growth and controlling inflation.
A breakdown showed that currency outside banks stood at N3.8tn, while demand deposits reached N31tn, and quasi-money surged to N72.2tn in August 2024.
At the last MPC meeting, Cardoso blamed the high money supply in the economy as part of the reasons for the high inflation rate in the country.
Checks by our correspondent to confirm this figure using the money supply data on the CBN website showed that the total money supply moved from N18.9tn in January 2015 to N20.03tn in December 2015.
By 2023, the figure increased from N52.83tn in January 2023 to N78.83tn as of December 2023.
Increased liquidity in the system can stimulate short-term economic growth by making credit more accessible to businesses for expansion and investment. This can, in turn, boost production, job creation, and overall economic activity.
However, the downside is that too much money circulating in the economy can fuel inflation, especially if production does not keep pace with the rising demand for goods and services.
...seeks perfect gift
Dignitaries, prominent clerics, friends and family members celebrated with the founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo on September 27, as he marked his 70th birthday.
The birthday celebration was held at the church’s headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, and the auditorium was filled to the brim as guests all dressed in white and blue attires rejoiced with the popular cleric.
Although before his birthday, Oyedepo had requested his members to win souls as birthday gifts for him, he was blessed with several gifts, including a luxurious Rolls Royce Cullinan and N1bn donation towards feeding 50,000 people at Canaanland.
Earlier, President Bola Tinubu had lauded Oyedepo’s legacy in grooming leaders and his church’s contributions to education, health, and entrepreneurship.
Basking in the love and celebration, the birthday boy danced gleefully to music by Adeyinka Alaseyori and Nathaniel Bassey.
In his remarks at the event, Oyedepo said, “I give glory to God. I am a representative of the icon of icons, who is Jesus; my glory and lifter of my head. I am simply fronting for him. He is the one behind the scenes working 24 hours every day. A man cannot be any more than the grace of God at work in him. I will never pose to be an achiever but one who is a beneficiary of God’s grace.”
His wife also expressed pride in being in spouse, stating that she wishes to have a mansion beside his in heaven.
Guests at the event include former President Olusegun Obasanjo, governors of Lagos, Ogun and Delta states, Dapo Abiodun, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Sheriff Oborevwori respectively; Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and top clerics such as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Enoch Adeboye and his wife, Foluke; Poju Oyemade, Jerry Eze and Matthew Ashimolowo.
The FCT police command has dismissed rumours of an alleged plan by some persons to abduct students from University of Abuja.
In a statement on Friday, Josephine Adeh, FCT police spokesperson, described the report as “baseless”.
“The report is nothing but baseless publications propagated by rumour mongers aiming to create unfounded panic and apprehension among FCT residents and university community,” she said.
Adeh restated the command’s commitment to safeguarding the lives and property of FCT residents.
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She added that personnel and equipment have been deployed to enhance security within the FCT.
She asked residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to the FCT police command.
Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, has asked Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), not to “put fire” in his state.
In August, Wike warned governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against interfering in the affairs of the party in Rivers state.
Wike and Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers state, have been at loggerheads over the control of the party’s political structure in the state.
The rift between both chieftains of the PDP has created two factions in the Rivers house of assembly, with each camp electing a speaker loyal to the minister and the governor.
Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi state and chair of the PDP Governors’ Forum, had said the party’s structure in Rivers state will be handed over to Fubara.
Displeased by Mohammed’s comment, Wike said he would “put fire” in the states controlled by governors of the PDP siding with Fubara.
Mohammed would later reply to the FCT minister’s threat, saying he had enough water to quench Wike’s fire.
But speaking on Saturday at an event organised in honour of the minister by the Ijaw Peoples Congress in Port Harcourt, Makinde pleaded with Wike to spare Oyo state should he decide to make bold his threat.
“I came to identify with my brother, the celebrant of today, the honourable minister of the federal capital territory and the immediate past governor of Rivers state,” Makinde said.
“When I showed up yesterday, I told him I brought peace offering because he has been boasting that he will put fire in some states. I said, please, don’t put fire in Oyo state.”
‘I’M BIGGER THAN ALL OF YOU’
Addressing the crowd, Wike said he is more powerful than all the governors siding with Fubara.
“All those who are moving around saying they are supporting somebody… you know it is not correct. You know some people don’t have shame. I cannot serve your boy,” Wike said.
“Now, they are not even waiting, they are even rushing after the boy. They are not even waiting for the boy to call them. They are now rushing to the boy. People don’t have integrity.
“Don’t ever think that they’re fighting me. They are not fighting me. I am too big. If you don’t recognise somebody bigger than you, you know you are sick. I’m far bigger— all of them put together. They cannot stand it.
“When people said they will put hand here (in Rivers). I told them: if you come here and put your hand, hand too will enter your place (state). Now they are crying.”
Wike claimed that the PDP lost the governorship election in Edo to the All Progressives Congress (APC) because governors of the party lacked strategy.
“Instead of them (governors) concentrating on how they would win election in their state, they were holding meetings elsewhere to discuss Rivers state,” he said.
“Who is the loser? This is a warning to others. Don’t touch Rivers state. It is a special state to God.”
In the early years, getting AI models like ChatGPT or its rival Cohere to spit out human-like responses required vast teams of low-cost workers helping models distinguish basic facts such as if an image was of a car or a carrot.
But more sophisticated updates to AI models in the fiercely competitive arena are now demanding a rapidly expanding network of human trainers who have specialized knowledge -- from historians to scientists, some with doctorate degrees.
"A year ago, we could get away with hiring undergraduates, to just generally teach AI on how to improve," said Cohere co-founder Ivan Zhang, talking about its internal human trainers.
"Now we have licensed physicians teaching the models how to behave in medical environments, or financial analysts or accountants."
For more training, Cohere, which was last valued at over $5 billion, works with a startup called Invisible Tech. Cohere is one of the main rivals of OpenAI and specializes in AI for businesses.
The startup Invisible Tech employs thousands of trainers, working remotely, and has become one of the main partners of AI companies ranging from AI21 to Microsoft to train their AI models to reduce errors, known in the AI world as hallucinations.
"We have 5,000 people in over 100 countries around the world that are PhDs, Master's degree holders and knowledge work specialists," said Invisible founder Francis Pedraza.
Invisible pays as much as $40 per hour, depending on the location of the worker and the complexity of work. Some companies such as Outlier pay up to $50 per hour, while another company called Labelbox said it pays up to $200 per hour for "high expertise" subjects like quantum physics, but starts with $15 for basic topics.
Invisible was founded in 2015 as a workflow automation company catering to the likes of food delivery company DoorDash to digitize their delivery menu. But things changed when a relatively unknown research firm called OpenAI contacted them in the spring of 2022, ahead of the public launch of ChatGPT.
"OpenAI came to us with a problem, which is that when you were asking an early version of ChatGPT a question, it was going to hallucinate. You couldn't trust the answer," Pedraza told Reuters.
"They needed an advanced AI training partner to provide reinforcement learning with human feedback."
OpenAI did not respond to request for comment.
Generative AI produces new content based on past data used to train it. However, sometimes it can't distinguish between true and false information and generates false outputs known as hallucinations. In one notable example, in 2023 a Google chatbot shared inaccurate information about which satellite first took pictures of a planet outside the Earth's solar system in a promotional video.
AI companies are aware that hallucinations can derail GenAI's attractiveness to businesses and are trying various ways to reduce it, including using human trainers to teach the concept of fact and fiction.
Since getting onboard with OpenAI, Invisible says it has become AI training partners to most of the GenAI companies, including Cohere, AI21 and Microsoft. Cohere and AI21 confirmed they are clients. Microsoft did not confirm it is a client of Invisible.
"These are all companies that had training challenges, where their number one cost was compute power, and then the number two cost is quality training," Pedraza said.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
OpenAI, which started off the frenzy around GenAI, has a team of researchers aptly named "Human Data Team" that works with AI trainers to gather specialized data for training its models like ChatGPT.
OpenAI researchers come up with various experiments like reducing hallucinations or to improve writing style and work with AI trainers from Invisible and other vendors, a source familiar with the company's processes said.
At any point, dozens of experiments are being run, some with tools developed by OpenAI and others by tools of vendors, the person said.
Based on what the AI companies want - from getting better at Swedish history or doing financial modeling - Invisible hires workers with relevant degrees for those projects, reducing the burden of managing hundreds of trainers by the AI companies.
"OpenAI has some of the most incredible computer scientists in the world but they're not necessarily an expert in Swedish history or chemistry questions or biology questions or anything you can ask it," Pedraza said, adding that over 1,000 contract workers cater to OpenAI alone.
Cohere's Zhang said he has personally used Invisible's trainers to find a way to teach its GenAI model to find relevant information from a big data set.
COMPETITION
Among the competitors in this space is Scale AI, a private start-up last valued at $14 billion which provides AI companies with sets of training data. It has also ventured into the area of providing AI trainers, and counts OpenAI as a customer. Scale AI did not respond to requests for an interview for this story.
Invisible, which has been profitable since 2021, has raised only $8 million of primary capital,
"We are 70% owned by the team, and only 30% owned by investors," Pedraza said. "We do facilitate secondary rounds, and the most recent traded price was at a half a billion dollar valuation." Reuters could not confirm that valuation.
Human trainers first got into AI training through data-labelling work that required less qualification and was also paid less, sometimes as low as $2, opens new tab, mostly done by people in African and Asian countries.
As AI companies launch more advanced models, the demand for specialized trainers and across dozens of languages is on the rise, creating a well-paid niche where workers from a variety of subjects could become AI trainers without even knowing how to code.
Demand from AI companies is leading to the creation of more companies that are offering similar services.
"My inbox is basically inundated with new firms that pop up here and there. I do see this as a new space where companies hire humans just to create data for AI labs like us," Zhang said.
[Reuters]
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The first time I saw the Pixel Fold and held it in my hands—almost a year ago in New York—I was impressed though not fully convinced. Earlier this year, I used the Pixel Fold again, this time at a Google store in Mountain View. While I spent more time with the device and liked what I saw, it still left many questions unanswered. Over the past year, I’ve tried and experienced foldables of all shapes and sizes, including concept and prototype devices, and my impressions of the Pixel Fold too have continued to evolve every time I used it.
Now, Google is back with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (they aren’t calling it the Pixel Fold 2), another attempt to break into the foldable market with a much more mature product. I would say the second-generation Pixel Fold is still a work in progress, despite an improved design and a heavy dose of AI features. It shows the direction Google and others want to take with foldable smartphones, but they aren’t there yet—at least, not for now.
I have used the Pixel 9 Pro Fold for over two weeks, and here’s what impressed me about the foldable phone and what didn’t.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold price in India (as reviewed): Rs 1,72,999
Thinner and comfortable to use
By now, I have used foldable smartphones countless times, and each time, I get a strange feeling that makes me switch back to “normal” phones. I never felt that I could use them as my primary device because they can be uncomfortable to handle. However, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold felt different. I think its shape and size made it a little more comfortable to use—and that one change made a significant difference in how I view foldable phones.
I would say the Pixel 9 Pro Fold sits between the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the OnePlus Open, among the two most popular foldables. In fact, the original Pixel Fold was short and wide like an actual passport. The new model, however, matches the size of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, making it closer to a regular smartphone that you and I are familiar with and accustomed to. However, that doesn’t mean the Pixel 9 Pro Fold feels like a “normal” phone—it clearly isn’t. After all, this is a foldable phone, and that’s a fundamental difference between the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The two phones aren’t going to be the same, and you will definitely feel it once you start using the Pixel Fold.
Sure, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is extremely thin and has the same 6.3-inch exterior screen as the Pixel 9 Pro, but it is also heavy. Still, the phone never feels awkward to hold—and by the way, I like devices that have a little heft and feel solid, which reminds me of the Nokia Communicator. The phone’s frame is made of aluminium, while the hinge has an aerospace-grade, high-strength aluminium alloy cover. The exterior display features a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover. The rear panel is also Gorilla Glass; however, it’s matte instead of glossy. The rear-mounted camera sensors jut out in a rectangular module with rounded corners. You have the power and volume buttons on the right, the USB-C port, and the nano SIM slot at the bottom.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold gives off the impression of two smartphones glued together. (Image Credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Unfortunately, which is also true for other high-end smartphones, the Pro Fold doesn’t come in fun colours, as it’s only available in Obsidian and Porcelain. I wonder why brands assume that ultra-premium smartphones shouldn’t come in bold colours and why only a luxurious foldable device like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is deemed fit for an executive. Not cool, Google.
The Fold has a durability rating of IPX8 for water resistance, which is on par with other foldables, but it lacks a dust ingress rating due to the hinge. You can take the Pixel Fold to a swimming pool, but be careful, as the device’s internal screen is delicate and needs extra care if you want the phone to last longer.
The entire device sits flat when opened, which is commendable—kudos to the design team. There’s something blissful about a phone you can grip with one hand without worrying about dropping it, though I should mention getting a case as soon as you start using it. Nonetheless, it’s very satisfying to open the device and fold it shut. In fact, every time I close the Fold, it reminds me of the Nintendo 3DS XL. There’s something magical about the physicality of the device—the touch and feel, and the grip when the screen folds.
I spent most of my time using the phone’s exterior display. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Google takes a book-style approach with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, similar to other foldables in the market. This is a popular form factor; like a book, you open the Pixel Fold to reveal a large, flexible 8-inch ultra-thin glossy piece of glass for the display. However, most of the time I used the device, my interactions were mainly with the 6.3-inch screen on the outside. In a way, this is a good thing, as I don’t have to open the tablet-like display all the time. I can actually use the cover display for WhatsApp, sending a text message or replying to Gmail. The cover display works perfectly in all of those scenarios and, if you need more room – well, you open the device.
Both displays are good for everyday tasks, but the 8-inch display OLED adds a significant amount of screen real estate. It is bright and sharp, as is the front display. The peak brightness of 2,700 nits allows users to read news articles and eBooks in bright sunlight. The interior display isn’t crease-free, though. The crease is definitely visible in the middle of the foldable, but it has never bothered me; it’s there, but it doesn’t impact daily usage.
The entire device sits completely flat when it’s open. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
The inner display opens many new possibilities
I have been asked many times how a foldable phone is different from a regular smartphone, and I would always say that it all comes down to a different form factor and the extra things you can do with a phone that has a foldable screen versus a device that doesn’t. By “different,” I don’t mean that a foldable will offer something completely new that your existing phone can’t do. However, a device like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold shines in three specific aspects—at least, those are what I found compelling enough.
First and foremost, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold feels superior as a tablet. I mean, just look at the 8-inch screen; it becomes an effortless tablet to carry around. During a trip to San Francisco last week, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold was the only tablet I packed in my bag. I watched the second season of Heartstopper on the device, and not for a second did I miss my iPad mini. I felt burden-free not having to carry an extra device on the trip. In the first few hours of the flight, I watched the show, and in the latter part, I listened to music on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It serves a dual purpose, which I think offers a compelling benefit of using a foldable phone.
The split-screen experience shines on this device. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Secondly, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a great eBook reader. Reading on the Kindle app is enjoyable for long hours. Third, certain apps — especially Google ones — take advantage of the larger screen on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, resulting in a different experience. Google Calendar, for example, utilises the extra screen real estate, and you can actually feel the difference immensely. Another example is Google Meet, which lets you use all the cameras and screens, allowing the person you’re talking to to appear on the external screen so that others around you can see them too, instead of crowding around your phone. Some games also take advantage of the extra real estate and can customise your gaming experience accordingly.
The downside is that the list of games that support this feature is still very small.
I also liked how you can run two apps simultaneously on the inner screen. Sure, you can do the same on any smartphone, but the implementation is better on a foldable screen. Think of running a YouTube video on one side and Google News on the other, for example.
These are smartphone features, the things we all do on a phone. The difference is that on a foldable phone like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the experience is optimised for a large inner screen. However, not every app takes advantage of this. Just because the inner screen is considerably large doesn’t mean I would ditch my laptop or iPad Pro and start using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold as a replacement. Not really. It won’t surpass those devices, even though you can use a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard to get some work done. All I’m saying is that I would still prefer a laptop for writing long-form articles and get the real work done.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is great for reading news articles and e-books. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
But not everything about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is perfect, especially on the software side. For instance, there’s an option that allows you to continue what you were doing in an app on the inner screen when you close the phone by swiping up on the outer screen. It works well, yes, but overall, Google hasn’t moved leaps and bounds with the software. I would say it’s an Android problem.
At times, I feel that the interface doesn’t adapt well to a foldable screen, resulting in an experience that feels more in tune for tablets. For instance, on a regular smartphone, there is no right or wrong way to hold the device and watch a YouTube video when screen autorotation is enabled. However, on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, when I was watching a YouTube video on the inner screen, I had to be careful about holding the device correctly, as there was a high chance I might hold it incorrectly and break the screen. There should be a warning sign, but there isn’t.
I agree this is Google’s second foldable smartphone, and the company is still learning how to optimise the experience for new types of form factors. However, the bigger problem that remains unresolved is how to adapt the interface for foldable phones. If Google can’t solve it, I don’t think any other company will be able to.
The phone feels expensive in the hand, which matters when you spend this kind of money. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
AI overload is here
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has all the AI features that Google is heavily marketing lately, but I feel we have reached a point where they might be overloading the smartphone experience. At least, that’s how I feel. You might not want to use all the AI features but Google keeps reminding you it has made the best AI smartphone.
Anyway, the AI features that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold comes with are similar to those available across the entire Pixel 9 series. These range from generating images in the Pixel Studio app and searching screenshots in the AI Screenshots app to using Magic Editor, which can “reimagine” a photo or insert objects using text prompts. Then there’s the new Gemini Live experience, which allows for fully conversational, flowing back-and-forth discussions. It used to be available as part of a $20/month Gemini Advanced subscription, which also included 2TB of cloud storage and Gemini features in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. When you buy any Pixel 9 Pro or 9 Pro XL (including the Fold), you get a one-year free trial of Gemini Advanced. However, Google recently announced that Gemini Live would be included for free going forward. Look, Gemini Live is fun, but it needs a bit of work. I feel that it’s too slow to truly qualify as a real back-and-forth conversation, for now.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold launches with Android 14, but Google will upgrade the device to Android 15. ( Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Pretty powerful but the battery life could have been better
The device has Google’s proprietary Tensor G4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. I’m not into benchmarking and really don’t make too much fuss about the processor type or who made it; all I care about is how the phone feels on a day-to-day basis. The Pixel Fold performs similarly to the Pixel 9 Pro XL; it’s snappy and handles two apps on screen simultaneously. I feel that every smartphone I’ve reviewed this year is fast, and frankly, we have reached peak smartphone performance some time ago.
As for battery life, Google has squeezed in a 4,650 mAh cell. Despite having two screens, the Fold’s battery lasts a day, but don’t expect it to stretch beyond that. That’s for sure. A full charge takes about 96 minutes using a 45W USB-C charger (which is not included in the box).
There’s a lot to love about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The fun factor can’t be overlooked. ( Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Great cameras
The Pixel Fold’s camera houses three sensors and a flash. The primary sensor offers 48 megapixels with optical image stabilisation; the wide-angle lens delivers 10.5 MP outputs, while the 5x telephoto lens has 10.8 MP on offer. During the trip to San Francisco, I spent a lot of time with the camera, and I can confirm that the device produces amazing snaps. As I always say, the camera aspect is subjective, but yes, I am a huge fan of Pixel photography. You can expect a great ultra-wide lens, 5x optical zoom, and a brilliant night mode. The Pixel Fold’s camera stands out on its own; however, I felt the Pixel 9 Pro XL has a Midas touch when it comes to cameras. Nevertheless, the Pixel Fold has a versatile camera, and the results speak for themselves.
[indianexpress]
Britain's competition regulator said on Friday Amazon's artificial intelligence partnership with startup Anthropic will not be referred for a deeper probe as it did not raise competition concerns.
The Competition and Markets Authority said the partnership, which includes a $4 billion investment by Amazon in Anthropic, did not qualify for investigation under Britain's merger regulations.
"We welcome the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decision acknowledging its lack of jurisdiction regarding this collaboration," an Amazon spokesperson said in response to the regulator's decision.
The regulator has also cleared a similar collaboration between
Microsoft and Inflection AI.
However, Alphabet's partnership with Anthropic is still under scrutiny.
"Anthropic is an independent company and our strategic partnerships and investor relationships do not diminish our corporate governance independence or freedom to partner with others," an Anthropic spokesperson told Reuters on Friday.
Anthropic, which was co-founded by former OpenAI executives and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, has received billions of dollars in investments from several tech giants.
Antitrust regulators around the world have increasingly raised concerns over multiple deals struck between smaller industry startups and big tech companies.
[economictimes]
China is re-enforcing efforts to encourage domestic companies to favour homegrown artificial intelligence (AI) chips over Jensen Huang’s Nvidia advanced semiconductors.
This is to bolster its semiconductor industry and counteract the effects of US-imposed sanctions, according sources who spoke to Bloomberg.
In recent months, Beijing has issued informal directives, advising Chinese companies to reduce their reliance on Nvidia’s H20 chips, which are widely used in AI development.
Although the guidance stops short of an outright ban, it forms part of China’s broader objective to strengthen its technological self-reliance, while cautiously navigating ongoing tensions with the United States, insiders report.
The pressure reflects Beijing’s ambition to accelerate the market share growth of domestic chipmakers such as Cambricon Technologies and Huawei, positioning them as viable alternatives to foreign suppliers. This comes amid heightened concerns over potential further restrictions on US technology exports to China.
What we know
The move follows similar measures earlier this year, where Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers were encouraged to source more components from domestic producers, as the country seeks to reduce its dependence on foreign technologies.
Shares of Nvidia, the world’s most valuable chipmaker, fell by up to 3.9% on Friday following the reports. Nvidia has seen its stock surge over 100% this year, driven by booming demand for its AI processors globally, despite ongoing trade restrictions.
Beijing’s guidance, while non-binding, aligns with a broader industrial policy aimed at safeguarding China’s access to critical technologies. The US government has already banned Nvidia from selling its most advanced AI chips to Chinese customers, forcing the company to modify its products to comply with export control regulations. Nvidia’s H20 line, designed to meet these requirements, remains a key product in China’s AI sector.
What you should know
Despite the growing push to use local chips, Beijing is still prepared to allow companies to purchase foreign semiconductors if necessary to remain competitive in the global AI race, sources added.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, addressing the ongoing situation, said that the company is committed to supporting its Chinese customers within the confines of US regulations. “We have a lot of customers in China who depend on us, and we’ll do our best to support them,” Huang said in an interview with Bloomberg.
China remains a significant market for Nvidia, contributing 12% of its total revenue in the July quarter, amounting to approximately $3.7 billion. However, the company’s CFO Colette Kress acknowledged that trade restrictions have impacted Nvidia’s market share in China, although demand remains robust.
While Chinese chipmakers are making progress, their AI processors still lag behind Nvidia’s offerings. Beijing has committed billions of dollars in subsidies to accelerate domestic semiconductor development, but the technology gap remains a challenge.
Nevertheless, China’s AI sector continues to flourish. Tech giants like ByteDance and Alibaba, along with a wave of emerging startups, are investing heavily in AI innovation.
Despite the regulatory push, some Chinese companies are discreetly purchasing Nvidia chips, anticipating further US sanctions by year-end, while simultaneously increasing their procurement of domestic alternatives to align with Beijing’s directives.
[Nairametrics]
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have carried out a midnight raid on private hostels of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), leading to the arrest of several students in the early hours of Saturday.
The raid reportedly occurred in the Kwakwalawa and Gidan Yaro communities, areas predominantly populated by university students in Sokoto. According to eyewitness accounts, the EFCC operatives stormed the hostels around 4am, indiscriminately arresting multiple students.
One student recounted, “They came at dawn, entered our rooms, and began arresting us without any explanation.” The EFCC was yet to issue a statement regarding the raid or provide reasons for the arrests.
The incident mirrored a similar raid that took place in February at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) in Ondo State, where EFCC officials arrested students in a midnight operation targeting hostels outside the campus. During that operation, students’ lodges in the Orita Obele and Road Block areas were raided around 2am, with operatives breaking into rooms and arresting occupants.
Several FUTA students initially mistook the EFCC operatives for kidnappers due to the aggressive nature of the raid. According to reports, the officials—who were from the Benin Zonal office of the commission—allegedly destroyed property and subjected many students to physical assault, including female students.
LEADERSHIP also recalls that following the incident, the executive chairman of EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, issued a directive barring operatives of the anti-graft Commission from midnight raids.
[Leadership]