Ibrahim Danlami, an assistant general manager in a top private firm in Abuja had picked up his mother who had come to town to spend some time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
As he drove ‘Kaka’ (grandma) to the house, he noticed that she was meticulously engaged in continuous tapping of her phone screen.
“I thought to myself that she was playing a ‘candy crush’ game, something I also enjoy as an adult. But as the days went by, I noticed that the tapping did not stop. So, I was forced to tell her, ‘Mama, you are too old to be hooked on phone games like a child.’ But she replied, ‘Wait until my millions get paid,” he said.
That has been the trend in many parts of the country where many have found themselves hooked to endlessly tapping their phone screens with the hope of making money from it.
The ‘buzz’ that has accompanied this supposed new income stream is sweeping across homes and different age groups. Whether at home, supermarket or even in the toilet, everyone seems to be tapping their way to some expected millions they hope would materialise into real cash in the nearest future.
How it started
This tapping frenzy can be traced to the success of a crypto mining app known as Notcoin. Launched in January 2024, Notcoin offered a similar clicker system that rewarded users with NOT tokens. The app’s popularity exploded with over 35 million users joining within a few months.
Subsequently, for many Nigerians, Notcoin moved from just a game to a path to real financial gain.
Reports indicate users who diligently “mined” NOT tokens and made significant amounts of money, with some earning upwards of $1,000.
Many Nigerians, including a man named Gentle Boi, reported financial success with Notcoin.
Gentle Boi, in a TikTok video, shared his experience of earning $260 (about N416,000) from Notcoin.
This success story fuelled his enthusiasm for another app known as TapSwap, which he claims yielded over 15 million coins for him with no sign of ceasing soon.
The success stories were further amplified by another youth who proudly showcased an air conditioner he bought using his Notcoin gains while encouraging others to participate in TapSwap mining.
How does TapSwap pay?
Weekend Trust learnt that the process is activated with the accumulation of coins through playing a game and earning enough TAPS coins by tapping and completing given tasks.
“Once you have a sufficient number of coins, you can convert them into TAPS tokens on the TON blockchain after the TAPS token launch occurs,” Weekend Trust was told.
‘How cryptocurrency mining changed our lives’
In Kano State, many young men accepted crypto trading to either earn a living or complement their incomes.
Abdulsalam Dahiru, 26, who combines his POS business with crypto mining, told our correspondent that crypto mining has changed the lives of many people and that he sees himself as a potential rich man.
“I know someone who gained over N50 million from cryptocurrency trading. From DOGS alone, a friend of mine got N3 million,” he said.
Asked how much he has so far gained from the crypto business, Abdulsalam Dahiru said he won’t reveal how much he got for his personal security.
Idris Sarina, 60, an estate agent whose office is located along Court Road, was seen busy mining digital currency with his mobile phone and was quick to explain to our correspondent that cryptocurrency mining is paying his bills, though he has not abandoned his estate agent business.
“I learned about mining from young people and realised that it is real and offers an opportunity to get cool money. So, I embraced it with my two arms,” he said.
Another crypto miner, Abubakar Danzaria, said though he got little money from mining recently, he is optimistic about making it big soon.
“I got N12,000 from DOGS, N16,000 from CAT and even from HAMSTER, I got N4,000,” Danzaria told Weekend Trust.
He said many young people embraced crypto business because of unemployment, noting that even if government provides jobs, many young men would still take to the digital ‘gold’ mining to complement their earnings.
A young miner, Halipa Salihu, said cryptocurrency had helped quite a number of people, ranging from those without capital to those without employment.
He said crypto mining not only changed the fortunes of people by creating economic opportunities, it provided entertainment to users, considering the fact that it involves solving a complex puzzle, as well as networking with other people.
Salihu said the crypto business was also promoting literacy among people because it requires basic computing skills and guidance from those familiar with how the system works.
He said, “In the last one year, I got nearly over N2 million from the crypto business. It has really impacted lives. I am a beneficiary of the crypto business.”
Steven Nwafor, an accountant in a private company based in Kano, is also actively engaged in cryptocurrency mining.
Nwafor created a WhatsApp group called; Digital World Opportunity, with 64 members, where latest information is shared for members’ benefits.
He said the whole idea was to create a community that explores opportunities the innovative digital mining offered, adding that nearly 40 million people joined the DOGS, making it acceptable among crypto users.
Although some Islamic scholars have given conflicting views on whether digital currency is lawful or not, crypto business continues to get wider acceptance among people, particularly the young ones.
How tapping apps dashed our hopes – Hamster Kombat miner
Inside a yellow bus at the chaotic Iyana Oba in Lagos, our correspondent observed a middle-aged man glued to his mobile phone with both hands, tapping Hamster Kambat, the trending crypto app among many Nigerians.
As he exerted his energy, he was focused and consistent on the tapping spree as no amount of noise and intermittent calling of passengers could distract him from this money-chasing goal.
He was not alone as it was observed that aside from their comfort zones, many commuters are found engaging in this tapping business in moving commercial buses within Lagos. In most cases, the tappers find solace in the exercise when they are caught up in Lagos traffic jam.
“I was intrigued by the potential to earn income through something that seemed like fun,” a female corps member serving in Abeokuta who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent.
She has been mining coins for about five months. Some of the apps she has used are Hamster, Memefi, Blum and DOGS.
The 25-year-old graduate of statistics told our correspondent that the rewarding system varies according to the app, but, “it is not life-changing money and that is definitely not satisfactory considering the time, energy and money invested in it.”
She said, “So far, I have $38 and I see it as a loss.”
Asked if she has lost money to the crypto apps directly, she said, “I haven’t lost any money directly, but I have invested time into an app that didn’t pan out as expected, which felt like a loss.”
The corps member said she was particularly disappointed about Hamster Kombat’s reward system.
“Hamster Kombat was a mixed bag for me. The game was entertaining, but I found that the earning potential was lower than I anticipated. Overall, I was disappointed,” she said.
An expert explained that Hamster disappointed many because people mounted pressure on it.
Abdullahi Abubakar said he was introduced to the apps by friends, although he does not have much trust in the system.
“I have been mining since during lockdown, but I have not been serious, so I didn’t benefit from any of them. My friend forced me to do Notcoin, and it eventually paid off. On the number of apps used, he said, ‘‘I mined Pie, Aqua protocol, PEPE Notcoin, Avacoin, Hamster and Tapswap.
“The rewarding system varies; each platform has its own way of compensating miners. I am not satisfied with what I am making, though, it is my problem. I know people that made huge amounts of money from it. I focus more on understanding the technology used, and I am thinking of coming up with my own,” Abubakar said.
Another miner, Babatunde Oluwaseun, told Weekend Trust that he started mining coins to boost his financial capacity in the face of the current economic hardship in the country.
“Ever since I joined the platform, I have not derived any satisfaction. So, far, I have made N1,500 or thereabout,” he said.
Oluwaseun said he thought he would get at least N2 million reward from tapping Hamster Kombat, but he got only N1,500.
“I was shocked when I was given a share of $1 dollar despite mining over 10 million coins,” he said.
Another female corps member said: “I have made N200,000 so far and I haven’t lost any money. You can’t lose money except you invested your money and the airdrop happens to be a scam project.”
Another miner who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that he had been mining coins for about six years and had made about N2 million, but he is not satisfied with the outcome.
Mining is permissible – Cleric
A renowned Islamic scholar, Professor Mansur Isah Yelwa, said there was no clear and specific textual Islamic authority prohibiting the practice of internet mining, saying, “We can conclude that it is permissible.
“Except where exceptions apply, the general principle under Islamic jurisprudence is that all commercial transactions and means of earnings are permissible. Nothing becomes impermissible except what a clear textual authority declares as prohibited. This general rule is derived from the Quranic provision in Chapter2 Verse 275.”
The cleric, who is also a lecturer and the Head of the Department of Islamic Law under the Faculty of Law, Bayero University, Kano, added, “Despite its permissibility, I do not encourage youths to engage in it as a single means of earning. This is because in Islamic law, there are certain matters that are detestable although they are permissible. For example, divorce is a permissible act but at the same time vehemently detested and discouraged due to its negative effects.
“In internet mining, certain negative effects are notable. It prevents many youths from observing certain religious obligations, such as consistency in prayers. It distracts many youths from focusing on what is mandatory for their future, such as reading and studying. It prevents many of them from participating in physical economic development skills, such as farming, merchandise, handcraft, etc.
“It costs time and yields less. For example, one of my students among those ‘active miners’ met me this week and lamented that he gathered billions of points under the recently launched “Hamster” mining but ended up in getting less than N30,000. How do you think our youths will thrive and prosper under these circumstances.”
Responding to some sections of scholars aligning mining with gambling, Professor Yelwa said mining is an act of service while gambling is a game of lottery where money is put in a pool of other people’s money in order to win, but nothing like that applies in mining.
Pitfalls for miners
A crypto expert, Obani Ebenezer Nwokoma, said some miners lost because they used external auto-clickers and programmes downloaded from app stores that automate the tapping process.
During the Notcoin evaluation process, Nwokoma explained that the system flagged irregular clicking patterns and disqualified users suspected of using bots as it saw the users as robots, not legitimate participants and didn’t receive coins.
A silver lining in the tapping frenzy
Despite the unknown surrounding profitability, there might be a positive consequence to it, Weekend Trust gathered
Experts believe the surge in interest is fuelled by the desire for financial gain, and could inadvertently lead to increased crypto education.
A crypto expert and content creator, Uche Ikechukwu, said although people were making money from it, it is not advisable to totally rely on it.
He said, “We were not tapping months or years back; there were several ways people made money. So, I would advise that people should focus on the skill around how to make money in crypto than just focusing on tapping.”
[DailyTrust]
The election process has officially begun in Etche Local Government Area, Rivers State.
Voting is proceeding smoothly at Ward 6, Unit 10 in Egwi-Etche, despite earlier concerns about potential disruptions.
While there were apprehensions about security, a limited presence of personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, was observed at the polling unit.
Voters have, however, been casting their ballots peacefully.
[DailyPost]
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has denied claims that he asked Christians to stop paying tithes.
The cleric on Thursday apologised for saying in one of his messages that anybody who does not pay tithe will not make heaven.
However, he said his apology message was misinterpreted stating how surprised he was by how quickly false reports spread online, claiming he had discouraged tithe payment.
Making clarifications during the church’s October Holy Ghost Service on Saturday at the Redemption City on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, Adeboye addressed the misrepresentations that has now stirred controversy among social media users.
Adeboye acknowledged that he apologised for any previous statements on tithing that may have been misunderstood.
He said: “The issue of tithing became contentious, and I decided to apologise for anything I might have said wrong.
“Yet, within an hour, it was being circulated online that I said Christians should stop paying tithes “
He further explained he encouraged believers to give more than the traditional 10 percent, referencing an encounter at Kenneth Hagin’s church where a man shared how his financial situation improved after committing to tithe 90% of his income.
He said: “Today, I’m close to giving 90 percent but I am far from 10 percent. So, I said it is wrong to limit yourself to 10 percent when God can take you to a higher percentage.
“As you grow in the Lord, you should grow in praising Him, winning souls, and in giving.
“I said that for beginners, the minimum is what God calls 10 percent. I said, from now on, begin to increase what you give.
“Of all I said, the only thing they put on the internet is that Adeboye apologised, and therefore, people should no longer pay their tithes. I said 10 percent should be the minimum.”
[TheNation]
There are five bands according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). They include Band A, B, C, D and E.
Under Band A, customers are entitled to a minimum of 20 hours per day.
For Band B, these are customers with a minimum of 16 hours of light per day.
Band C are customers who have access to a minimum of 12 hours per day.
In category D, customers are given a minimum of 8 hours of electricity per day.
Lastly, the Band E customers have access to a minimum of 4 hours per day.
Months ago, the Federal Government approved an increase in electricity tariff for customers under the Band A classification.
A major part of one’s electricity is spent on the use of energy consuming appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, electric water heaters etc.
Businesses, both small and large, in band A areas are not immune to the impact of the tariff hike. Higher electricity costs directly affect operational expenses.
Recently, some residents of Akinola and Aboru communities in Alimosho LGA of Lagos State protested their “forceful migration” to the Band A category by Ikeja Electric Distribution Company.
The residents took to the streets carrying placards with inscriptions like ‘re-migrate our communities away from Band A’, ‘scrap all bands’, ‘affordable tariff reduces cost of living’, among others. During the protest, some residents said they can no longer afford to pay N227 per kilowatt-hour (kwh) for electricity.
For Band A users, there is a need for an adjustment in behaviour and lifestyle which will ensure conservation of more electricity, lessen use of fuels, and reduce utility bills payment. Here are the tips below:
1. Energy-saving electronics – Take note that the use of energy-saving equipment for household items like bulbs, inverters, fridges, and others are great ways to manage your power costs.
2. Don’t leave appliances on standby –The Nigerian Electricity System Operator has emphasised that unplugging electronic devices when not in use is a cost-effective way to manage electricity whether you are metered or not. It is important to watch out for appliances that use up to 50% power even when they are on standby.
3. Exploring other alternatives – Those who can afford installation of solar panels or inverters can explore this alternative. These days there are also appliances such as air conditioners, fridges, washing machines etc that operate on Low Voltage System (LVS). These appliances help you save on electricity. Also check the stand-by consumption when buying appliances or ask for energy efficient devices.
4. Minimise usage of air conditioners, electric water heater – Band A users can ventilate during the night or early in the morning to store the coolness for the day. When windows and doors are open, they allow warm air from outside to enter your space. This creates a constant exchange of air and puts less strain on your AC unit. Also, use water heaters only when necessary. Lower the temperature of your water heater to conserve energy used for heating water.
5. Turn off lights when not in use – Turning off the lights when not in use is especially important for those who make use of tungsten filament (regular) bulbs as opposed to LED lights. It will take 16 hours for a regular bulb to consume 1 kilowatt of electricity, meanwhile, it will take 66 hours for an LED light to consume 1 kilowatt of electricity. So, it is important to switch off the lights when not in use, especially in daylight.
[TheNation]
Dr. Muhammed Sanusi is the Secretary General of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF. He has been in the news these past few days. The gentleman is my friend. I like him a lot. As far as I can see from my observatory in the rolling hills of Wasimi, he has maintained great decorum in the handling of the affairs of football in the country.
I have not interacted with him close enough at any time since I first met him many years ago to know him beyond his courteousness, politeness, soft-spokenness, and never-in-your-face attitude. He carries good credentials in his long and varied experiences working in the NFF as well as in academic scholarship (with a Doctorate degree to boot).
As far as his handling of the affairs of the NFF is concerned, I have not had any close interactions with the organisation since he became the Secretary General over 10 years ago, so, I know little and cannot be a fair judge about his capacity and performance as administrator of the secretariat of the most important sports federation in Nigeria.
In those past 10 years, I have not had any serious dealings with the Nigeria Football administration outside journalistic enquiries about some issues for which Dr. Sanusi was always quick to provide the needed information, or direction to the source of better information. He would do these things courteously.
What I do not know is whether that attitude and treatment are general or a special treat reserved for me. Either way, I thank him.
From time to time, however, Dr. Sanusi comments on some of my postings on my social media platforms, often with a kind word here and there. Even when I wrote what some persons considered negative about him by raising issues about his humongous salary, he did not take it personal, and did not miss a beat in our friendly relationship.
So, I know Dr. Sanusi Muhammed enough even if I have not had much direct dealings with him in the over 10 years of his being the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF. So, I respect our remote friendship.
At the moment, his matter is heating up the system. Some stakeholders in the General Assembly of the NFF are planning to use their numbers and resources to offer him a new contract when the present one expires at the end of the year. Undoubtedly, the move is not popular. It may create a ripple effect that could become a storm in the immediate future.
Ordinarily, renewing Sanusi’s contract should be routine. There should be no issues about reappointing a competent and performing Secretary-General. Unfortunately, there are issues that negate this intention. The public and some media are raising very serious issues about why Sanusi’s contract should not be renewed. He has been in that office for 11 years, longer than anyone else in history. That’s not the problem. His latest contract will end in December this year.
I will not pretend that I am familiar with all the issues, but there is one issue that attracts my attention and the need for this humble comment.
Let me establish this background.
I am not a tribalist. I do not have a single drop of tribalism in my blood.
I am of Yoruba extraction by birth. I spent the first 17 years of my life in Jos, in Northern Nigeria. I speak the Hausa language, even better than my Yoruba.
In the formative years of my life, I attended primary and secondary schools owned by the Catholic Church, and populated mostly by Igbos in the years before the political crisis of 1966 that led to the bloody Civil war of 1967. So, I speak the Igbo language and some of my best friends are from that ethnic group.
I have spent the decades since December 1970 to date in Yorubaland, going through useful lessons in understanding my own ethnic roots. My mother was originally a Muslim and my father was one of the founders of the African Church in Jos. I am a product of this mixture of cultures, indoctrinations, exposures and experiences, finally emerging as a totally detribalised Nigerian that does not see things through the prism of ethnicity.
So, back to the ongoing conversation on Dr. Muhammed Sanusi. Ethnicity has reared its dangerous head.
A journalist called me the other day and wanted my views on the issue of the renewal of Sanusi’s contract from the position of ethnic balancing and federal character in the board of the NFF. He asked: Why would the two most powerful officials in the Nigeria Football Federation board come from the same geographical, political and ethnic group? Really?
How did that happen? Avoiding such a situation has voided the ambition of many aspirants to offices in the NFF in the past. Including me. There is always consideration for careful balancing and federal character consideration for appointments into national offices. It is so important in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country like Nigeria that provision is inscribed into the country’s constitution.
In sports, although unwritten into the constitution of federations, it goes without saying that stakeholders would navigate through this minefield by deploying common sense, always observing the simple code of ethnic balancing during elections and in the employment of key staff.
Occasionally there is a blip, but always created by circumstances that cannot be helped, and not as a deliberate strategy to impose any group on the rest. One such situation is Ibrahim Gusau succeeding Amaju Pinnick as President of the NFF when Sanusi was still Secretary General, inadvertently creating the present situation where the two most powerful men in Nigerian football come from the same geographical zone of the country.
The reality is that when Sanusi was first engaged over 10 years ago, Amaju Pinnick, from the Southern part of the country, was President.
Presently, some stakeholders are stoking the ambers of crisis. They are attempting to be clever-by-half by distorting what has ensured the equilibrium of things and instilled some level of equity and fair representation at the top of Nigerian football through the decades.
I am not surprised, therefore, that an army of opposition has emerged to try to halt the clandestine plot. Sanusi is to be used as a pawn and returned as Secretary General against the grain of best established practise, common sense, equity and ethnic balancing in the administration of football in Nigeria.
No matter how attractive the offer may be, or what power the stakeholders planning this plot may have at the moment, my advice is that they should shelve the plan for the good of the game and of peace, and follow the path of reason. Should they choose to pursue this narrow agenda, they may be planting the seeds of a future crisis.
In an ideal society it should matter the least where a person comes from in the matter of employment, but not so in Nigeria as history and previous experiences have taught us through the country’s history. A word is enough for the wise.
I wish the General Assembly of the NFF useful deliberations.
The Rivers State Electoral Commission, RSIEC, has stated that it is using the authentic Voters Register obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the conduct of the local government council elections in the state.
The Presiding Officer for Unit 8, Ward 3 Isiodu Community, Emohua Local Government Area Azunda Fulfill, said the process was peaceful and that the Voter Register used is authentic.
Azunda said: “The process is going fine. People are voting. For now, there is no issue. We are doing the work calmly.
“The voter register we have is the same thing as the one used for the 2023 election. The voter’s card and the register are tallied. It is the correct voter register.”
Also, voting is ongoing at unit 26, ward 4 of Emohua LGA, the ward where Senator Andrew Uchendu, votes.
Meanwhile, the Chairmanship Candidate of the Action Peoples Party, for Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Hon. Chijioke Ihunwo, after casting his vote at unit 40.
[Vanguard]
Nollywood’s ‘Queen Lateefah’ and ‘Joker: Folie A Deux’ are movies TheCable recommends for you to watch in the cinema or on streamers this weekend.
More recommendations are below:
Queen Lateefah
Running time: 2hrs 5mins
Starring: Wunmi Toriola, Kunle Remi, Lateef Adedimeji
Synopsis: A socialite with a wealthy online personality meets a man who falls head over heels with her. The man is in love with her influential, accomplished persona, a facade that will come undone soon.
Joker: Folie A Deux
Running time: 2hrs 18mins
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Ken Leung, Lady Gaga
Synopsis: Arthur Fleck is placed in Arkham, awaiting trial for his crimes as the Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur stumbles upon true love and finds the music that’s always inside him.
Lisabi
Running time: 2hrs
Starring: Adebowale Adedayo, Lateef Adedimeji, Gabriel Afolayan, Ibrahim Chatta
Synopsis: It tells the legend of the eponymous Lisabi and his fight to liberate his Egba community and its people from the hegemony of the ancient Oyo empire.
Farmer’s Bride
Running time: 1hr 45mins
Starring: Gbubemi Ejeye, Tobi Bakre, Femi Branch
Synopsis: A young bride marries an old farmer with her mother’s arrangement. The bride despises her husband and falls in love with the old farmer’s younger nephew. The forbidden love spins out of control.
Hellboy: The Crooked Man
Running time: 1hr 39mins
Starring: Adeline Rudolph, Hannah Margetson, Jack Kesy,
Synopsis: The blockbuster Hellboy returns with another exciting sequel. Hellboy goes on a new adventure with fresh allies and foes.
The Wild Robot
Running time: 1hr 41mins
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Mark Hamill, Matt Berry, Paul-Mikél Williams
Synopsis: An intelligent robot is stranded on an uninhabited island after a shipwreck. To survive the harsh environment, the robot bonds with the island’s animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.
Transformer One
Running time: 1hr 44mins
Starring: Brian Tyree Henry, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm
Synopsis: The prequel tells the origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, who were once friends and bonded like brothers.
When Love Strikes
Running time: 1hr 53mins
Starring: Chuks Joseph, Jimmie Akinsola, Natse Jemide, Osas Ighodaro
Synopsis: A promising young footballer must choose between following his dreams of soccer success and returning to college to support his family.
Ajaga
Running time: 1hr 46mins
Starring: Femi Jacobs, Jaiye Kuti, Jayeola Monje
Synopsis: A pastor wrestles with the yoke of his moral inadequacies. He womanises despite his stern preaching against sin. This is the story about the hypocrisy of some religious leaders.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Running time: 2hrs 7mins
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Garner, Ryan Reynolds
Synopsis: Wolverine and Deadpool put aside their differences to defeat a common enemy.
[Cable.]
Taiwan's Foxconn (2317.TW), opens new tab, the world's largest contract electronics maker, beat expectations to post its highest-ever revenue for the third quarter on strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) servers.
Revenue for Apple's (AAPL.O), opens new tab biggest iPhone assembler jumped 20.2% year on year to T$1.85 trillion ($57.3 billion).
"The result exceeded the company's original expectations of significant growth," Foxconn said in a statement on Saturday.
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It was also ahead of a T$1.79 trillion LSEG SmartEstimate, which gives greater weight to forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate.
Strong AI server demand led to robust revenue growth for its cloud and networking products division, said Foxconn whose customers include AI chip firm Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab.
For smart consumer electronics, which includes iPhones, there was a strong quarter-on-quarter growth thanks to new product launches, but its year-on-year performance was flat.
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The third-quarter is traditionally when Taiwan's tech companies start racing to supply smartphones, tablets and other electronics to major vendors such as Apple for Western markets' year-end holiday period.
Total revenue in September alone reached T$733 billion, up 10.9% year on year and the second-highest ever level for the month.
"Entering the peak season in the second half of the year, we anticipate our operation to gradually gain momentum," Foxconn said of its outlook for the current quarter.
"The fourth quarter is expected to be roughly in line with current market expectations," it added, without elaborating.
The company does not provide numerical forecasts.
Foxconn's shares have jumped 86% so far this year, outperforming by far a 24% rise for the broader Taiwan market (.TWII), opens new tab. They closed up 3.7% on Friday ahead of the revenue data release, bucking a 0.4% fall on the benchmark index.
The company will report its full third-quarter earnings on Nov. 14. It has scheduled its annual Tech Day on Oct. 8-9, an event where Foxconn normally announces new products or partnerships.
($1 = 32.2900 Taiwan dollars)
[Reuters]
When an audio clip appeared to show a local school principal making derogatory comments, it went viral online, sparked death threats against the educator and sent ripples through a suburb outside the city of Baltimore. But it was soon exposed as a fake, manipulated by artificial intelligence - so why do people still believe it’s real?
“I seriously don't understand why I have to constantly put up with these dumbasses here every day.”
So began what appeared to be a long tirade from the principal of Pikesville High School, punctuated with racist, antisemitic and offensive tropes. It sounded like it had been secretly recorded.
The speaker went on to bemoan “ungrateful black kids” and Jewish people in the community.
The clip, first posted in January, went viral nationally. But it really struck a nerve in the peaceful, leafy suburb of Pikesville, which has large black and Jewish populations, and in the nearby city of Baltimore, Maryland. Principal Eric Eiswert was put on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.
Alfie Malone, a black man who lives in nearby Baltimore, spotted other members of his community posting the clip and assumed it was real.
“In the back of your mind you think this is probably the way people really actually feel about us,” Mr Malone said. “And then to hear that actually come across audio.”
In an effort to corroborate what he was hearing, Mr Malone checked out other real recordings of Mr Eiswert on social media and they sounded the same.
So the part-time postman, part-time podcaster hit the re-share button.
US teacher accused of racist deepfake of principal
They were arrested for posting during the riots – will it change anything?
The clip started to gain traction across social media as more people spread it online. One of the most shared versions was well on its way to passing two million views within hours. Already, that’s around 60 times the entire population of Pikesville.
But what those sharing the clip didn’t realise at the time was that another bombshell was about to drop: the clip was an AI-generated fake.
For BBC Radio 4’s Why Do You Hate Me USA, I’ve been in Maryland investigating the impact this clip had on that town. It reads almost like a fable about the dangers AI poses, especially when local communities are targeted.
Anatomy of an AI fakery
When the clip landed on the desk of Kristen Griffith, an education reporter at the Baltimore Banner, she thought it was going be a relatively straightforward story of a teacher being exposed for making offensive remarks.
But as is best-practice in journalism, Ms Griffith wanted to give the principal the chance to comment and tell his side of the story. So, she reached out to his union representative, who said not only did Mr Eiswert condemn the comments, but he didn’t make them.
“He said right away, oh, we think this is fake… We believe it's AI,” she told the BBC. “I hadn't heard that angle” before.
But when she published that explanation, her readers were not convinced. Far from raising questions about the clip’s veracity, it just fuelled backlash from people who thought the allegation of fakery was just an excuse or an attempt to evade accountability.
It was at this point that local police started investigating the case. Staff at Pikesville High told them they were feeling unsafe because of all the attention, and they were concerned that the school was bugged with recording devices.
Principal Eiswert’s reputation had taken a serious hit too. Security was stepped up around both him and the school. He became a target for social media hate and threats. I found dozens of abusive messages taking aim at him on social media.
Getty ImagesThen in April, Baltimore Police Chief Robert McCullough confirmed they now had “conclusive evidence that the recording was not authentic”.
And they believed they knew who made the fake.
Police charged 31-year-old Dazhon Darien, the school’s athletics director, with several counts related to the fake video. Charges included theft, retaliating against a witness and stalking.
He was arrested at the airport, where police say he was planning to fly to Houston, Texas.
Police say that Mr Darien had been under investigation by Principal Eiswert over an alleged theft of $1,916 (£1,460) from the school. They also allege there had been “work performance challenges” and his contract was likely not to be renewed.
Their theory was that by creating the deepfake recording, he hoped to discredit the principal before he could be fired.
Investigators say they traced an email used to send the original video to a server connected to Mr Darien, and allege that he used Baltimore County Public Schools' computer network to access AI tools. He is due to stand trial in December 2024.
Mr Darien’s legal representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Myriam Rogers had previously said it was “a very difficult time” for the school community, the principal and his family.
Representatives for Pikesville High School and Mr Eiswert did not respond to my requests for further comment.
Why did people believe the video?
Because the clip was audio-only, it meant there were no visual giveaways, like robotic movements that normally reveal AI manipulation. It also mentioned jargon, like “grade-level expectations”, and other details, like staff names, that only people close to the school would know.
When you listen carefully, though, there are clear edits between sentences - and the voice, while similar to the principal, sounds quite monotonous. Artificial intelligence can use several minutes of a real recording - from, say, your favourite actor in a film or a presidential candidate giving a speech - to then generate a clip that makes it sound like they said something they never did.
But perhaps the biggest reason why people believed the video was real was because it felt true, Mr Malone told me.
It tapped into his own experiences of racism as a black man living in Baltimore.
When Mr Malone heard the principal describe black students as lazy, it immediately reminded him of slurs and discrimination he’d encountered at school and work.
Months later, the effects of the fake audio clip are still felt in Pikesville. Mr Eiswert has moved jobs and is working in another school. And even though some community members told me they now accept the video is fake, the damage is done.
“This is a Jewish neighbourhood and to say something that's so inflammatory about the community was upsetting,” a woman called Sharon told me as she packed her grandchild’s pram into a car in a house opposite the high school last August.
For several minutes, Sharon talked to me as though the clip was real.
“I think when people say things like that, other people join in that and it makes me more fearful.”
When her husband chimed in from the car, reminding her the clip was actually fake, she admitted she did “find out later it was AI-generated”. But she said she was still angry about it.
I found that for people like Sharon, who had believed the clip was real, even for a short time, it stayed with them - especially when the message echoed genuine experiences of racism and discrimination. It reminded me of something I hear time and time again while investigating misinformation and conspiracy theories: “Well, even if it’s not real, it’s what I think they think.”
All the major social media companies say they have policies to label, remove and limit the spread of AI-generated posts. But that action only happens when it can be proven a clip is fake. By that point, it could have already reached millions of people.
Alfie Malone said even earlier that day, he spoke to a friend who still had no idea the clip was AI-generated.
“I honestly believe that a lot of people here in this city don't really know that that's not true,” he said.
He said he felt sorry that Mr Eiswert, the school principal, was wrongly accused of making the comments. He is also worried the episode has undermined real experiences of racism.
He said he’d think twice before re-sharing a clip like this again.
“I've been burnt by the fire once. I'm not touching the stove again.”
[BBC]
The UK needs a strategy to meet growing demand for data centres or risk losing its advantage in the race to develop artificial intelligence (AI), one of the sector's largest players has told Sky News.
Data centres - warehouses housing processors that power cloud computing - are central to the digital economy. They provide the power, connections and security required for the vast amount of processing power on which everything from personal device browsing to AI learning relies.
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The UK is currently Europe's largest data hub, with more than 500 data centres, the majority in the South East.
Slough in west London is the industry's historic base, largely because of its proximity to both transatlantic connectors and the City of London, whose financial services and banks were initially the biggest customers for computation power.
Last month the government classified data centres as 'critical national infrastructure', putting them on a par with power stations and railways but the industry says a broader strategy is required as it moves to meet the growing demand driven by power-hungry AI chips.
High land prices, competition for grid connections and the resistance of local residents have put a premium on further expansion in the southeast, leading some companies to look beyond the industry's traditional base.
Kao Data, which has an expanding campus in Harlow, Essex, is among those looking to beyond the South East, and broke ground this week on a £350m development at Stockport in Greater Manchester.
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"We are under pressure to be able to provide capacity and create data centre buildings to fuel the demand from AI, that's the challenge. Whether we as a country provide the environment for it is the big question mark," he said.
"If we want to be part of the global AI opportunity we need to deploy these resources in locations that are suitable, sustainable and have the opportunity for growth. We didn't really have a plan 10 years ago when cloud computing started, and by accident we've ended up where we are today which is in effect consuming all the power into the west of London.
"Now is the time to come up with a UK-wide data centre strategy and start deploying these facilities in other parts of the country, distributing them fairly."
Kao's expansion in Manchester exploits an existing industrial site - it will replace a concrete factory - and the availability of a grid connection, fundamental in a notoriously power-hungry industry in which a facility's size is measured in megawatts not square feet. A 100MW data centre consumes the same amount of electricity as 100,000 homes, a town roughly the size of Ipswich.
Mr Lamb said it is a model the government should heed. "A realistic opportunity would be to allocate two or three locations across the UK which have access to power as data centre planning zones, where the local authorities understand what a data centre is, are welcoming and we can develop these buildings simply and swiftly and remove a lot of the bureaucracy that exists."
The Stockport site also has the backing of the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, who sees data as part of the jigsaw of infrastructure required to boost economic development in the North West.
"This is now critical national infrastructure as designated by the new government, and it makes sense that all of that capacity is not just clustered in one part of the country. We now need to see the emergence of a large-scale data centre industry in the north of England," Mr Lamb said.
The challenge of further expansion in the South East is evident on the outskirts of the expanding village of Abbotts Langley in Hertfordshire, where a patch of green belt has become a frontline in the debate over data centres and the new government's commitment to growth.
The 31-hectare plot, once grazed by cows that produced milk for the nearby Ovaltine factory, has been bought by property developer Greystoke Land and earmarked for a data centre.
The local planning authority, Three Rivers Council, rejected it because of the loss of green belt, but on her first day in office, Angela Rayner, the housing minister, "called in" the application, beginning a process expected to end with her over-ruling the local authority.
Labour promised to back development in government but that does not make it popular. As well as concerns over the environmental impact of a data centre, residents believe the development will remove the only buffer between the village and the motorway.
Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Liberal Democrat leader of Three Rivers Council, 76% of which is made up of green belt, told Sky News communities need something in return.
"I'm not a total nimby, I can see which way the wind is blowing, but we will make the best case possible to say no to this development because it is an inappropriate site, which causes very high harm to the green belt.
"Ironically we do have some brownfield sites that landowners won't release, and we can't compulsory purchase, let's do something about that and bring them back into public ownership.
"But if at the end of the day we're overruled then we will be demanding the infrastructure that's for Abbots Langley and Three Rivers."
A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "Our reforms to the planning system will make it easier to build the key infrastructure this country needs - such as data centres - securing our economic future and giving businesses the confidence to invest.
"Development on the green belt will only be allowed where there is a real need and will not come at the expense of the environment."
[SkyNews]
More...
KEY POINTS
- As Apple prepares Apple Intelligence to jump into Silicon Valley's AI race, it's relying on one of its strongest advantages: Its army of 34 million app developers.
- For Apple Intelligence to interact with the millions of non-Apple apps, it needs developers to create as much as hundreds of snippets of additional code called App Intents.
- If Apple's Siri is poorly supported by developers or it fails to impress, it could cool iPhone sales, and customers could wind up choosing to use a rival's voice assistant instead.
As Apple prepares Apple Intelligence to jump into Silicon Valley's AI race, it's relying on one of its strongest advantages: Its army of 34 million app developers.
IPhone users will get their first taste of Apple Intelligence, the company's artificial intelligence system, later this month. The company is relying on Apple Intelligence to be the strongest selling point for the iPhone 16, its latest generation of smartphones.
Apple's AI isn't as advanced as the state of the art coming out of the most advanced labs, such as rivals like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini and Meta's Llama. Apple isn't using the biggest models, nor can it pull off some of the more show-stopping tricks of the bleeding-edge voice models — OpenAI's latest can sing, for example.
Where Apple is hoping to distinguish its AI is that Siri may actually be able to do things on your phone — send emails, decipher calendars and take and edit photos. That's something other company's AI chatbots cannot currently do, and to accomplish this, Apple is beckoning its army of third-party developers to fine tune their apps to collaborate with Apple Intelligence. Eventually, Siri may be able to trigger any action in an app that a user can take, part of the company's long term vision for Siri, Apple said in June.
"Siri will have the ability to take hundreds of new actions in and across apps," said Apple's Kelsey Peterson, director of machine learning, in the Apple Intelligence launch video.
Apple can easily make this happen for its own apps, but for Apple Intelligence to interact with the millions of non-Apple apps, it needs developers to embrace a new way of programming their apps. This means developers will need to create as many as hundreds of snippets of additional code called App Intents.
Apple has a strong history of getting its developers to support new platform initiatives, and it's running a well-worn playbook to get them on board — personal attention from developer relations, a party-like atmosphere at the company's annual developer's conference and most importantly, it dangles App Store promotion that can lead to millions of downloads for developers who get on board.
If third-party developers jump on board and the Siri system works as advertised, it could represent one of Apple's biggest and most durable advantages in the AI race.
"You should be able to string things together and kind of get that future we've all been envisioning where you can use Siri conversationally, to do a bunch of things at once," said Jordan Morgan, an iOS developer who's written a tutorial about App Intents.
Whether Apple is successful at cajoling its millions of developers is a critical question, and the stakes are high for the company.
The company is relying on Apple Intelligence, which only works on last year's iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 models that came out this year, to spur a wave of upgrades and boost flat iPhone sales. If Apple's improved Siri is poorly supported by developers or it fails to impress, it could cool iPhone sales, and customers could wind up choosing to use a rival's voice assistant through an app instead of the built-in Siri.
What are App Intents?
Inside the Music app, for example, Apple has built about 10 intents, including actions like "Add to Playlist," "Play Music," or "Select Music." A single app intent should define a single action, programmers say.
If you take a caffeine tracking app, for example, one intent would be the ability to show an overview of exactly how much caffeine the user has logged today, Morgan said.
When that App Intent is finished, Apple's various "system experiences," such as widgets, live activities, control center and Shortcuts, will be able to quickly display a current running tracker of how much caffeine has been logged without the user ever opening up the tracking app.
System search is another big draw for some developers. App Intents will allow apps to surface specific emails or other more granular data inside Spotlight, Apple's system search.
App Intents don't take that long to write, developers say, often requiring only a few lines of code.
In previous years, Apple recommended that developers adopt App Intents for their most important features, said Michael Tigas, the developer of Focused Work, a productivity app.
"Now, if there's a way to adjust your app to perform any general action then you should create an App Intent for it," Tigas said.
Fortunately for developers, they still have time to write all the code necessary for App Intents. While Apple Intelligence is starting to roll out next month, the biggest improvements to Siri aren't scheduled to be released until next year.
Apple has to incentivize developers
Apple's new Siri system will better understand questions even if a user makes a speaking error, a direct result of Apple's work with language models, a relative of the large language models that power systems like OpenAI's ChatGPT.
That means that Siri will be much more flexible in understanding the hundreds of different ways a user could phrase, for example, "apply a photo filter to an image I took yesterday."
Apple has to train and test its model to understand the range of the most likely commands and questions for any given category of apps.
A downside to Apple's approach is that only a few categories of apps will be supported by the new Siri at first, starting with photo and email apps. Eventually, Siri will support apps that focus on books, journaling, whiteboards, managing files, word processing, browsers, camera and photos, the company said.
Developers are already imagining how they might plan for users to interact with their apps with their voices.
A representative for Superhuman, a premium email app, told CNBC that it plans to use Apple's AI system to enable questions about the contents of emails, such as "Hey Siri, when does my flight depart?" or "Hey Siri, when am I meeting with James to review his proposal?"
There's a downside to Apple's plan in the eyes of some developers who worry that users will spend less time inside their apps or confuse Apple Intelligence with the AI features they've built themselves.
"If this story were only about App Intents, developers would worry that their products might be reduced to the role of the plumbing that powers Siri, and leave them unclear on how to build sustainable businesses around it," Igor Zhadanov, CEO under of Readdle, which makes email app Spark, wrote in an email.
Another drawback is that Apple Intelligence features will only be available on the latest iPhones, a small subset of the total iPhone user base. That limited market of iPhone users may discourage developers from investing time and effort into supporting the technology in the near term.
"Apple are limiting these kinds of Apple Intelligence features to the new 2024 iPhones and the expensive models from last year, so you won't be able to build something for the masses anyway," Tigas said.
[cnbc]
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Derivatives Company Limited (FDC), Mr. Bismarck Rewane, has warned that sustained monetary tightening could discourage investments and slow down economic growth.
Rewane, therefore, called for an urgent handshake between the fiscal and monetary authorities to avert a situation where continued monetary tightening would lead to economic recession.
He expressed these views in his October 2024 presentation at the Lagos Business School (LBS) Breakfast Session in which he stated that the new minimum wage of N70,000 was a money illusion.
The LBS’ breakfast session presentation was titled, “The World Awaits in Nervous Anticipation….for Madam President?,” an allusion to Vice President Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party winning the November 5, 2024, United States of America’s presidential election.
Arguing that monetary policy was necessary but not enough, Rewane stated that, “sustained monetary tightening can slow down economic growth as higher borrowing costs discourage investment and consumption.”
He, therefore, highlighted that, “the necessity for a handshake between monetary and fiscal policy in Nigeria is critical,” warning that “without this balance, monetary tightening could lead to a recessionary environment.”
According to him, “Businesses are struggling under the weight of high borrowing costs while consumer spending contracts.”
Rewane, also observed that the high cost of borrowing was already taking its toll on the private sector’s economic activities, which contracted for the second consecutive month to 49.8 in September 2024, by 0.2 per cent from 49.9 in August 2024
“The decline is largely attributed to weak consumer demand and rising cost of inputs, amid the lingering inflationary pressures.
“Activities are projected to fall further to 49.7 in October 2024 due to the high-interest environment and expected rise in inflation,” he said.
He stated that the handshake between the monetary and fiscal policies would enable the central bank to focus on controlling inflation through contractionary monetary policy such as higher rates, higher cash reserve requirements (CRR), sales of treasury bills, open market operations (OMO), etc, to mop up liquidity while fiscal measures could target underlying structural problems in the economy, such as insecurity affecting food supply chains, investing in infrastructure and social programs that enhance productivity.
He noted that higher borrowing cost at 33-34 per cent would, “stifle investment growth as businesses adopt a wait-and-see approach focus” and cause a “potential shift in investment.”Commenting on the minimum wage, Rewane stated that, “a minimum wage hike in an inflationary environment can often be considered a money illusion
“The core issue of rising prices persists, leaving workers with little or no real improvement in their financial situations” because “real wages may not significantly improve due to rising prices.”
He observed that workers have been focusing on the N70,000 nominal value of their minimum wage without considering its real value, which he put at slightly below N53,000 in the face of the current 32.15 per cent inflation rate.
Rewane also warned that the impact of further increase in the pump price of petrol for the market would be heightened inflationary pressures, reduced consumer disposable income, lower consumer demand, and supply chain disruptions.
He also highlighted that the impact of further surge in petrol prices on investors is that “inflation will put pressure on the currency” and cause investors to “become wary of sectors affected by low consumer demand due to petrol price increase.”
But for business and corporate organisations the impact would be “increased cost of production, reduced output, shift to alternative sources of energy like solar.”
He added: “SMEs will be hit the hardest due to lower capital reserves and less ability to absorb increased costs,” which could trigger shutdowns or job losses.
Rewane also projected that the Naira would come under renewed pressure through “persistent forex demand stemming from stockpiling ahead of the festive season, high import demand, and speculative activities.”
He, therefore, recommended that “a scheduled and systematic forex supply program could provide the much-needed support to stabilise the Naira” that have already “fallen to a low of N1,700/$ at the parallel market on September 30.”
[ThisDay]
Meta challenges OpenAI’s Sora with Movie Gen: What is it and how is it different from other AI video models
Admin
Meta seems to be leaving no stone unturned in its bid to dominate the AI landscape. On Friday, the Mark Zuckerberg-led tech giant announced that it had created a new AI model named Movie Gen which can generate realistic video and audio clips in response to prompts. The company claims that it can rival some of the most capable AI video tools from the likes of OpenAI and ElevenLabs.
This development comes months after OpenAI introduced its video model Sora to the world. Even though Sora is not yet out in public, demos shared by OpenAI created a frenzy on the internet especially owing to its hyperrealistic footage and motion that seemed straight out of Hollywood.
What is Movie Gen?
Meta’s Movie Gen generates videos with the help of text inputs and it can even edit existing footage or still images. Reportedly, the audio added to the video is also generated by AI and this is in sync with the visual. Meta’s AI model also allows users to generate videos in different aspect ratios.
“Our latest research breakthroughs demonstrate how you can use simple text inputs to produce custom videos and sounds, edit existing videos, or transform your personal image into a unique video,” Meta wrote on its official website.
According to the research paper shared by Meta, Movie Gen is an advanced AI video creation tool that has been designed to create high-quality 1080p HD videos from prompts in natural language along with synchronised audio. Along with producing videos in various aspect ratios, it is capable of doing specific edits to videos and even creating personalised content using images provided by a user.
How does Movie Gen work?
Movie Gen is powered by large AI models also known as foundation models to create media. However, the main components of the model are Movie Gen Video and Movie Gen Audio. Movie Gen Audio is a 30bn parametre model that can produce videos based on text prompts. This model combines text-to-image and text-to-video capabilities to come up with realistic videos that last up to 16 seconds at 16 frames per second. On the other hand, Movie Gen Audio is a 13 bn parametre model that generates audio to match the video or text prompt. This can create realistic sound, ambient noise, or even music that fits the scene being described in a prompt.
According to the research paper, Movie Gen uses methods like temporal autoencoding to compress video information to make it easy for the model to process longer and higher-quality videos. Much similar to language models, Movie Gen also uses Transformer Architecture, but for visual and audio data.
How is it different from OpenAI Sora?
Movie Gen stands out with its superior video resolution, synchronised audio generation, ability to personalise videos based on images provided by users, and advanced video editing capabilities. Based on the paper, Movie Gen is more a dynamic and high-quality tool for AI video generation.
When it comes to video quality and resolution, Movie Gen creates 1080p HD videos and Sora although produces similar output but its overall quality is not as high as the latter. Generating synchronised audio to match visual content is Movie Gen’s distinction as so far Sora solely focuses on video creation and lacks audio generation capabilities. We do not know if Sora is capable of offering personalisation based on user-provided images or if it will come with built-in editing capabilities.
On the technical side, Movie Gen uses a 30bn parametre model for video generation and a 13 bn parametre model for audio. It needs to be noted that the larger the model size and extensive training data, would make this model come with complex scenes.
Sora was demoed in February this year. The AI video generation model from OpenAI can create HD videos spanning a minute using prompts in natural language. Sora can be described as a diffusion model that is capable of creating videos and even extending existing videos. Much like movie Gen, Sora uses a transformer architecture that allows for superior scaling in performance. At the time of its launch, OpenAI revealed that the model has been built upon past research conducted for DALL-E and GPT Models.
When it comes to availability, the paper does not offer any specific details of Movie Gen’s release. For now, the model is in the research and testing phase.
[indianexpress]
When children are chronically ill and unable to attend school, it’s not just the illness that can be debilitating — the separation from the classroom and friends can also take a toll.
For young people undergoing long-term treatment or struggling with mental health issues, Norwegian company No Isolation developed the AV1 robot, which can take a child’s place in class, serving as their eyes, ears, and voice, and helping them stay connected with their classmates.
The AV1 looks like a blank, simplified version of a human head and torso. It can rotate 360 degrees and is fitted with a camera, microphone and speaker. Teachers place it on a classroom desk and the student controls it remotely using an app, for which they are given a unique password.
“They can tap or swipe their finger around the screen to look at different corners of the classroom,” said Florence Salisbury, marketing director for No Isolation. The student can talk to the teacher or their classmates through the speaker, and the app has a “raise hand” option that makes a light flash on the robot’s head. They can also select emojis that display in the robot’s eyes.
Salisbury says there are 3,000 active AV1 units in 17 countries, mostly in the UK and Germany, both of which have over 1,000 of the robots in operation.
In the UK, schools can rent the AV1 for around £150 ($200) per month, or opt for a one-time purchase for £3,700 (just under $4,960), with an additional service package of £780 (around $1,045) annually.
Salisbury says that perhaps the robot’s biggest benefit is its ability to maintain social bonds. She shared the story of a 15-year-old student in Warwickshire, England, using AV1 whose friends take the robot to lunch with them, keeping him included in their social circle.
“During a long absence, where classmates might not see their friend for an extended period, this connection to school really becomes a lifeline for that student, especially for those with a medical condition,” Salisbury said.
According to the most recent government statistics, more than 19% of students in England were persistently absent from school in the autumn of 2023/24, 7.8% due to illness alone, which is higher than pre-pandemic levels.
During the Covid pandemic, remote learning became the norm, but as students returned to school, for many it’s no longer an option. AV1 was launched before the pandemic, but some schools have reported using the robots to help students who have struggled to reintegrate with the classroom environment.
“They make the child important”
The UK’s Chartwell Cancer Trust has a supply of 25 AV1 robots it provides to children with serious illness. Founding trustee Michael Douglas told CNN that the robots enable children to stay engaged with their education even while in intensive care. “They are loved by the parents and make a real difference,” he said. “They make the child important.”
But he acknowledged that there can be administrative challenges around their use and that “red tape can be a real issue” when trying to get the AV1 system into schools or hospitals.
He added that some schools may also struggle to maintain the necessary technical infrastructure for seamless operation, because of weak Wi-Fi or mobile signal dark spots.
Technical training
In June, research published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Digital Health, examining the use of the AV1 in Germany and of the OriHime avatar robot in Japan, found the technologies “bear high potential for children to stay socially and educationally connected.”
However, it added that there was a need to establish structures to give equal access to avatar technologies, and that training sessions for teachers on the technical and social aspects of the robots are important for successful implementation.
Last August, No Isolation rolled out AV1 Academy, a library of training materials and resources aimed at improving the usability of the robot.
According to Salisbury, the AV1 is designed with robust privacy features. No personal data is collected, and the app prevents screenshots or recordings. Encryption secures the livestream, and only one device can connect at a time, with the robot’s head and eyes lighting up to signal active use.
There are other avatar robots on the market and some, like VGo and Buddy, have wheels and can move around the school or workplace, while some have a screen that shows the user’s face. Salisbury said that not having wheels is more practical for AV1, and weighing around 1 kilogram, the robot is easy for teachers or students to move between classes in a bespoke backpack.
She added that the absence of a screen showing the child’s face can also be an advantage. “Removing that pressure to be on camera, we’ve seen, increases the likelihood of the robot being used for students with emotionally based school avoidance,” Salisbury said.
[CNN]