Author: Chris Anu
The music industry took years to recover financially from the impact of the disruptive technology of peer-to-peer file sharing driven by Napster. It again finds itself at a critical junction – this time over how it navigates the terrain presented by generative artificial intelligence. A new paper by music industry veteran Charles Goldstuck argues that if copyright law, case law and public policy do not evolve to accommodate the structural changes posed by AI-generated music, the creative economy will be absorbed into a murky, unregulated system. Ultimately, this will significantly devalue human authorship. In the document, published on the Social…
Wayne Parkes, Public Sector lead at Hitachi Vantara. With attacks on public sector organisations soaring globally, Hitachi Vantara South Africa is moving to help the local public sector build resilience and underpin uninterrupted service delivery.Gerald Painter, Managing Director at Hitachi Vantara Africa, says the organisation is gearing up to boost public sector cyber resilience through efforts such as its recently launched cyber resilience guarantee, and expansion of its reseller partner ecosystem specifically focused on the local public sector.Backup under fireHe says: “Forty-seven percent of South African public sector institutions experienced between one to five cyber incidents in the past year,…
People’s lives are more enmeshed with digital systems than ever before, increasing users’ vulnerability and insecurity. From data leaks like the 2017 Equifax data breach to the more recent cyberattack on British retailer Marks & Spencer, business operations and data on the internet continue to be vulnerable. There are good reasons to believe that little will be done about these risks until a massive society-wide crisis emerges. My research suggests that there are significant failures in our current approaches to risk and innovation. Digital technologies remake social life through new technologies, communication platforms and forms of artificial intelligence. All of…
The South African Reserve Bank will take a crypto-currency matter to the Supreme Court. In what could be a precedent-setting case, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) will next year hear arguments as to whether an ‘apartheid-era’ law can be applied to digital money.This could mean that foreign exchange regulations will need to be redrafted.The South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB’s) appeal to enforce 64-year-old regulations, leaves businesses and consumers alike in the dark as to what permissions they need – if at all – to trade in crypto outside of South Africa’s borders.Clarity is required, because crypto-currencies are becoming more…
On my first long-haul flight, on a Boeing 747-200 when I was 4, the airline offered us a pile of gewgaws, presumably to keep the children quiet and out of the hair of the other passengers. Among the toys was a red View-Master, with several discs depicting the airline’s operations, airport facilities and aircraft features for my edification, all in glorious 3D. The View-Master Model G stereoscope from the 1970s. The first model was introduced in 1939, only four years after Kodachrome colour film became available. Photos: ThePassenger, used under CC BY-SA 3.0 licence and public domain That View-Master is…
The deadline to submit nominations for the newly established Brainstorm CIO Awards is fast approaching – all entries must be in by 11:59pm on Sunday, 28 September.As part of its mission to recognise the achievements of the local CIO community, ITWeb Brainstorm, in partnership with MTN Business, has introduced two CIO awards for 2025: Top Enterprise CIO and Top Public Sector CIO.Candidates must hold the most senior ICT decision-making position within their organisation. Nominations must state what significant technological initiative or project the candidate led in the past 12 months, the leadership qualities demonstrated and why this person deserves to…
French pay-TV giant Canal+ has announced sweeping changes to the leadership structure of its African operations, just days after finalising its takeover of South Africa’s MultiChoice Group. Already announced is that the combined business – covering all of Africa, including French-speaking territories – will be led by David Mignot as CEO, and that outgoing MultiChoice Group CEO Calvo Mawela has been appointed chairman of Canal+ Africa. But the combined business has now announced a huge overhaul of its management team and reporting structures, just days after the conclusion of the deal placed the South African broadcaster under foreign control for…
In this episode of ITWeb TV, Langa Dube, regional director for TCS South Africa and Rest of Africa, touches on the company’s plans to leverage local ICT skills in South Africa, how TCS clients are adapting to current macroeconomic uncertainties and the dichotomy of assessing risk by corporates compared to individuals.South African universities are “doing a fantastic job in terms of producing ICT skills,” says Tata Consultancy Services’ Langa Dube.The company sees this as a key part of an opportunity for growth and one it will use in a “very strong way” in the next five years.Dube, who is regional…
Maski, a South African-built WhatsApp-based AI tutor for students in grades 1 to 12, has surpassed the 100 000-user mark just six months after the platform launched in March. It was built by Bytefuse in collaboration with textbook publisher Maskew Miller Longman. The two companies believe Maski’s AI foundations make it appropriate for individualised learning paths, while the use of WhatsApp as a platform makes it accessible to pupils even in the most far-flung areas. “Seeing thousands of learners on Maski at midnight before a maths exam asking for help changed everything,” said Bytefuse CEO Greg Newman in a statement…
Tseliso Mohlomi, senior director at the Tshwane University of Technology’s Institute for the Future of Work. Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau; Director-General of the Department of the DSTI, Dr Mlungisi Cele; ICASA Chairperson Mothibi Ramusi; and academic and industry thought leaders will be among the dignitaries debating the future of work at the 4th Annual Future of Work National Dialogue next month.The event, to be staged on 1-2 October at The Maslow, in Pretoria, will be hosted by Tshwane University of Technology’s Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW).Key themes at this year’s National Dialogue will be…