Author: Okikiola O. Johnson

OpenAI has officially unveiled GPT-5.6, its latest generation of artificial intelligence models, at a time when the United States government is taking a more active role in overseeing the development and release of advanced AI systems. The launch comes amid growing regulatory discussions in Washington, where policymakers are weighing how to balance AI innovation with concerns around cybersecurity, national security, and public safety. Reports indicate that GPT-5.6 will initially be released through a limited preview program, with access restricted to a select group of approved partners before a broader rollout. Recent reports suggest federal officials have been closely involved in…

LAGOS — France and Nigeria have strengthened their economic partnership with a renewed commitment to artificial intelligence (AI), agritech and human capital development, as business leaders, policymakers and industry stakeholders gathered in Lagos for the France-Nigeria Business and Human Capital Development Forum. The forum, organised by Lagos Business School (LBS), brought together key representatives from both countries to explore new opportunities for collaboration in technology, agriculture, entrepreneurship and workforce development. Read also: IUCEA Launches Regional AI Alliance to Unite East African Efforts A major highlight of the discussions was the growing role of artificial intelligence in driving innovation, improving productivity…

The Five Eyes intelligence alliance has issued a stark warning over the rapid development of advanced artificial intelligence models, highlighting growing concerns that they could significantly increase cyber security risks. The alliance, which brings together intelligence agencies from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, cautioned that the speed and scale of AI advancement may outpace existing safeguards designed to prevent misuse. Related: New AI Models Could Trigger Financial System Shock According to the warning, fast-evolving AI systems could lower barriers for cyber criminals and state-linked actors, potentially enabling more sophisticated and widespread cyber attacks. The assessment…

The educational landscape in Nigeria is undergoing a massive digital shift. According to recent Google Search data, a staggering 93% of Nigerians use AI tools to learn and understand complex topics, a figure that sits comfortably above the global average of 74%. Faced with overcrowded classrooms, expensive textbooks, and the high-stakes pressure of examinations like JAMB, WAEC, and NECO, Nigerian students are taking matters into their own hands. They are converting standard smartphones into hyper-personalised, 24/7 academic clinics. If you are a student looking to boost your grades, or an educator trying to understand how the classroom is evolving, here…

The initiative is a targeted funding rollout under the TETFund Special Intervention Projects. The fund is establishing six brand-new Centres of Excellence distributed equally across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones. This increases the total number of TETFund-supported Centres of Excellence nationwide from 30 to 36. Each designated beneficiary institution such as Lagos State University (LASU) for the South-West zone and the Federal University Lokoja for the North-Central zone receives a massive ₦3 billion grant. These public universities use the capital to build advanced labs, install state-of-the-art computational infrastructure, and deploy specialized robotics kits. Read also: Lokoja Varsity Secures ₦3bn TETFund AI Centre…

The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism has opened applications for its latest round of journalism grants aimed at supporting in-depth reporting on artificial intelligence and its growing impact on society. The program offers grants ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 to journalists and media creators pursuing original reporting projects focused on artificial intelligence. The funding is available to both freelance and staff journalists, with a primary emphasis on written journalism, although proposals in other journalistic formats may also be considered. Applications for the current funding round will close on July 12. According to the Tarbell Center, the initiative is designed to…

The Osun State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have advocated the deployment of digital learning technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) as part of efforts to tackle the growing challenge of out-of-school children and expand access to quality education. The call was made during a two-day Media Dialogue on Digital Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Skills Development for Out-of-School Children organised by the Osun State Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNICEF. Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Education, Adedipo Eluwole, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Murtala Adekilekun Jimoh, said digital technology and AI present…

Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important part of the shopping journey for Nigerian consumers, with 88% reporting that they have used AI-powered tools to assist with purchases, according to a new study commissioned by Visa. The findings, published in Visa’s 2026 Stay Secure study and conducted by Wakefield Research, offer fresh insight into how emerging technologies are reshaping consumer behaviour across digital commerce while highlighting ongoing concerns around trust and online fraud. According to the report, Nigerian consumers are actively using AI tools for a range of shopping-related activities, including checking product reviews and ratings (56%), comparing prices (54%),…

The Chinekezi brothers, Ted (22) and Jesse (20), have officially launched their flagship artificial intelligence platform, Multiverse, under their tech startup, Avatar and Qantum AI Technologies Limited, with operations based in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria. The young programmers describe Multiverse as an advanced “vibe coder” designed to democratise software development across Africa by enabling users to build digital products using simple natural language instructions. The platform is built to generate functional websites, applications, software systems, and other digital products directly from text prompts, removing the need for traditional programming skills. According to the founders, the mission is to expand access…

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has officially released Claude Fable 5, the public-facing version of its previously restricted Claude Mythos model, marking a major development in the company’s frontier AI lineup. Claude Mythos had earlier been withheld from public release due to internal safety concerns, with engineers warning that its advanced capabilities in areas such as cybersecurity and complex reasoning could pose significant misuse risks. The newly released Claude Fable 5 retains much of Mythos’ underlying architecture but introduces extensive safety guardrails designed to prevent harmful applications. According to the company, the system now restricts or blocks high-risk queries related to…