Savvy to the Rescue: Savyour Becomes World’s First-Ever Cashback App with AI-Backed Shopping Assistant:
Savyour, the pioneering cashback app from Pakistan, today marks a significant global breakthrough with the launch of ‘Savvy‘; the world’s first AI-based assistant featured within the cashback app. This revolutionary feature is adept at handling everyday shopping inquiries and directing users toward the most rewarding cashback options based on location. It sets Savyour apart as a trailblazer in AI-assisted shopping experiences. Harnessing the power of advanced natural language processing and machine learning algorithms, Savvy offers seamless, real-time chat support in two languages – English and Roman Urdu: providing an unparalleled, human-like shopping experience.
Ufone 4g Connects Pilgrims Through Its Industry-Best Hajj Data Roaming Offer:
Pakistani telecom operator, Ufone 4G is providing seamless data connectivity through its industry-best and most competitive ‘Hajj Data Roaming Offer’ to its prepaid customers travelling to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for Hajj. The exceptionally affordable offer comes with generous allocations of data volume and allows exclusive access to WhatsApp calls for unrestricted communication with friends and family back home. The offer has been designed to provide a worry-free user experience to Ufone 4G customers during the pilgrimage. The large volume of data allows for easy exchange of photos, videos and video calls from the Holy Land so the pilgrims can virtually include their friends and family in the blessed experience. Customers may choose from three data buckets of varying volume depending upon their budget and need. Each of these bundles has a validity of 30 days.
Meet Muhammad Yahya Khan: The Architect of Bank Alfalah’s Digital Banking Triumph!:
Bank Alfalah, one of Pakistan’s leading banks, has recently made a significant leap in the digital banking space by establishing its first-ever Digital Lifestyle Branch. Behind this groundbreaking initiative is Yahya Khan. Mr. Muhammad Yahya Khan, Group Head of Digital Banking at Bank Alfalah, with over 27 years of banking and non-banking experience, has held key positions in renowned organizations such as ICI Pakistan, Unilever Pakistan, and J.P. Morgan Chase Bank. In a recent interview, Khan shed light on the innovative strategies and goals driving the bank’s digital transformation.
Planning Minister Chairs Inaugural Meeting of AI Task Force:
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal presided over the inaugural meeting with the members of the task force on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The meeting marked the beginning of a collaborative effort to harness the potential of AI and pave the way for Pakistan’s knowledge economy in line with Vision2025. During the meeting, the minister highlighted the establishment of national centers for artificial intelligence, cyber security, automation, robotics, big data, and cloud computing, and applied mathematics which has significantly contributed to the country’s progress in the domains. He acknowledged the revolutionary impact of AI in various sectors, shaping the way people live, learn, work, and even how governments operate. Citing his recent participation in an AI forum in China, he expressed admiration for the progress made by Asian countries, particularly China, in AI development.
PTA Receives 13,000 Complaints Against Telcos in April:
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) received 13,291 complaints from telecom consumers against different telecom operators and cellular operators in April 2023, out of which 13,192 (99.3 percent) were resolved. Official data revealed that the complaints were received against various telecom operators, including cellular mobile operators (CMOs), Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL), long-distance international (LDI) operators, wireless local loop (WLL) operators, and internet service providers (ISPs), during April. Cellular mobile subscribers constitute a major part of the overall telecom subscriber base. Therefore, the maximum number of complaints belongs to this segment. The total number of complaints against CMOs by April stood at 12,886, out of which 12,837 (99.6 percent) were addressed.
3G/4G Users in Pakistan Decrease by 0.56 Million in April:
The number of 3G and 4G users in Pakistan decreased by 0.56 million from 124.85 million by end-March to 124.29 million by end-April 2023, according to data released by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The number of cellular subscribers in Pakistan decreased from 194.12 million by end-March to 192.60 million by end-April i.e. by 1.52 million. The Monthly Next Generation Mobile Service (NGMS) penetration decreased from 52.79 percent by end-March to 52.47 percent by end-April. The broadband penetration decreased from 54.13 percent by end-March to 53.8 percent by end-April. The cellular teledensity has declined from 82.08 percent by end-March to 81.3 percent by end-April. Total teledensity decreased from 83.17 percent by end-March to 82.39 percent by end-April. Jazz’s total count for 3G users declined from 4.626 million by end-March to 4.510 million by end-April registering a decrease of 0.116 million. Jazz 4G users decreased from 42.916 million by end-March to 42.588 million by end-April 2023.
TikToker Arrested Again for Filming Inside Police Station:
Another day, another TikToker got in trouble for their social media shenanigans. Raees Jaffar managed to get himself arrested twice in a single day due to a TikTok video. Granted, the first time it had nothing to do with TikTok, but it was his fault both times. Tiktoker Raees Jaffar was initially caught by police officers for not having ownership documentation for his car. He was taken to the Shah Faisal police station for this infraction, but while waiting for his parents to bring in the documents, he had the bright idea to film a TikTok with his feet up on the desk.
Governor SBP Felicitates Bank Alfalah for Redefining Banking With the Inauguration of Pakistan’s First Digital Lifestyle Branch:
Governor State Bank of Pakistan, Mr. Jameel Ahmad, has said that Pakistan’s banking industry was investing in technological upgrades to facilitate its customers and improve their overall banking experience. He was optimistic that exciting projects like Bank Alfalah’s First Digital Lifestyle Branch would unlock new opportunities, making banking easier to access and leading a more financially inclusive and digitally empowered nation. He was addressing the launch ceremony of Bank Alfalah’s First Digital Lifestyle Branch, a unique digital experience hub designed to fulfill customers’ financial and lifestyle needs.
Netflix is Making a Major Game With God of War’s Ex Art Director and Other Industry Veterans:
A few years back, Netflix made its initial foray into the gaming industry by introducing a steadily expanding collection of mobile games. However, it became evident that this move was merely a precursor to a more ambitious plan. Netflix then proceeded to acquire Night School Studio (known for Oxenfree), Next Games, and Boss Fight Entertainment, signaling its commitment to gaming. Furthermore, the company established two studios, one located in Helsinki and another in Southern California. The California-based studio launch coincided with an announcement by Mike Verdu, the vice president of gaming at Netflix, confirming the company’s serious exploration of developing its own cloud gaming platform.
Elon Musk’s Twitter loses second trust and safety chief:
Twitter’s second head of trust and safety under owner Elon Musk has resigned, according to reports. Ella Irwin took the post when previous head Yoel Roth left in November 2022 – a month after Mr Musk took over the company. The head of trust and safety is tasked with content moderation, a topic which has come under the spotlight since Mr Musk’s takeover. The BBC has approached Twitter and Ms Irwin for comment. She confirmed to both Reuters and the Wall Street Journal that she has stepped down. The reason for her resignation is unclear.
Brighton: Poor mobile coverage causes stress and anxiety:
Brighton residents claim poor mobile phone coverage is causing them frustration, stress and anxiety. Customers on O2 and Giffgaff, which run on the same network, say they have had issues accessing data for months. O2 has apologised to customers experiencing intermittent service issues and said it was “working to boost capacity and ease congestion”. The provider has installed a new temporary mast and has plans in place to build a second. However, they could not provide a completion date for this and said obstacles outside of their control, such as planning issues, could make it a “lengthy process”.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opens ground-breaking franchise to female fans:
A fourth Spider-Man film featuring the box-office winning combo of Tom Holland and Zendaya is also in the works, but has seen development paused by the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike, according to producer Amy Pascal in an interview with Variety. Their last movie Spider-Man: No Way Home made more than $1.9bn worldwide. Meanwhile, Across the Spider-Verse has had strong advance sales and is forecast to rake in as much as $100m during its opening weekend in the US. Five years ago, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse took the bold step of experimenting not just with a new Black web-slinging hero, but in its use of a variety of animation techniques not seen before on the big screen. Some critics said it would be hard for a sequel to top the ground-breaking look and feel of the 2018 original.
The tech tricks that make computer games look real:
The police officer approaches a derelict, graffiti-scrawled industrial building. His bodycam, shaking as he steps forward, captures the scene. It is overcast. Weeds push through paving cracks outside. A dog barks somewhere in the distance but nobody seems to be around. Inside the shadowy, rubble-filled interior, it becomes clear people are hiding here. People who would kill him.
Eating disorder group pulls chatbot sharing diet advice:
A US organisation that supports people with eating disorders has suspended use of a chatbot after reports it shared harmful advice. The National Eating Disorder Association (Neda) recently closed its live helpline and directed people seeking help to other resources, including the chatbot. The AI bot, named “Tessa,” has been taken down, the association said. It will be investigating reports about the bot’s behaviour. In recent weeks, some social media users posted screenshots of their experience with the chatbot online. They said the bot continued to recommend behaviours like calorie restriction and dieting, even after it was told the user had an eating disorder.
Elon Musk: Twitter boss reclaims title of world’s richest person:
Elon Musk has reclaimed his title as the world’s richest person, knocking the boss of luxury goods giant LVMH, Bernard Arnault, off the top spot. His net worth has soared by $55.3bn (£44.44bn) since January to $192bn, after a rise in the value of his electric car company Tesla. Mr Arnault’s fortune has fallen by $24.5bn to $187bn, per Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index. He is followed by Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates in third and fourth positions. Mr Arnault, 74, had overtaken Mr Musk, 51, on the the rich list in December when shares in LVMH jumped as demand for luxury goods rebounded.
France influencers: Jail threat for those found flouting new ad laws:
Influencers in France could now face jail time if they are found to have broken new promotion regulations, after legislation was formally adopted on Thursday. The tough new laws aim to protect consumers from misleading or fake commercial practices online. They restrict the promotion of lottery and betting games, and ban the advertisement of items such as tobacco. It is the first time the role has been legally defined in Europe. The cross-party legislation was passed unanimously in a Senate vote on Wednesday after making its way through the rest of parliament. Influencers are online personalities who have large numbers of subscribers and can set trends. Some encourage people to buy the products they are promoting but often do not declare they are accepting money in return for advertising them.
Powerful artificial-intelligence ban possible, government adviser warns:
Some very powerful artificial-general-intelligence systems may eventually have to be banned, a member of the government’s AI Council has said. Marc Warner, also boss of Faculty AI, said AGI needed strong transparency and audit requirements as well as more inbuilt safety technology. And the next six months to a year would require “sensible decisions” on AGI. His comments follow the EU and US jointly saying a voluntary code of practice for AI was needed soon.
Andrew Tate BBC interview: Influencer challenged on misogyny and rape allegations:
Andrew Tate has denied fuelling a culture of misogyny and defended his reputation in a combative interview with the BBC. When the BBC put a range of allegations to him – including specific accusations of rape, human trafficking and exploiting women, for which he is being investigated by Romanian prosecutors – he dismissed them. When pushed on whether his controversial views on women harmed young people, the influencer claimed he was a “force for good” and that he was “acting under the instruction of God to do good things”. This was Mr Tate’s first television interview with a major broadcaster since being released into house arrest from police custody in Romania in April. Mr Tate, who has repeatedly expressed his mistrust of traditional media, has a huge following online but his views have until now gone unchallenged in a direct interview like this.
UK government largely run on WhatsApp says ex-comms chief:
The UK government is “largely run by WhatsApp” according to Boris Johnson’s former communications chief, as the deadline for the ex prime minister’s unredacted messages looms. Guto Harri said it is sign that political communication has changed. Mr Johnson is urging the government to hand the material to the Covid inquiry in full without redactions. The public hearing, which begins in two weeks, is investigating how ministers handled the pandemic. Mr Harri, the Welsh former Downing Street head of communications, told Radio Wales that the global pandemic had “blurred the boundaries” between official communication and conversations on sites like WhatsApp. WhatsApp allows users to send messages, images, audio or video.