The latest layoffs affect parts of Amazon’s AGI organisation, although the company has not disclosed how many employees lost their roles.

Workers in teams led by Adeeb Shanaa, vice president of AGI Data Services, and Vishal Sharma, vice president of AGI Information, said they were affected, according to posts shared on online forums.

Confirming the decision after a Reuters inquiry, an Amazon spokesperson said the company is committed to developing advanced AI systems but is narrowing its focus to projects it considers most important.

“We’ve been building large AI models for several years, and it remains one of the most important things we’re working on. We’re sharpening our focus on the initiatives that matter most for customers, so we can move faster on what counts.

“That focus means some difficult decisions, including eliminating some roles within parts of our AGI organisation.”

The layoffs follow changes in Amazon’s AI leadership over the past several months. Rohit Prasad, who previously led the company’s AGI efforts, left Amazon at the end of last year. David Luan, who headed the AGI Lab, also departed in February.

Following those exits, Amazon placed its AGI operations under Senior Vice President Peter DeSantis in December. His expanded responsibilities now include the company’s AGI work alongside its silicon development and quantum computing teams.

The latest cuts add to Amazon’s workforce reductions this year. In January, the company eliminated about 16,000 jobs across several business units. Earlier this month, it also reduced around 900 corporate positions in areas including human resources, finance and customer support as it improves efficiency.

Despite the restructuring, Amazon has repeatedly said AI is one of its biggest priorities. The company heavily invests in large AI models, cloud infrastructure through AWS and AI-powered services across its business.

Artificial General Intelligence refers to a theoretical form of AI that can perform intellectual tasks at or above human level while learning and improving independently. Although such systems have not yet been achieved, Amazon is among several technology companies working towards that goal.

Other firms, including OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind, are also investing heavily in advanced AI research as competition in the sector continues to grow.

The post Amazon Cuts More Jobs in AGI Unit as It Reshuffles AI Teams appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The company disclosed on Tuesday that the incident happened while it was testing the cyber capabilities of several advanced models, including GPT-5.6 Sol and a more capable pre-release model.

According to OpenAI, the models bypassed restrictions, gained internet access and later breached Hugging Face’s production systems in an attempt to complete a testing task.

OpenAI described the incident as “an unprecedented cyber incident, involving state-of-the-art cyber capabilities” and said it is enhancing security measures while working with Hugging Face to complete the investigation.

The company said the models were taking part in an internal evaluation based on ExploitGym, a benchmark designed to measure how well AI systems can carry out complex cyberattacks using known software vulnerabilities.

Although the testing environment was isolated, the models had limited access to install software packages through an internal package registry. OpenAI said the models found and exploited an undisclosed zero-day vulnerability in that system, allowing them to reach the wider internet.

Once online, the models identified Hugging Face as a likely source of datasets and benchmark solutions linked to ExploitGym.

OpenAI said the AI systems then searched for weaknesses in Hugging Face’s infrastructure and successfully combined several attack methods to gain access to confidential information stored in the company’s production database.

“The models were hyperfocused on finding a solution for ExploitGym, going to extreme lengths to achieve a rather narrow testing goal,” OpenAI said.

“After gaining Internet access, the models inferred that Hugging Face potentially hosted models, datasets and solutions for ExploitGym. Knowing this, the model searched for and successfully found ways to gain access to secret information that it could use to cheat the evaluation.”

OpenAI said its internal security team detected the unusual activity before informing Hugging Face. The two companies then worked together to contain the breach and begin a forensic investigation.

Last week, Hugging Face revealed that it had stopped what it described as an unusual cyberattack driven entirely by an autonomous AI agent.

The company said the attack involved “many thousands of individual actions across a swarm of short-lived sandboxes, with self-migrating command-and-control staged on public services,” making it unlike previous incidents it had handled.

Clem Delangue, Hugging Face co-founder and chief executive, later confirmed that the company had suspected the attack came from a leading AI laboratory.

In a post on X, he wrote: “It’s quite mind-blowing that all of this happened autonomously!”

Following OpenAI’s disclosure, Delangue welcomed the company’s decision to publicly explain what happened.

“We’re grateful for the collaboration with OpenAI on this and other topics. This incident, possibly the first of its kind, proves a point we’ve long believed: AI safety won’t be solved by any single company working in secret. It will be solved in the open, collaboratively, with broad access to AI for every defender, everywhere.”

OpenAI said it has already reported the zero-day vulnerability used during the incident to the affected software vendor and is helping develop a fix.

The company is also introducing better management around its testing infrastructure, strengthening monitoring systems and adding more safeguards to future cybersecurity evaluations.

Some of those changes would slow research but were necessary to reduce the risk of similar incidents.

Reacting to the incident, U.S. Representative Greg Casar called for stronger oversight of AI development.

“AI is developing extremely fast with no real regulations to keep us safe,” he said, urging mandatory independent safety testing, compulsory reporting of security incidents and greater international cooperation.

Cybersecurity experts also said the incident should serve as a warning for the wider industry.

Katie Moussouris, chief executive of Luta Security, said: “Labs and government evaluators need to work on the ability to contain, monitor, and disclose to affected parties when an AI pulls another Houdini, ideally before it harms a third party. None exist today.”

Matt Suiche, an engineer at agentic AI cybersecurity company Tolmo, said the attack showed that advanced AI systems were rapidly improving their offensive cyber capabilities, although he added that similar attacks could already be carried out using technology available outside frontier AI laboratories.

The post OpenAI Admits AI Model Hacked Hugging Face During Internal Security Test appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Apple’s market value stood at about $4.88 trillion on Friday after its shares held steady. Nvidia’s valuation fell to around $4.86 trillion after its stock dropped 3.5%.

The change ends Nvidia’s run at the top, which began in June 2025. The chipmaker became the first company to cross a $5 trillion market valuation in October last year, driven by strong demand for its artificial intelligence chips.

Now, investors appear to be giving more weight to companies that can generate steady earnings from AI without spending heavily on infrastructure.

“Apple was seen as a laggard in the AI race because it wasn’t spending to develop models, but now sentiment has changed,” said Toni Meadows, head of investment at BRI Wealth Management.

“Apple is less exposed to capex intensity and better positioned ⁠to monetise AI via services, ecosystem lock-in, and hardware upgrades. The re-rating reflects confidence in earnings durability rather than speculative AI upside.”

Apple’s rise is also linked to its AI plans. Last month, the company launched a major upgrade to Siri, rolling out the improved assistant across iOS 27 and other Apple devices after months of delays. The update is expected to strengthen Apple’s stand against larger technology competitors and newer AI companies.

The company is also entering a period of leadership change. Chief Executive Tim Cook is due to step down in September, with hardware chief John Ternus set to take over. Investors are watching to see whether Apple’s recent AI investments will strengthen the business under the new leadership.

Some analysts believe Apple has another advantage. The company holds large amounts of personal data across millions of iPhones, which could make Siri more useful and accurate. However, Apple must balance that opportunity with its long-standing privacy commitments, which limit how such data can be used.

Although Apple has reclaimed the top position, analysts do not believe Nvidia has lost its importance. The company is still the leading supplier of graphics processors that power most generative AI systems, and a fresh wave of spending on AI infrastructure could lift its value again.

“I don’t see any meaningful distinction. Nvidia is likely to be a significant participant in whatever happens going forward,” said Benjamin Hall, vice president, alpha research at Segal Marco Advisors.

Investor interest is also spreading beyond the biggest technology companies. Memory chipmakers have attracted attention as demand grows for storage and memory used in AI systems.

Micron crossed the $1 trillion market value mark in May, while South Korea’s SK Hynix joined the Nasdaq earlier this month, giving investors another major semiconductor company to watch.

“The new entrants to the market could spread ⁠out the focus away from the pure Magnificent Seven names into a wider number of names,” Hall said.

The semiconductor sector has faced challenges in recent weeks. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index has fallen nearly 19% from its July peak as investors reassess expectations for AI-related stocks. Even so, the index has still delivered a stronger performance this year than Nvidia’s shares.

The post Apple Overtakes Nvidia as World’s Most Valuable Company appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Oakland, California, challenges Meta’s decision to cut thousands of jobs earlier this year.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to temporarily stop the planned layoffs while they pursue their claims through private arbitration.

The employees were informed in May that their roles would end from July 22. They allege that Meta relied on internal systems that assessed employee performance, including productivity scores and measures linked to the use of AI tools.

According to the complaint, Meta used several internal tools to rank employees during the selection process. These included Metamate, the company’s large language model assistant, an employee-trained “second brain” system that analysed workplace communications and documents, and productivity scores based on data such as emails, browser activity, screen content and keystrokes.

The plaintiffs also claimed Meta tracked employees’ use of AI tools through token usage dashboards and that these measures placed workers who took medical, parental or disability leave at a disadvantage.

The lawsuit argues that Meta’s approach violated US laws protecting workers from discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

The employees further alleged that Meta failed to properly test its AI systems for bias, which they said breached recently introduced AI-related regulations in California and New York City.

Meta has rejected the accusations. A company spokesperson said the allegations lacked merit and denied that AI systems made the layoff decisions.

“Workforce management and organisational decisions were and are made by people, not AI,” the spokesperson said.

Meta reduced its global workforce by about 10% in May, cutting nearly 8,000 jobs as part of a restructuring programme. The company has increased spending on artificial intelligence and has placed AI development at the centre of its future plans.

The lawsuit is among the first major legal challenges in the United States to question the role of AI in workforce reductions. The case could influence how companies use automated tools for employment decisions, particularly as businesses increasingly rely on data-driven systems to assess workers.

The plaintiffs, who filed the case anonymously, come from six states and Washington, DC. They argue that existing workplace protections should also apply when companies use AI systems to make decisions that affect employees’ careers.

The post Meta Sued Over Alleged Use of AI Tools in Employee Layoff Decisions appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Then you discover none of it was real.

This is the new face of online fraud, criminals do not rely on poorly written emails or suspicious messages filled with spelling mistakes anymore. They are using artificial intelligence (AI) to produce convincing voices, realistic videos, personalised emails and fake websites that are difficult to distinguish from the real thing.

In Nigeria, this risk is growing as more people now bank on their phones, shop online, work remotely and use digital platforms every day. While these technologies have made life easier, they have also created new opportunities for fraudsters.

The issue has gone beyond whether AI can be used to commit fraud because it already is. The focus now is on whether internet users can recognise these scams before they become victims.

Here are seven AI-enabled scams Nigerians should know before the end of 2026.

1. Voice-cloning scams are becoming alarmingly convincing

Imagine receiving a frantic phone call from someone who sounds exactly like your brother or sister. They claim to have been involved in an accident and urgently need money.

Most people would not think twice.

Voice-cloning technology allows fraudsters to recreate a person’s voice using just a few seconds of audio, usually taken from social media videos, voice notes or online interviews. Once they have enough audio samples, they can generate speech that closely matches the person’s tone, accent and manner of speaking.

Businesses are also at risk, with executives now receiving calls that appear to come from senior colleagues requesting urgent transfers or confidential information.

The safest response is never to rely on a voice message alone. If the request involves money or sensitive information, end the call and contact the person through a known number or arrange a video call.

2. Deepfake videos are making fake endorsements look real

Celebrities, business leaders and public officials have always been targets for impersonation. AI has taken this to another level.

Deepfake technology can create videos that make people appear to say things they never said. Fraudsters have used these videos to promote fake investment schemes, cryptocurrency platforms and giveaway promotions.

A convincing video featuring a well-known personality can quickly spread across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or WhatsApp before anyone realises it is fake.

The best defence is healthy scepticism. Before investing money or sharing personal information, verify whether the organisation has announced the promotion through its official website or verified social media accounts.

If an offer promises unusually high returns or demands immediate action, that should raise concern.

3. Phishing emails no longer look suspicious

For many years, phishing emails were relatively easy to identify. They contained obvious grammar mistakes, awkward sentences and generic greetings.

That is changing.

AI tools can now produce professional-looking emails in seconds. Fraudsters can personalise messages using publicly available information, making them appear as though they came from a bank, government agency, delivery company or even a colleague.

Some messages include your name, workplace or recent purchases, making them appear genuine.

Instead of clicking links immediately, take a moment to examine the sender’s email address. If something feels unusual, visit the company’s website directly instead of following the link provided.

A few extra seconds can prevent a costly mistake.

4. Fake job offers are targeting desperate job seekers

The competitive job market in Nigeria has created an opportunity that fraudsters are eager to exploit.

Many fake recruitment campaigns now look remarkably authentic. They include professional websites, realistic interview invitations and convincing email exchanges.

Some even conduct online interviews using AI-powered chat systems before asking applicants to pay for training materials, equipment, visa processing or administrative fees.

Legitimate employers rarely ask candidates to pay before offering a job.

Applicants should verify vacancies through the company’s official website and confirm recruiters’ identities on professional networking platforms before sharing personal documents.

If payment is requested at any stage of the recruitment process, it is worth asking difficult questions.

5. Fake AI investment platforms are preying on fear of missing out

AI has become one of the most popular marketing terms in technology and fraudsters know this.

Today, many fake investment schemes claim to use AI-powered trading systems that supposedly guarantee extraordinary profits with little or no risk.

Some platforms promise daily returns. Others advertise automated cryptocurrency trading or foreign exchange investments managed entirely by AI.

No investment can guarantee consistent profits without risk.

Before investing, confirm whether the company is registered with the appropriate regulators. Research independent reviews and avoid platforms that pressure investors to act immediately or recruit additional participants.

When returns sound too good to be true, they usually are.

6. Fake AI apps and browser extensions are stealing personal information

The growing popularity of AI assistants has created another problem.

Cybercriminals have released fake versions of well-known AI applications and browser extensions designed to steal passwords, banking details and cryptocurrency wallets.

Some imitate trusted software so closely that users struggle to notice the difference.

Downloading applications only from official app stores or developers’ websites significantly reduces this risk.

It is also worth reviewing app permissions. An AI writing assistant, for example, should not require access to your contacts, photos or banking information.

7. Online shopping scams are becoming more sophisticated

Shopping online has become part of everyday life for many Nigerians.

Fraudsters are using AI to create realistic product images, write convincing customer reviews and build professional-looking online stores within hours.

Some even deploy automated customer service chatbots that answer questions instantly, creating the impression of a legitimate business.

Unfortunately, the product either never arrives or bears little resemblance to what was advertised.

Before making a purchase, check independent reviews, confirm the seller’s history and avoid paying through unfamiliar channels.

A reverse image search can also reveal whether product photographs have been copied from genuine retailers.

Why AI is making fraud more difficult to detect

Traditional scams usually failed because they looked unprofessional.

AI has removed many of those obvious warning signs.

Messages are better written, videos appear realistic, voices sound familiar, and fraudsters can personalise attacks at a scale that was previously impossible, making victims feel they are dealing with someone they know or trust.

This does not mean every polished email or realistic video is fraudulent. It simply means people can no longer judge authenticity by appearance alone.

Verification has become far more important than first impressions.

How you can protect yourself

While AI-powered scams are becoming more sophisticated, simple habits can still prevent many attacks.

• Never transfer money based solely on a phone call, voice note or email.
• Verify urgent requests using a trusted contact method.
• Enable two-factor authentication on important accounts.
• Download applications only from official app stores and verified developers.
• Be cautious of investment opportunities promising guaranteed returns.
• Check website addresses carefully before entering passwords.
• Research companies and recruiters independently before sharing personal information.
• Avoid acting under pressure. Fraudsters often create a false sense of urgency to stop victims from thinking clearly.

Staying one step ahead

Artificial intelligence is transforming industries, improving customer service and helping businesses become more productive. It is also giving criminals new ways to deceive people.

Technology itself is not the problem, the problem lies in how it is used.

With more Nigerians embracing digital services, protecting ourselves will depend less on spotting obvious mistakes and more on developing better online habits. Taking a few minutes to verify a request, question an unexpected message or confirm the identity of a caller may seem inconvenient.

In reality, those few minutes could save your money, your personal information and your peace of mind.

The post AI Scams Are Getting Smarter: 7 Threats Nigerians Should Watch for Before the End of 2026 appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Speaking during an internal town hall on Thursday, Zuckerberg admitted that development had slowed despite the company’s major investment in AI infrastructure.

Looking back at the past four months, he said the “trajectory of the agentic development over at least the last four months hasn’t really accelerated in the way that we expected,” adding that the company’s bets on its new structure “haven’t come to fruition yet.”

Meta began a major overhaul earlier this year as it sought to shift more resources towards AI.

In May, the company cut about 10 per cent of its global workforce, affecting roughly 8,000 employees, while around 7,000 others were moved into AI-focused teams, including one known as Agent Transformation.

Zuckerberg also acknowledged that the restructuring itself could have been handled better.

He said the process was not as “clean” as it could have been because executives had misjudged the timing of the changes.

Explaining why the company moved ahead with the overhaul, Zuckerberg said discussions with senior leaders early in the year showed there was concern that Meta was not moving quickly enough.

“Conversations he was having ‘with our top people’ when they started planning the restructuring in January and February ‘were that they were worried that we weren’t going to move fast enough to adapt,'” he told employees.

He added that executives had been “super optimistic” about tools such as Claude Code, developed by AI startup Anthropic, and expected faster progress than the company has seen so far.

Even so, Zuckerberg said he believes Meta will begin to see stronger returns from its AI investments within the next three to six months.

The company is expected to spend as much as $145 billion on AI infrastructure this year, making it one of the biggest investors in the technology.

The spending is part of a bigger push by technology companies, which are projected to invest more than $700 billion in AI during the year.

During the same town hall, Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, addressed concerns over the company’s controversial mouse-tracking software, which was suspended last month after a data security incident.

Bosworth said an internal review found that no employee data had been included in AI training.

He also said that if the software returns after the review is completed, employees will be able to choose whether to take part.

“For people who are comfortable, that’s great, they can contribute to this kind of great human survey. To people who are not, it is not an issue,” Bosworth said.

The software, introduced on employees’ computers in the United States in April, initially did not give staff the option to opt out. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on the discussions at the town hall.

The post Meta Restructuring Fails to Deliver Expected AI Progress, Zuckerberg Says appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

This comes as the company focuses on reducing costs while increasing investment in artificial intelligence.

According to people familiar with the plans, the cuts will affect fewer than 2.5% of Microsoft’s global workforce. With about 220,000 employees worldwide, that would amount to approximately 5,000 roles.

The layoffs will affect several parts of the business, including sales, consulting and the Xbox gaming division. One person familiar with the matter said some affected employees could be offered other roles within the company immediately after the announcement.

Microsoft has not commented on the reports.

The company has regularly taken decisions on its workforce at the start of a new financial year. In May last year, Microsoft cut about 6,000 jobs before announcing another round of roughly 9,000 layoffs in July, representing nearly 4% of its workforce.

This latest round is expected to be smaller than last year’s exercise. People familiar with the matter said the company had already reduced the number of compulsory layoffs after many eligible employees accepted a voluntary retirement programme introduced earlier this year in the United States.

The programme was open to employees at level 67 and below who met the company’s age and service requirements. Sales staff on commission-based pay were excluded from the offer.

The planned cuts come as Microsoft spends heavily on AI and cloud infrastructure. Reports say the company invested more than $100 billion in AI and cloud projects during the 2026 financial year, with a large share going towards AI chips and related infrastructure.

The Xbox business is also expected to face significant changes. The gaming division has been under pressure after years of heavy spending on content, hardware and gaming platforms.

Earlier this year, Xbox Gaming Chief Executive Officer Asha Sharma told employees the business needed a “reset”. Reports have also suggested that Microsoft is reviewing parts of its gaming operations, with some studios facing an uncertain future.

Before now, several companies have reduced their workforce this year as they balance AI investment with efforts to control operating costs.

Meta announced plans to cut about 10% of its workforce this year, while Amazon said it would eliminate about 16,000 jobs globally.

Data also shows technology companies in the United States have announced more than 123,000 job cuts in 2026, with growing AI investment being one of the main reasons behind many of the reductions.

The post Microsoft To Cut About 5,000 Jobs As AI Spending Increases appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The report said Google informed Meta around March that it could not supply the full Gemini capacity the company wanted to buy. The shortfall reportedly delayed some of Meta’s internal AI projects and forced teams to adjust their work.

Meta was not the only customer affected. However, the report said the impact on the social media company was greater because of its unusually high demand for Google’s AI models.

Neither Google nor Meta responded to requests for comment outside normal business hours.

As a result of the restrictions, Meta reportedly asked employees to use AI tokens more carefully. AI tokens are the units used to measure activity on AI models and play a key role in managing computing resources.

The reported limits highlight the problem facing the technology industry. Companies invest billions of dollars in chips and data centres, yet demand for computing power still exceeds available supply as businesses expand their AI services.

Google has already acknowledged those capacity challenges. During the company’s first-quarter earnings report, Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said computing power limitations prevented Google Cloud from growing even faster. 

He added that the cloud division’s backlog almost doubled from the previous quarter, despite generating $20 billion in revenue during the period.

Meta has been expanding its AI efforts across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, increasing demand for the computing power needed to train and run large AI models.

The company is also developing new AI agents and expanding its Llama family of models, making access to reliable computing infrastructure increasingly important.

The reported restrictions also reveal that even the world’s biggest technology companies are competing for limited AI resources. 

Demand for advanced chips and computing capacity overtakes supply, slowing some projects across the industry despite record levels of investment.

The post Google Limits Meta’s Access to Gemini AI Models Over Computing Capacity appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Speaking during AVEVA Day Nigeria in Lagos on Thursday, Khaled Salah, the company’s vice president for Africa, said discussions were already under way with universities to give engineering students practical experience with industrial software before entering the workforce. 

Salah said the company increased its focus on Africa earlier this year after separating its former Middle East and Africa business into two standalone regions. 

Under the new structure, he oversees the company’s growth strategy across Africa, with particular attention on six countries: Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Kenya.

For AVEVA, however, Nigeria stands out. “Nigeria is really the heart of the digital transformation in Africa,” Salah said.

He pointed to the country’s young population, established oil and gas industry and ongoing government digitalisation efforts as fundamental factors behind the company’s growing interest in the market.

According to him, AVEVA is backing that interest with increased investment in its local presence, stronger customer engagement and plans to expand its leadership footprint in the country.

“We need to tailor our technology, our go-to market strategy and model to Africa,” he said. “Africa should be Africa for Africa.”

Salah argued that multinational technology companies cannot simply import global models into African markets and expect the same results. Instead, he said solutions must be adapted to local realities, local industries and talent.

As part of that approach, AVEVA plans to strengthen investment in Nigerian technology partners while opening more opportunities for students and young engineers.

He revealed that the company is already engaging universities and plans to provide students access to gain hands-on experience with industrial software in laboratory environments.

Salah explained that many graduates leave school with strong theoretical knowledge but limited exposure to real industrial environments. Hence, introducing students to digital industrial technologies earlier, will shorten the transition from university to the workplace.

Beyond education, Salah said AVEVA is investing heavily in its partner ecosystem by providing training, technical support and access to global expertise.

He added that the long-term goal is to increase the number of Nigerians working in leadership positions within AVEVA’s operations across Africa.

On the technology side, Salah said many organisations already possess vast amounts of operational data but find it difficult to use it effectively.

According to him, one of the most common concerns raised by business leaders is how to increase production while reducing the costs of energy.

AVEVA’s response, he said, is to bring operational and engineering data together on a single platform, creating what the company describes as a digital twin, a digital representation of physical assets that gives executives real-time visibility into operations.

Once organisations achieve that level of visibility, they can make faster decisions, improve productivity, reduce costs and identify equipment issues before failures occur.

Salah noted that strong data foundations are also essential before companies can fully benefit from artificial intelligence.

“You cannot achieve that without the first foundation layer of data,” he said.

While AI is taking over conversations across industries, Salah believes many organisations are still failing to unlock its full value.

He said businesses usually focus on dashboards and visualisations but stop short of using AI to drive action. “If you don’t tell me what I should do to make it 90%, you didn’t really capture the AI,” he said while explaining how industrial AI differs from basic analytics.

For him, AI delivers value only when it helps operators make practical decisions, whether that involves maintenance, reducing energy consumption, improving efficiency or preventing equipment failures.

Even then, he stressed that human oversight will always be highly essential.

“We always put humans in the center of AI,” Salah said. “I will not let AI make a decision to shut down the factory. I will let AI advise to shut down the factory, and then the human will say, ‘Okay, I will shut down the factory.’”

Addressing the state of digital transformation in Nigeria, Salah identified scalability as the biggest challenge facing businesses.

While many companies have already launched pilot projects involving AI, automation and data analytics, he said, relatively few have expanded those projects across entire organisations.

“The technology exists. We have the technology right now,” he said. “The challenge that I see right now for Nigeria is moving from pilot to scalability.”

He argued that the next phase of growth will come when organisations stop testing isolated use cases and begin deploying proven technologies across multiple operations and facilities.

Salah also highlighted the role digital technologies can play in addressing energy challenges.

Rather than relying solely on the construction of new power infrastructure, he said, substantial growth can be achieved by improving the efficiency of existing industrial assets.

In helping operators optimise ageing factories, machinery and production systems, companies can reduce wasted energy and free up capacity for growing sectors such as artificial intelligence, data centres and advanced manufacturing.

Salah said AVEVA intends to focus on this, while expanding its engagement in Nigeria through closer collaboration with customers, universities, partners and stakeholders as the company pursues its vision of an Africa-led approach to digital transformation.

The post AVEVA Targets Nigeria as Africa’s Digital Transformation Hub, Plans University Partnerships, Local Talent Drive appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

One pupil wanted to create technology that could protect endangered animals. Another imagined an AI tool that could help lonely children find support. Others envisioned solutions for healthcare, education and climate challenges.

For many of the children, it was their first opportunity to think beyond artificial intelligence as merely a chatbot, a smartphone feature or a futuristic concept. Instead, they were encouraged to see AI as a tool for solving real-world problems.

Leading that conversation was Tosin Joseph, a Nigerian-born product and innovation leader, emerging technology researcher and STEM Ambassador, who was invited as a guest speaker during British Science Week 2026.

The annual event, organised across the United Kingdom from March 6 to 15, focused on the theme, “Curiosity: What’s Your Question?”, an invitation for young people to ask bold questions about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The theme aligned closely with Joseph’s message that curiosity remains the most important skill in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

Over the course of the week, he engaged approximately 300 pupils at Thornhill Primary School in Luton and Marston Vale Middle School in Bedfordshire, delivering presentations designed not only to explain AI but to make it relatable, practical and inspiring.

Making AI Human

Rather than beginning with technical definitions, Tosin started where children already live: everyday experiences.

He explained how AI powers tools many of them use daily, from voice assistants such as Siri and Alexa to recommendation systems on Netflix and navigation platforms like Google Maps.

The goal was simple: demystify AI.

Through examples ranging from language translation and self-driving vehicles to wildlife conservation and healthcare applications, he showed how artificial intelligence is increasingly woven into modern life.

More importantly, he emphasised a principle often missing from conversations about emerging technologies: AI is a tool, not a replacement for human creativity.

“You’re still the one with the big ideas,” one of his presentation slides reminded students. That message resonated strongly with educators.

Rebecca Therry of Thornhill Primary School described the session as inspiring, noting that pupils continued discussing AI-related ideas long after the presentation had ended.

“Thank you so much for the inspiring talk. The children really enjoyed it and have already come up with some wonderful ideas for future AI inventions,” she said. “The topic has also come up several times since in discussions linked to other areas of learning, which has been fantastic to see.”

Beyond the Hype

At a time when headlines about artificial intelligence are often dominated by fears of job displacement, misinformation and ethical concerns, Tosin chose a different route.

He focused on possibility.

Students learned how AI can help people who cannot speak communicate through eye-tracking systems, how machine learning can assist doctors in detecting illnesses earlier, and how conservationists use AI to monitor endangered wildlife. The sessions also explored how AI can assist learning through intelligent tutoring systems and language tools that help children from different linguistic backgrounds understand one another.

For Joseph, these examples are essential because they shift attention away from technology itself and towards human impact.

His presentations challenged students to think about the problems they care about and how emerging technologies might help solve them.

The exercise culminated in a practical workshop where pupils were encouraged to identify a challenge involving people, the planet or play and then imagine an AI-powered solution.

A Nigerian Voice in Global Technology Conversations

Tosin’s participation in British Science Week also highlights the growing influence of African professionals in global discussions around technology, innovation and digital futures.

A product and innovation lead, public-interest technologist, published author and researcher, he is known for his work examining the societal implications of emerging technologies.

He is the author of Robotic Intelligence: The Coming Wave in Healthcare and serves as executive curator of The World Ahead with Emerging Technologies, a research and thought-leadership series exploring ⁠how AI and other technologies are transforming different sectors and curating global solutions towards climate change.

His work spans AI governance, digital trust, healthcare innovation, cybersecurity, education technology and the digital economy.

Over the years, he has spoken at conferences, mentored young professionals and engaged with innovation ecosystems across multiple countries.

Yet, despite these accomplishments, Tosin believes some of the most important conversations about technology happen in classrooms.

Why Curiosity Matters More Than Ever

The significance of the British Science Week theme goes beyond science education.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in society, experts argue that future success will depend less on memorising information and more on asking meaningful questions.

Curiosity drives innovation. Curiosity fuels scientific discovery. Curiosity challenges assumptions.

And in an AI-powered world where information is increasingly accessible, curiosity may become one of the most valuable human skills.

Joseph’s final message to students reflected that philosophy. “You are the dreamer,” one of his closing slides declared. “AI can help, but your values, kindness and curiosity are what guide it.”

For the 300 young people who attended his sessions, the lesson was not merely about artificial intelligence.

It was about believing that the future belongs to those willing to ask questions, and brave enough to pursue the answers.

The post From Curiosity to AI: How Nigerian Technologist Tosin Joseph is Inspiring British School Children to Shape the Future appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.