Category: Science &Technology

Indonesia announced on Saturday that it was temporarily blocking access to Grok, citing serious concerns over the production of sexualized deepfakes. A day later, Malaysia followed suit, saying it had suspended access to the chatbot while regulators assess whether adequate safeguards are in place.

“The government views the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity and the security of citizens in the digital space,” Indonesia’s minister of communications and digital affairs, Meutya Hafid, said in a statement. Indonesian authorities have also reportedly summoned representatives of X, the social media platform owned by Musk that is closely integrated with Grok, to discuss the issue.

In Malaysia, the Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the temporary block followed repeated misuse of Grok to generate “obscene, sexually explicit, indecent, grossly offensive, and non-consensual manipulated images,” including content involving women and minors. The regulator said it had previously issued notices to X Corp and xAI on Jan. 3 and Jan. 8, demanding technical protection measures that were not sufficiently implemented.

“This temporary ban is imposed as a reasonable precautionary measure while the legislative and regulatory process is still ongoing,” the MCMC said, adding that access to Grok would remain restricted until effective safeguards, particularly to protect women and children, are in place.

The actions by Malaysia and Indonesia represent the most aggressive response so far to a controversy that has drawn attention from regulators worldwide. In recent weeks, Grok has generated sexualized AI images, sometimes depicting violence, when prompted by users on X. X and xAI are part of the same corporate group.

Elsewhere, India’s IT ministry has ordered xAI to take steps to prevent Grok from producing obscene content, while the European Commission has instructed the company to preserve documents related to the chatbot, potentially paving the way for a formal investigation. In the United Kingdom, media regulator Ofcom has said it will conduct a swift assessment to determine whether there are compliance issues that warrant action, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer voicing support for regulatory intervention.

In the United States, however, the Trump administration has remained largely silent on the issue, even as Democratic senators have urged Apple and Google to remove X from their app stores. Musk, a major Trump donor who previously led the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, has pushed back against criticism, writing in one post that regulators “want any excuse for censorship.”

xAI initially issued an apology via the Grok account, acknowledging that certain posts violated ethical standards and potentially U.S. laws related to child sexual abuse material. While the company later restricted AI image generation to paying X subscribers, the standalone Grok app reportedly continued to allow unrestricted image generation, prompting further backlash.

The event brought together representatives from both the public and private sectors, including major banks, insurers, and national agencies such as Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA), BPR Bank, I&M Bank, BK Insurance, REG, and RURA, among others.

Held at Ubumwe Grande Hotel, the forum focused on strengthening cyber resilience across Rwanda’s rapidly digitising economy. Discussions emphasised the importance of preparedness, clean data recovery, and proactive security approaches as cyber threats continue to evolve globally.

Sachin Jadhav, Country Lead for Computech Rwanda, highlighted the urgency of building stronger institutional cyber resilience at a time when digital threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated. He noted that the event was designed to deepen organisations’ understanding of what true resilience entails, beyond basic security measures and into practical preparedness.

“In today’s world of evolving cyber threats, it’s very important to educate our customers on what to do in case a cyber-attack occurs. How do you back up your data? How do you restore it quickly and cleanly?” he said.

The company plans to host more engagements in the coming months to help clients navigate the fast-changing technology landscape.

“This is something Computech Rwanda will continue doing, educating customers about the different cybersecurity and resilience solutions available and demonstrating how we can help them understand, implement, and support these solutions,” Jadhav added.

Building on Computech’s emphasis on practical preparedness, Commvault, the event’s lead technology partner, demonstrated its cutting-edge cyber resilience solutions. These included cleanroom environments, immutable backups, rapid recovery tools, and automated threat detection systems, showing why modern organisations need multi-layered recovery strategies to counter sophisticated ransomware attacks.

Noel Cynthia Anyango, Marketing Manager for East Africa at Computech, said the forum was part of a broader effort to push organisations to move from reactive to proactive approaches.

“Throughout 2025, we’ve seen organisations across the region struggle with cyber threats. Many are still reactive, waiting for an attack to happen before taking action. Our message is clear: organisations don’t have to wait until a threat is at their door to become immutable and resilient,” she said.

Anyango further reaffirmed Computech’s plan to deepen its engagement with Rwandan institutions.

“Our target is to host quarterly engagements here in Rwanda. For us, it’s not just about doing business, it’s about sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration, and driving real impact.”

The event also highlighted Rwanda’s growing importance as a strategic technology market. Joseph Kinyua, Regional Director at Tech First Gulf, said Rwanda’s digital transformation has made it an attractive destination for technology vendors and distributors.

“People used to think Rwanda was small, but while they were looking the other way, it has grown into a very significant and strategic market,” he noted.

Kinyua also revealed plans for TFG to establish a permanent office in Kigali.

“We’re actively working on opening a TFG office in Rwanda by Q1 2026, with local staff, local billing, and local warehousing. You’ll be seeing a lot more of TFG here in the coming months and years,” he said.

On the customer engagement side, Briceline Uwonkunda, Client-Focused Account Manager at Computech, said many organisations still underestimate the impact of ransomware and data breaches.

“Many people feel that cyber attacks won’t reach us, but the reality is that ransomware and other threats are global; they don’t respect borders,” she said.

She added that while Rwanda has not seen widespread public incidents, the risk remains significant.

“You can never say a country or an organisation is 100% safe. The more we digitise, the more attractive we become as a target. That’s why institutions must prepare now, not later.”

Computech is a premier technology partner in Africa that has been operating for nearly four decades. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the company has a significant regional footprint, with offices across five countries, including Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia.

The company provides comprehensive, end-to-end IT services, including cloud, network infrastructure, enterprise software, and cybersecurity solutions. Computech’s ability to deliver advanced solutions is backed by strategic partnerships with global technology leaders such as Commvault, as well as Oracle, Cisco, Dell, HPE, Microsoft, Huawei, Symantec, Juniper, and NetApp, allowing them to assist major institutions across the public and private sectors in building robust, proactive cyber resilience.

Unveiled on Monday, November 17, 2025, at The Atelier by Design in Kigali, Chidi is built on Anthropic’s Claude model and provides inquiry-driven guidance, contextual understanding, and personalised feedback to help learners develop deeper problem-solving skills.

“This collaboration marks a bold step in redefining how African talent learns, works, and leads in the age of AI,” said Fred Swaniker, Founder and CEO of ALX. “We are ensuring that Africa’s youth are not just consumers of AI, but creators shaping the innovations that will define the global economy.”

The initiative follows a successful Phase 1 rollout of Chidi to ALX learners across Africa, which recorded over 1,100 conversations and 4,000 chats within just two days. Phase 2 expands the technology into Rwanda’s public education system, including the Rwanda Coding Academy, allowing up to 2,000 educators and a select group of civil servants to participate in ALX’s AI Career Essentials programme.

Participants gain hands-on experience using generative AI tools, including Claude Large Language Model, to enhance teaching methods, lesson planning, and workplace productivity. Graduates receive a year of access to Claude Pro, Claude Code, and Claude for Education, ensuring AI literacy continues to shape classrooms and workplaces beyond the program.

Chidi acts as a personalised tutor for students and a teaching partner for educators. It prompts curiosity, encourages critical thinking, and provides guidance without giving away direct answers.

A joint working group from ALX, Anthropic, and the Rwandan government will document insights from the pilot to inform national AI policy in education and develop future innovations, including Chidi for Schools and African language models.

Commitments for the initiative are shared among the partners, with Anthropic covering costs associated with the large language model and API access, ALX providing training, delivery, and implementation infrastructure, and the Government of Rwanda contributing policy guidance, institutional support, and access to schools, without any financial obligations.

The collaboration combines ALX’s focus on nurturing African tech talent, Anthropic’s expertise in safe and responsible AI development, and Rwanda’s progressive approach to digital transformation. Together, the partners aim to provide Africa’s youth with learning tools on par with those available in global tech hubs such as Silicon Valley, Beijing, and London. Plans are already underway to explore expansion to other parts of Rwanda and Africa.

During the ceremony, Swaniker highlighted Chidi’s unique design for African learners, combining high-quality, scalable, and low-cost education with safeguards for reliability and cultural relevance.

“Chidi uses Claude as an ingredient, but we’ve wrapped it in 20+ years of African pedagogy and context. We have over 150 PhDs continuously researching, fine-tuning, and iterating with real African learners. We’re not just consumers of AI, we’re producers, adapting it to our realities,” he said.

Minister of ICT and Innovation Paula Ingabire highlighted Chidi’s role in cultivating curiosity and critical thinking among Rwanda’s youth.

“When my daughter was little, she would ask ‘why?’ about everything. As parents, we sometimes get tired of all the ‘whys,’ but that curiosity is how children truly learn and understand the world. Chidi is designed to do the same, to keep asking ‘why,’ to push our learners, and to help them learn from their mistakes instead of just handing them the answers,” she said.

Joseph Nsengimana, Minister of Education, represented at the ceremony by Pascal Gatabazi, Chief Technical Officer at the Ministry of Education, added that Chidi aligns with Rwanda’s Education Sector Strategic Plan and National Strategy for Transformation, supporting teaching quality, enhancing digital literacy, and driving measurable improvements in student outcomes.

A panel discussion moderated by Nimie Chaylone, General Manager of ALX Rwanda and Kenya, explored the rationale for choosing Africa and Rwanda for the pilot. Drew Benton, who leads Education within Anthropic’s Beneficial Deployments team, emphasised Africa’s young population, talent ecosystem, and capacity for innovation.

“Over half of Africa’s population is under 25, creating an enormous talent ecosystem and opportunity for innovation,” he said.

Early results from Chidi’s use demonstrate significant engagement. Within two weeks of the pilot, learners exchanged 20,000 messages and processed approximately 80 million words of context, showing the platform’s capacity to scale personalised, interactive, and critical-thinking-driven learning.

Learners participating in the pilot praised Chidi for enhancing self-learning and boosting confidence. Shyaka Caleb, a 22-year-old Software Engineering and AI Career Essentials graduate, described Chidi as a “sidekick” that provides in-depth answers and allows learners to ask questions without hesitation.

Giselle Akuzwe, another learner, highlighted how Chidi turned vague project ideas into concrete solutions. “Seeing Chidi rolled out across Rwanda and Africa, especially for girls in tech like me, will be incredibly empowering, not just technically but in bringing our ideas to life,” she remarked.

As Chidi begins its pilot in Rwanda, the initiative signals a new chapter in AI-powered education across Africa. By equipping learners, teachers, and public servants with advanced, safe, and contextually relevant AI tools, the partnership sets a precedent for scalable, transformative learning solutions developed in Africa and shared globally.

The launch, however, came after a brief delay, with Musk explaining that the team needed additional time to “purge out the propaganda.”

At its initial release, GrokPedia featured over 885,000 articles, though technical issues caused the site to briefly go offline. The platform returned later the same day, showcasing a dark-themed homepage with a single search bar and font styling reminiscent of both Wikipedia and the Grok chatbot.

Labeled as “version v0.1,” the site is still in early beta, with a significant gap compared to Wikipedia’s more than seven million English-language articles.

Unlike Wikipedia, GrokPedia is entirely AI-driven. Content is managed and fact-checked by Grok rather than edited by users. Corrections can only be suggested through a form, which the system then reviews.

Each entry includes subheadings and citations, reflecting Wikipedia’s familiar structure. Much of GrokPedia’s content is adapted from Wikipedia itself under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license, allowing reuse with proper credit.

Lauren Dickinson, a spokesperson for the Wikimedia Foundation, said, “Wikipedia’s knowledge is and always will be human. Through open collaboration and consensus, people from all backgrounds build a neutral, living record of human understanding… even GrokPedia needs Wikipedia to exist.”

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Musk has long accused Wikipedia of holding a left-wing bias, claiming the platform gives unfair treatment to conservative viewpoints and relies heavily on liberal-leaning sources. In 2019, he called his own Wikipedia page a “war zone with a zillion edits” on X. Earlier this year, he urged followers to “defund Wikipedia until balance is restored.”

In September, Musk described GrokPedia as a “massive improvement over Wikipedia” and “a necessary step towards the xAI goal of understanding the Universe.”

The launch follows Musk’s pattern of creating alternatives to mainstream platforms he perceives as politically slanted. Notably, Larry Sanger, one of Wikipedia’s cofounders, voiced support for GrokPedia’s creation.

{{How GrokPedia differs from Wikipedia
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Unlike Wikipedia, which relies on volunteers to edit and discuss entries, GrokPedia limits public editing to suggested corrections. While this is intended to reduce misinformation, it may slow updates to fast-changing topics.

As of the beta release, the platform lists under 900,000 entries, roughly an eighth of Wikipedia’s English total. Musk has stated that the AI will rapidly expand the database, though the project remains in early testing.

GrokPedia also highlights ideological differences. Users have noted stark contrasts in entries on politically and socially sensitive topics. For example, the AI entry on George Floyd positions him as an “American man with a lengthy criminal record,” while Wikipedia describes him as “an African American man who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest.”

Critics argue that GrokPedia, rather than eliminating bias, appears to replace Wikipedia’s perceived left-leaning bias with a more conservative or “anti-woke” perspective. Controversial topics such as transgender issues, U.S. slavery, and Musk’s own biography have sparked debate over content framing and ideological slant.

{{AI limitations and plagiarism concerns
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Despite Musk positioning GrokPedia as a rival to Wikipedia, early analysis revealed instances of content nearly identical to Wikipedia, with only minor adaptations and a disclaimer noting its source. The AI model, like any large language model, is prone to hallucinations.

Additionally, GrokPedia lacks Wikipedia’s open editing history and decentralised moderation, making independent verification of information difficult. Critics argue that the AI-driven approach, intended to eliminate human bias, may instead reflect the ideological views of its creator and the training data used.

While GrokPedia remains in beta, Musk touts it as “the world’s largest and most accurate knowledge source without centralised control.” It aims to serve both human readers and artificial intelligence models. Whether GrokPedia will evolve into a credible alternative to Wikipedia or remain a controversial, AI-driven encyclopedia will depend on how its content, bias, and reliability are addressed in the coming months.

Spearheaded by the GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition, the initiative unites six major operators, Airtel, Axian Telecom, Ethio Telecom, MTN, Orange, and Vodacom, to lower smartphone costs and expand digital access. According to the organisers, South Africa’s recent exemption of smartphones priced below USD 150 from luxury taxes serves as a model, having boosted connectivity for millions.

President Paul Kagame, opening the event for the third year, underscored the urgency of addressing existing connectivity gaps.

“If this [connectivity] gap persists, the same technology meant to expand access will instead widen inequality,” he warned, tying Rwanda’s vision for a knowledge-based economy to universal access.

Vivek Badrinath, GSMA Director General, emphasised device costs as a key barrier. “Africa’s mobile sector is dynamic, but high device costs must be tackled to make digital inclusion affordable,” he said.

The GSMA Mobile Economy Africa 2025 Report, launched at the event, reveals that 416 million Africans use mobile internet, yet a usage gap of 960 million people, including 790 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, persists, largely due to unaffordable handsets.

Rwanda’s ICT Minister Paula Ingabire showcased how policy and partnerships cut costs, growing mobile users from 500,000 in 2023 to 5 million 4G users by June 2025.

MTN Rwanda’s 5G rollout and connectivity for 1,000 health facilities and 4,000 schools demonstrate the impact.

“When vision meets partnership, progress follows,” she said, urging African-led solutions scalable globally.

The GSMA report projects the mobile sector’s economic contribution will rise from $220 billion in 2024 to $270 billion by 2030, with $77 billion in network investments. 4G adoption is expected to grow from 45% to 54%, and 5G from 2% to 21% by 2030, but affordable devices remain critical.

MWC Kigali also tackled inclusive AI language models and energy resilience. A continent-wide AI collaboration, “AI in Africa, by Africa, for Africa,” involves operators and developers like Masakhane African Languages Hub to embed African languages in global AI. With over 80% of the world’s unelectrified in Africa, the GSMA Ministerial Programme explores energy-digital alignment to power connectivity.

“Africa has the talent and ambition, but reforms on affordability are essential to ensure everyone benefits from the digital economy,” Angela Wamola, Head of Africa at GSMA, stated.

Hosted at the Kigali Convention Centre, MWC Kigali 2025, under the theme Converge. Connect. Create., has drawn over 4,000 delegates from 109 countries.

The launch took place at the University of Rwanda’s College of Science and Technology (CST-UR) on Friday, October 10, 2025.

Using Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the devices, designed to be mounted on both motor vehicles and motorcycles, continuously gather and transmit air quality data in real time. They monitor key indicators such as temperature, humidity, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), and gases including ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂).

Data will be analysed in real time, enabling city administrators and researchers to identify high-risk pollution areas and take early preventive action.

Representing the university, Professor Richard Musabe said the initiative will be highly beneficial to Kigali and its surrounding areas.

Dr. Eric Nizeyimana, the researcher behind the project, explained that the idea began in 2020 as a response to rising global air pollution. The research was conducted at the African Centre of Excellence in Internet of Things (ACEIoT).

“Air pollution is a major challenge in Kigali and beyond. It is crucial to develop sustainable solutions to protect both current and future generations,” Dr. Nizeyimana said. The project will initially focus on Kigali, with plans to expand to other provinces.

Eddah Barasa, Research Grants Officer at the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) under PASET, praised the initiative for its innovative use of technology and potential impact. RSIF/PASET also financially supported the research.

The Clean City IoT Device project not only collects and analyses real-time air quality data to guide preventive measures but also aims to raise public awareness, foster scientific collaboration, and engage communities in protecting urban environments.

Key partners in the project include the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), Meteo Rwanda, the National Council for Science and Technology (NCST), Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA), and RSIF/PASET.

The initiative, running from October 6 to 10, aims to spark curiosity and inspire young Rwandans to explore careers in space technology and innovation.

The campaign is part of a broader effort to raise awareness about opportunities in Rwanda’s growing space sector and the global space industry. This year’s World Space Week, themed “living in space,” celebrates humanity’s achievements in exploring the cosmos and encourages the next generation of innovators.

During the first day of the outreach at the Rwanda Coding Academy and the University of Rwanda, students presented projects demonstrating practical applications of space technology.

Among them, a group of students from the Rwanda Coding Academy showcased an AI-powered project that uses satellite data to monitor security and assist humanitarian organisations in responding to crises.

“We hope to collaborate with the Rwanda Space Agency to access satellite information that will help users make informed decisions,” Diane Iranzi said during the presentation.

Her teammate, Joyeuse, added, “Our project also aims to help humanitarian organisations predict potential crises, such as flooding in Nyabihu, enabling timely assistance to citizens. By using real-time dashboards and AI technology, we can forecast problems and address them before they occur.”

Through this outreach, RSA hopes to nurture a generation of students who will contribute to Rwanda’s vision of leveraging space for socio-economic development.

Over the week, RSA will visit several schools, including Hope Haven Christian School on October 7; Gashora Girls Academy on October 8; Ecole Secondaire Saint Ignace on October 9; and Green Hills Academy on October 10.

The initiative, led by the National Cyber Security Authority (NCSA) in partnership with Cisco and German development agency GIZ, is based at the University of Rwanda’s College of Science and Technology. It includes a Cybersecurity Academy, Innovation Hub, and advanced technology labs to provide training, research, and collaboration in cybersecurity.

The CyberHub will offer access to Cisco Networking Academy, a global IT skills-to-jobs program, with courses ranging from basic digital literacy to AI, penetration testing, ethical hacking, and advanced cybersecurity certifications.

The centre also provides a collaborative space for learners and stakeholders to explore emerging technologies, including AI and machine learning applications for threat detection and response.

{{Addressing a critical skills gap
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Globally, there are an estimated four million unfilled cybersecurity positions, with Africa facing a particularly acute shortage. Minister of ICT and Innovation Paula Ingabire said the centre’s initial target of training 200 professionals is a starting point toward closing this gap.

“Our job is not just for the training. How do we connect them to jobs and opportunities? How do we make sure that we are creating businesses that thrive?” the minister stated during the launch.

{{Partnerships and technology
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Cisco provided networking equipment, AI-driven security systems, collaboration platforms, and IoT sensors to make the facility fully connected. Conrad Stein, Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration leader for Africa, said the hub aims to empower young people, women, and underserved communities with the skills needed to secure digital infrastructure and create economic opportunities.

Dima Kandalaft, senior director at Cisco, described the centre as one of the most advanced on the continent and said it will serve as a platform for both cybersecurity training and broader technological innovation.

{{Supporting Rwanda’s digital ambitions
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The CyberHub aligns with Rwanda’s National Strategy for Transformation, which aims to raise digital literacy from 53% to 100% and train one million coders. University of Rwanda Principal Dr. Ignace Gatare praised the hub for promoting practical skills and research, while Silvia Heer of the German Embassy highlighted its role in supporting national digital security as part of Rwanda’s broader development agenda.

The centre is also part of Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration programme, which has implemented over 1,600 projects globally, supporting digital skills, innovation, and secure technology ecosystems.

Minister Ingabire said the long-term goal is to ensure that Rwanda and the wider continent have a workforce capable of anticipating, detecting, and responding to cybersecurity threats.

“The weakest link always in cybersecurity is often people. And if we’re not training people to match the technology investments that we’re making, we leave a huge gap and space for where many of the attackers will take advantage of the weaknesses and the weakest links that we have.”

Named Delphi-2M, the model marks a major advance over earlier AI-based risk predictors, which typically focus on a single illness, said study co-author Moritz Gerstung, a data scientist at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg. He noted that Delphi-2M could help doctors identify high-risk patients early, opening opportunities for preventive measures long before symptoms appear.

In the study, researchers adapted a large language model to forecast the likelihood of 1,258 diseases based on a person’s medical history, combined with factors such as age, sex, body mass index, and lifestyle habits like tobacco and alcohol use. The tool was trained on health data from 400,000 participants in the UK Biobank, which tracks long-term biomedical information.

Results showed that Delphi-2M matched or exceeded the accuracy of conventional single-disease models and outperformed algorithms relying on biomarker data to estimate risk across multiple conditions. The AI excelled in forecasting illnesses with predictable progression, including certain cancers, and could calculate disease probabilities decades in advance depending on medical records.

To test its broader applicability, the team validated Delphi-2M using health data from 1.9 million people in the Danish National Patient Registry, a database of nearly 50 years of hospital records. Predictions for the Danish cohort proved only marginally less accurate than those for UK Biobank participants.

Despite its promise, the researchers acknowledged limitations. The UK Biobank, for example, records only a participant’s first incidence of disease, which could affect long-term prediction accuracy. The team plans to expand testing with datasets from multiple countries to improve the model’s precision and global relevance.