The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, made this known just as it announced the release of the results of candidates who sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, on Thursday.

In a press statement by its spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, JAMB warned that any candidate found culpable would face the full consequences of the law.

JAMB warned candidates against manipulating the SMS received from the official platform (55019/66019) to fabricate or alter scores with the intent to mislead others, including parents.

Such actions, it said, constituted a serious criminal offence.

“The Board treats such misconduct with the utmost gravity,” the statement reads in part.

Announcing the release of results, the board said, “The results of candidates who sat the 2026 UTME on Thursday, 16 April 2026, have been released and are now available for viewing.”

It however said candidates could only view the results and would not be able to print them yet.

“To check their results, candidates should send UTMERESULT via SMS to 55019 or 66019, using the same phone number (SIM) used during registration.

“At this stage, candidates may view their results only; printing is not yet available,” the board said.

It warned candidates against manipulating the SMS received from the official platform (55019/66019) to fabricate or alter scores with the intent to mislead others, including parents.

Such actions, the board said, constituted a serious criminal offence.

“The Board treats such misconduct with the utmost gravity,” the statement reads in part.

It stated that the examination was ongoing, and results would continue to be released as they became available.

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The post Candidates, parent arrested for using AI to falsify result -JAMB appeared first on Frontpageng.

You can use AI for anything, including cheating.

Some business executives are two-faced. In the 1990s, some of them would buy the general-interest lewd tabloid called Lagos Weekend from the newsstand on Friday and tuck it under the intellectually minded Guardian newspaper. It was a façade. This smokescreen created an impression of a serious-minded, all-business persona. Aha.

On the one hand

Beneath the smokescreen lurked personalities who shared bedsheets with pornography and gossip magazines. These same individuals would invest in underground businesses and walk the street in sartorial suits. Anyway, who would have thought such serious-looking businesspeople would indulge in pornography?

On the other hand

Society frowns at some issues and embraces others. It is akin to some rusticated undergraduates who founded a company and got several million dollars from investors. What led to their expulsion was the same thing that brought them fame and fortune. It is akin to the venture capitalists who preached morals on Sunday but invested in gun running on Monday. Well, they would say it is a business, not a religion. Anyway, some highly placed individuals have not sold their hearts, unlike the venture capitalists who invested in a business that assists users in cheating.

In the long term

Who are the venture capitalists who invested in Cluely, the AI start-up that helps users cheat? I do not know. However, Cluely is a start-up that got investors’ million dollars. The start-up claimed to help users cheat on job interviews, examinations, and sales calls. It raised 15 million dollars in the initial fundraising. Andreessen Horowitz, one of the founders of Cluely, announced it recently with a video posted on X.

The two investors who were not part of the deal told TechCrunch they believed Cluely’s post-money valuation is around 120 million dollars. That is 192 billion naira. Horowitz declined to comment on that figure. Cluely CEO, Roy Lee, also kept mum. The start-up’s new funding came two months after it raised 5.3 million dollars in seed funding. Two firms led the business: Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures.

Cluely was co-founded by a 21-year-old, Roy Lee, and Neel Shanmugam. Columbia University suspended the two undergraduates for developing an undetectable AI-powered tool called “Interview Coder” to help engineers cheat on technical interviews. Lee said Cluely it was profitable. This is where the venture capitalists placed their bets.

Ah, the school expelled the students. Now the society has embraced them. The wizkids became millionaires overnight. The journey to fame and fortune was to help users of their tool cheat. The implication is that you can use AI for anything, including cheating, and some investors would bankroll your venture. That is where some venture capitalists put their mouths.

Why it matters

TechCrunch reported that Cluely published a slick but polarising video of Lee using a hidden AI assistant to lie to a woman about his age, and even his knowledge of art, on a date at a fancy restaurant. AI artwork. AI works.

In the short term

Have you met some tech start-ups that missed venture capitalists’ millions? They got technical mentorship from Google and AI experts worth 350,000 dollars. Two bets.

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The post Look at where venture capitalists placed their bets appeared first on Frontpageng.

The Gates Foundation said the billionaire will not deliver his address “to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities”.

Only days ago, the foundation had dismissed rumours of his absence and insisted he was on track to attend.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the event on Thursday, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

Gates’ absence, followed by another high-profile cancellation by Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, adds to a difficult opening for a summit billed as the first major artificial intelligence forum in the Global South, where India has sought to position itself as a leading voice in global AI governance.

Gates’ cancellation comes after the U.S. Department of Justice released emails last month that included communication between late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the Gates Foundation’s staff.

The documents indicate Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein’s prison term to discuss expanding Gates’ philanthropic efforts.

Gates has said the relationship was confined to philanthropy-related discussions and that it was a mistake for him to meet Epstein.

The Gates Foundation, the philanthropic organisation started by Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab co-founder Bill Gates and his then-wife in 2000, is one of the world’s biggest funders of global health initiatives.

CHAOS AND TRAFFIC SNARLS

India’s first major AI summit has not dominated news headlines for the products on display, but for management lapses that have left attendees shocked and angry over what they described as a lack of planning by the Indian government.

The summit exhibition halls were shut to the public on Thursday in a surprise move that led to more anger among attendees.

On Wednesday, Indian university, Galgotias, was asked to vacate its stall after a staff member presented a commercially available robotic dog made in China as its own creation.

Chaos has gripped the city, with people on social media complaining of traffic snarls as police shut roads to give preference to VIP movement.

On Wednesday, footage on social media showed scores of attendees at the summit walking for miles in central Delhi as roads were shut for traffic, with no availability of taxis and no shuttle services arranged.

Source: Reuters

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The post Bill Gates a no-show at India AI summit, event marred by organisational chaos appeared first on Frontpageng.

Last month, I was invited by Daily Post to keynote the 2025 annual retreat of its employees. The event took place on December 11, 2025. With weekly impressions totalling 15 million, Daily Post is one of the five leading online newspapers in Nigeria and a very defining actor in Nigeria’s emergent Fifth Estate. This post recalls my thoughts as evinced in the paper I presented at the forum with the same title.

As a conceptual note, I reckoned that Artificial Intelligence (AI), ostensibly perceived at the beginning as a science fiction, is the use of computer systems to do tasks that are ordinarily in the domain of human aptitude to do. The European Parliament which defines it as “the ability of machine to display human-like capabilities such as reasoning, learning, planning and creativity”, has since centralised AI as a necessity for the transformation of societies.

While AI has many kinds, I had adopted Google’s OpenAI notion that classification of AI is dictated by capability and functionality. In our field – communication management – the generative kind is more applicable, the most popular of that being ChatGPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) but this generative type are legion and protean, and unbelievably shaping what we now understand as media, particularly in production, distribution and consumption of content.

On the other side of the coin, I noted that media, is simply a vehicle or means by which something is communicated or transmitted. So, it is an agency comprising several means by which information is mass-communicated, especially via broadcasting, textual publishing and of course through the Internet which has become the repository of all communication forms. I referenced Adidi Uyo, Blake and Haroldsen, DeFleur and Dennis, Wilbur Schramm and John Bittner to explain the disruption that has taken place in classifications and characteristics of media outlets but noted that media sociology (functions and responsibilities to society) remained largely unchanged.

I recalled Dapo Olorunyomi’s reasoning on what we have come to know as media and restated that media could mean a whole lot. From entertainment spoofs, to trivialities, creative advertising, top-notch public relations, a musical performance by Davido, a reality show like Big Brother, pornography, a stunt by Very Dark Man, and of course journalism. The very last here, journalism, was my concern when I spoke with the enthusiastic employees of Daily Post. As a student, teacher and practitioner of journalism, I was unequivocal that newspapering or media and journalistic enterprise is the informed, factual, investigative and interpretive reporting that strengthens social cooperation, engagement and development; as well as representative, participatory and popular democracy. In other words, without good journalism, democracy and social development is dead and buried.

I informed my audience that Prof. Joseph Stiglitz was going to speak on “The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society” on January 15, 2026 at a public lecture in Tokyo on the auspices of the United Nations University, and he did a week ago. Stiglitz explored with renewed knowledge how to build societies that truly enhance “individual freedoms, democratic values and collective well-being.” The discourse brought to the fore what the media should project and promote. A good news media should be unrepentant in defending freedom, humanism and social development. The Fourth and the Fifth Estates must set social agenda around those themes. They must be preachy of and insist on accountability, set agenda for governance and illuminating the social fabric with factual, investigative, interpretive and courageous reporting underpinned by best standards in ethical journalistic crafting. I referred to the genre Dele Giwa and Bagauda Kaltho sacrificed their lives for and for which others have been maimed and stymied.

Authentic, professional and ethical news reporting should explore AI to reclaim its space and strengthen its role in sustaining society beyond the speed, pattern and sophistication in news production, circulation and consumption already conferred by new communication technologies.

I raised the banner of the journalistic media practiced by Ernest Ikoli, Obafemi Awolowo, Anthony Enahoro and others, whose forerunners include Herbert Macaulay, the reason he was demonised by the colonial government. The critical media for the advancement of human freedom, real democracy and the common good is the kind whose banner was raised consistently at the height of Nigeria’s authoritarianism by NewsWatch, TheNews, Tell, African Guardian, and African Concord newsmagazines, The Guardian, The Punch, Vanguard, etc. – a tradition now sustained and refined by Premium Times, Cable, Daily Post, News Central and many other news media operating in the era of AI without jettisoning professional ethics, investigation and interpretation that are at the heart of journalistic enterprise.

Then, I took a turn, detouring towards professionalism and ethical imperatives of journalistic media in the age of AI. I asserted that despite hyperconnectivity and the consequential influence of digital communication and disruptive technologies that birthed citizen journalism and mass self-communication, “not all media is journalism.” To be a journalist and to practice the art, you need knowledge – journalism is a profession and all professions have troves of literature forming body of knowledge to which subscribers to the profession must immerse themselves. So, there are entry level educational requirements that take life from pedagogical, empirical and experiential immersions. The latter is bolstered by upskilling and continuous knowledge-sharing processes such as the Daily Post retreat. Such didactic enables us to glean philosophical, theoretical, normative and other resources, including legal and ethical frameworks that underpin news reporting.

I emphasised that the journalist is a chronicler of history in a hurry but he must do so with the most scrupulous conscientiousness of honour. He is a communication manager, the only one in the communication management spectrum constitutionally charged to hold government accountable to the governed. He is an informer, interpreter, illuminator and therefore an educator. Suffice to say he must be thoroughly educated, as Marx had stated compellingly, “the educator must be educated”.

Importantly, because what the journalist does provides information the citizens require to enable them to take informed decisions, I advised that care must be taken to ensure that what is reported is truthful and factual. Therefore, the journalist cannot entirely rely on AI to write his story – AI can be probabilistic and more susceptible than humans to devastating errors, whereas news writers have professional, ethical and social obligations to ensure that the public is not harmed on account of their enterprise. Thus, journalists reporting crises and conflicts must not report in a way that endangers citizens or the soldiers working to strengthen safety, security and defence of citizens. To work in public interest is to adhere to this principle.

To be clear, the educational role of journalists is so central to the ability of citizens and the public to play their roles in ensuring proper governance of society. Walter Lippmann in ‘Public Opinion’ (1922) was clear about the importance of thorough education to the success of good public opinion. Journalists must be well-educated to be able to offer great knowledge that citizens require to make informed decisions about governance and democracy, Lippmann insisted, suggesting that where democracy is the organising principle, the crisis of society will be linked to the crisis of democracy; and the crisis of democracy is mostly rooted in or symptomatic of the crisis in journalism. This means that journalism would have failed in its social responsibility if unable to shape public education through robust narrations – opinions, news and interpretation that could brighten the social fabric.

To instantiate, I recalled the Code of Ethics of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) which demands that all journalists must be truthful, accurate, fair, respect privacy, shun plagiarism, and defend the unity of the nation; as well as demand respect for “human rights, democracy and accountability.” Thus, the journalist should be independent, eschewing manipulation or influence by other actors in the social space because his duty is to protect the people from misgovernance and inappropriateness.

Today, while the deployment of AI-powered tools remains topical, germane and critical,  especially in worsening human encounter with trust and truth as well as fake news, objectively, AI is not the real villain in the fake-news crisis. The real problem lies in how irresponsibly or carelessly AI tools are used. There is no gainsaying the fact that, it is the duty of all those in communication management practice (in this instance, the journalist) to ensure safe, ethical, thoughtful and responsible use of AI.

There is no doubt that AI has given misinformation a faster engine. Hence, anyone with zero technical knowledge can now generate a believable video, a cloned voice, a compromised text, or a fabricated statement in minutes. AI has been so weaponised that a lie can be mass-produced, translated, and amplified before a good communicator even finishes drafting a response.

However, here is the paradox. AI is also our strongest tool to fight the very fake news it enables to threaten good journalism. So, it is really good news that the same technology, the same innovation that creates synthetic content can also detect manipulation frame by frame, pixel by pixel, narrative by narrative. It can alert us to misinformation spikes, verify sources, and help us track the speed at which false narratives are spreading.

Accordingly, I told my audience to upskill knowledge and leverage the following AI tools for detecting fake or AI-Generated content.

1. Sensitive AI – to detect Deepfakes, manipulated video/image; synthetic media detection. It is widely used in research and media verification.
2. Deep Ware Scanner – for quick scan; for video/audio deepfakes. It is a free tool for initial checks – good for social media clips.
3. Paravision (Deepfake Detection) – for face-swap or synthetic-face detection in video/image; identity fraud detection. It is a more enterprise/professional level tool used for media, customers, citizens and employees’ identity verification in predominantly digital contexts.
4. Truth Lens AI-Powered Fake News (Misinformation) Detector – It analyses video or YouTube links to detect AI-generated manipulations using frequency/pixel-artifact analysis. It is a free online tool considered valuable for quick checks on suspicious videos, other audio-visual media and it is integrated into some platforms for real-time alerting.
5. McAfee Deepfake Detector – This also detects AI-generated or manipulated audio/visual content.
6. Browser Extensions, Like Deepfake Detector (Browser Extension) – This is often useful for real-time detection on social media (images, video, audio while browsing). It is convenient for journalists, public relations practitioners, researchers, especially for quick first check.

In totalising, journalists and other professionals in the communication management space need to upskill and learn about AI afresh, taking very conscious, intentional notes about how AI supports responsible, ethical and public interest journalism and communication management. The ability to spot fake news and misinformation rather than circulate them helps in professional news reporting and underscores the role of credible news media reportage in the service of individual freedom, democracy and common good.

No journalist should rely on AI to write news reports. AI is an assistant, a companion that can increase the tempo of news production, for instance, because of the availability of AI tools that can fact-check uncertainties and misrepresentations. Authentic, professional and ethical news reporting should explore AI to reclaim its space and strengthen its role in sustaining society beyond the speed, pattern and sophistication in news production, circulation and consumption already conferred by new communication technologies.

Decades ago, satellite publishing enabled the International Herald Tribune to produce variety of editions from different cities globally and simultaneously. Contemporary journalistic practices should leverage AI for impressive uptakes of that feat by International Herald Tribune. Journalism that supports public good should not be seen to be scapegoating, weaponizing and fetishizing AI in the manner companies are using AI “to cover up old-fashioned cost-cutting”.

As Jari Mattlar (2025) has curated, researchers at Oxford, MIT, Yale and others have continued to repudiate the AI disruption we all are freaking out about, “It is not happening on a mass scale”, Mattlar asserts in response to corporate governance. After all, as many of us will agree, misinformation has always been in the news media and public spaces before modern technologies of communication but professional journalists and adroit communication managers found ways to checkmate misinformation, reclaim the space and underscore the importance of news media and strategic communication.

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The post Not every media is journalism: Professional and ethical imperatives of good journalism in AI era appeared first on Frontpageng.

This is contained in a statement made available on Tuesday by Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa.

Kola-Ogunlade said the report titled: “Our Life with AI: Helpfulness in the Hands of More People”, showed that Nigerians are embracing AI tools at an exceptional rate and are highly optimistic about the technology’s future.

According to the report, 88 per cent of Nigerian adults have used an AI chatbot, representing an 18 point increase from 2024 and significantly higher than the global average of 62 per cent.

“It is inspiring to see how Nigerians are creatively and purposefully using AI to unlock opportunities for learning, growth and economic empowerment.

“This report goes beyond high adoption rates; it tells the story of a nation actively shaping its future with technology,” he said.

Kola-Ogunlade added that the report findings showed that AI had become a major tool for learning and professional development in Nigeria.

He said that 93 per cent of users rely on it to understand complex topics, compared to 74 per cent globally, and 91 per cent of Nigerians used AI to assist with their work.

Kola-Ogunlade said that the report also indicated that 80 per cent of Nigerians applied it to explore new business ideas or career changes almost double the global average of 42 per cent.

“The report highlighted strong optimism about AI’s role in education, with 91 per cent of Nigerians believing it has a positive impact on learning and access to information, compared to 65 per cent globally.”

According to Kola-Ogunlade, the report shows that 95 per cent of respondents believe university students and educators will benefit from AI tools.

He said Nigerians are significantly more optimistic about AI than their global counterparts, with 80 per cent expressing excitement about its possibilities, against 20 per cent who are concerned.

“This excitement rises to 90 per cent among Nigerians who use AI frequently in their daily lives,” he said.

Source: NAN

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The post Google report: Nigeria leading in global AI adoption appeared first on Frontpageng.

I was in Ibadan last Saturday as one of the facilitators at the Digital Democracy Lab AI Fundamentals Workshop organised by FactCheckAfrica and spoke on AI & Fact-Checking; Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Fact-Checking and Combating Misinformation.

To capture the state of information dissemination in the country, I recalled some old sayings which are no longer true due to the level falsehood shared on various platforms. I also added some thoughts to consider to avoid being deceived.

Ireje o si ninu photo, bo ba se joko lo ma ba ara e (Pictures don’t lie)

Pictures can lie now with use of various tools to alter them. Someone in a picture can be taken out and someone else added.

Seeing is believing

Seeing is no longer believing. Not even hearing. You have to double-check and confirm what you are seeing or hearing.

Voices can be cloned. Many things are not what they seem to be online.

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Believe everything you see online at your own risk.

Indeed, we all have to. While many unknowingly share false information (misinformation) some people deliberately share fake content (disinformation and Malinformation)

Be wary of things you read and see online chances that they are false if they are from unverified sources is high.

Are journalists still abiding with the ethics of when in doubt, leave out?

Many, especially so-called citizen journalists are too eager to share information from unverified sources for reasons best known to them.

The intersection between AI and Fact-Checking is that AI tools can enhance fact-checking in terms of accuracy, speed, and scope of verification.

While AI tools can help generate false information, they can also enhance fact-checking. This reminded me of one of the lyrics of a song by an Ibadan musician “Were lo fin wo were” (madness can be cured with madness).

How: AI tools are is capable of Claim detection, Evidence gathering, Source verification, Contextual analysis and Tracking spread of information.

While some people are perfecting how to write with AI tools without being found out, many AI tools are also being developed to detect AI-generated content.

AI is indeed tackling AI.

The post EXTRA: AI/Fact-checking: Curing ‘madness with madness’ appeared first on Frontpageng.

The announcement was made on Monday in a statement by the Transhumanists Africa.

Okoye will serve alongside president of the jury and founder of Pavillon Afriques at Cannes, Karine Barclais, and founder of the Naija AI Film Festival, Obinna Okerekeocha.

The TA-AISFF 2025, taking place November 21–23, 2025, celebrates “Africa in 50 Years: Frontier Technologies Shaping Our Future”, exploring bold visions of the continent driven by Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Genetics, and Nanotechnology.

The unique hybrid festival features AI-powered short films from African creators and the diaspora, alongside panels, workshops, and interactive sessions with industry leaders.

Okoye is a two-time Africa Movie Academy Award winner, an international speaker, mentor, and advocate for ethical AI in storytelling.

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Through her work as co-Ffunder of Jolly Squid Media, creator of Spunky Toonz, and founder of Noa Vista, she has become a driving force in the global animation industry and a champion of socially conscious media.

Her initiatives, including Motion to the Sound and AniJolly Girls, have empowered the next generation of African animators and creative technologists.

“Ebele’s career reflects the spirit of TA-AISFF—where imagination, technology, and social impact meet. Her presence on our jury underscores our mission to elevate African voices and innovative storytelling,” said Marlin Adams, Festival Director of TA-AISFF.

The addition of Okoye to the TA-AISFF jury is said to reflect the festival’s commitment to diverse expertise, global collaboration, and future-facing creativity.

This year’s festival, the organisers said, would also feature panels, filmmaker Q&As, live workshops, and a special collaboration with Naija AI Film Festival, uniting communities to celebrate AI-driven storytelling across the continent.

The post Okoye joins jury of Transhumanists Africa AI short film festival appeared first on Frontpageng.

Chukwu will be speaking on the theme, “Power of AI: Enhancing Efficiency And Customer Satisfaction For Better Financial Services Experience.”

Other renowned experts lined up for the event include the Founder/CEO, ZER Consultating Africa, Mrs Adeolu Adewumi-Zer; Former Managing Director, Hilal Takaful Insurance Limited, Mrs Thaibat Adeniran; the National President, Bank Customers Association of Nigeria, BCAN, Dr. Uju Ogubunka and the Head Financial Institutions Ratings, Augusto and Co, Mr Ayokunle Olubunmi.

According to the Convener of the conference,  the Publisher of Supernews Nigeria, Ngozi Onyeakusi, the choice of Johnson Chukwu as the keynote speaker was a reflection of his extensive professional background, diverse expertise and profound knowledge of the financial services sector and economy.

Chukwu is the chairman and founder of Cowry Assets Management Ltd.

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Prior to the establishment of Cowry Asset Management Limited, he had been actively involved in the Nigerian capital market and was instrumental to the establishment of one of the most vibrant capital market operator, as the pioneer General Manager/Chief Executive Officer of Guardian Express Trust Limited (now Spring Capital) – a subsidiary of Guardian Express Bank Plc (now Spring Bank Plc).

Before joining Cowry Asset Management Limited on a full-time basis in October 2007, Chukwu was between February 2006 and September 2007 a Deputy General Manager and Group Executive, Operations of Spring Bank Plc.

Chukwu is a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) second class upper degree holder in Accounting and a University of Lagos Scholar.

He also holds an MBA from Lagos Business School (Pan African University).

His banking career also includes a 3-year stint as the Deputy Financial Controller of Diamond Bank Plc (1997 – 2000) and 5 years experience with Intercontinental Bank Plc (1992 – 1997) where he worked in Credit and Marketing (Trade Finance), Financial Control, Treasury Operations, and Branch Operations.

Among his professional qualifications are Fellowship of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and Chartered Institute of Taxation.

He has attended several courses both locally and internationally including IESE Business School (University of Navarra) Barcelona, Spain; Wharton Business School (University of Pennsylvania) Philadelphia, USA among others.

The  epoch making event, which will be bringing together regulators, key stakeholders in the financial services, ICT sector, informal sector and small business owners will be chaired by the group chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Alhaji Umaru Kwairanga.

The confab will focus on how AI is redefining the financial services sector, accelerating automation, customer engagement, risk management and fraud prevention.

It is a learning opportunity designed to enhance awareness, deepen understanding of participants on the imperative and use of AI in rendering banking, capital market, pension and insurance services cheaper, faster and conveniently.

The post Johnson Chukwu, other speakers for Supernews AI confab ’25 appeared first on Frontpageng.

The Head of Startups Ecosystem, Africa, Google, Mr Folarin Aiyegbusi, said in a statement that across the continent, startups were demonstrating how local innovation could solve deeply-rooted problems.

Aiyegbusi said that AI’s potential to accelerate Africa’s development was real, and Google was investing in ensuring that African startups led that charge.

He said that, according to McKinsey, AI could add $1.3 trillion to Africa’s economy by 2030, but only if bold innovation was supported at the grassroots.

“Startups are Africa’s problem solvers, with the right resources, they can scale their impact far beyond local communities.

“This programme reflects our belief that AI can be transformative when shaped by those who understand the context deeply,’’ he said.

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According to him, in West Africa, Crop2Cash – an agritech platform and alumni of the programme – is using AI to digitally onboard smallholder farmers.

He said that Crop2Cash helped smallholder farmers build their financial identities, and provided them with access to credit, traceable payments, and productivity tools.

Aiyegbusi said that through the efforts, Crop2Cash was improving agricultural outcomes and unlocking economic opportunity for farmers who had long been excluded from formal systems.

He noted that Crop2Cash illustrated the kind of impact that was possible when African startups received the support they needed to scale.

According to him, the Accelerator is open to Seed to Series A startups based in Africa that are building AI first solutions.

Aiyegbusi said that Startups must have a live product, at least one founder of African descent, and a clear vision for responsible AI innovation.

He said that selected participants would receive dedicated technical mentorship from Google and industry expert, and up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits.

Other benefits, he said, included access to a global network of investors, partners, and collaborators and workshops focused on technology, product strategy, people leadership, and AI implementation.

According to Aiyegbusi, since 2018, the programme has supported 140 startups from 17 African countries.

Aiyegbusi said that the alumni had raised more than $300 million in funding and created over 3,000 jobs, adding that many were already regional and global leaders in their categories.

Applications for the 2025 cohort are now open for startups interested in participating to apply.

Source: NAN

The post Google opens application for 2025 African startups programme appeared first on Frontpageng.

Artificial Intelligence has been reshaping industries worldwide, but now, it has officially entered the world of cinema. With the release of “Omegamax Conspiracy,” Africa has made history by producing its first-ever fully AI-generated feature film.

Directed and produced by Dr. Ope Banwo, who proudly calls himself “The AI Movie Architect,” this film is more than just a thriller—it’s a statement about where the future of filmmaking is headed.

But is this an AI masterpiece or just an experimental tech demo? Let’s dive deep into the good, the unexpected, and the groundbreaking elements of this pioneering film.

The Plot: When Artificial Intelligence Meets Real-Life Crime

The heart of “Omegamax Conspiracy” lies in its story—a real-life financial scandal dramatized through AI.

The movie unpacks the Omegapro Forex Ponzi scheme, one of the most notorious financial frauds in recent history. Through AI-generated characters and gripping storytelling, it follows the rise and inevitable collapse of a billion-dollar con that left thousands devastated.

What Works: The AI-generated script does a solid job of building suspense and unpacking the complexity of Ponzi schemes for the audience. The pacing keeps things engaging, especially for viewers who love crime dramas.

What Could Be Better: While AI can structure a compelling story, it still struggles with deep emotional nuance. Some dramatic moments feel a bit too precise and calculated—like a computer optimizing for efficiency rather than raw human emotion.

But considering that this is one of the first fully AI-written Nollywood films, it’s an impressive achievement.

The Characters: Welcome To The World Of AI Actors

This is where “Omegamax Conspiracy” truly pushes boundaries—there are no human actors.

The film’s entire cast consists of AI-generated digital characters, animated using cutting-edge technology.

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What’s Impressive: The level of detail in the character designs is shockingly good. From facial expressions to subtle movements, the AI characters feel more lifelike than you’d expect.

Where AI Still Struggles: While the visuals are solid, human emotions remain difficult for AI to replicate perfectly. At times, the facial animations lack that organic, unpredictable quality that human performances bring.

Whether you’re excited about AI filmmaking or deeply skeptical, this is a film you should watch—because it represents the dawn of a new era in cinema.

Still, the fact that AI can now generate realistic actors for a full-length film is both exciting and a little terrifying.

The Soundtrack: A Fully AI-Composed Music Experience

AI didn’t just write and animate this film—it also composed the entire soundtrack.

Featuring “Omegapro Scandemic,” a 14-track AI-generated music album, this film’s score is one of its most unique achievements.

What’s Impressive: The music perfectly matches the film’s tone. The AI-generated compositions feel cinematic, immersive, and even catchy in parts.

What’s Missing: While the AI-created soundtrack is remarkable, it still lacks the organic feel of human-composed music. Some tracks feel too clean and too structured, missing the emotional depth that a live orchestra or a skilled producer might bring.

However, considering how fast AI-generated music is evolving, it’s only a matter of time before AI compositions sound completely indistinguishable from human-made scores.

The Biggest Question: Is AI Ready To Replace Traditional Filmmaking?

After watching “Omegamax Conspiracy,” one thing is clear:

AI is no longer a futuristic concept in film—it’s here.

AI-generated movies are not just possible, but commercially viable.

AI will change how films are made, whether the industry is ready or not.

But does this mean human filmmakers should start looking for new jobs? Not necessarily.

AI is an incredible tool, but it still has limitations in capturing true human emotion, improvisation, and artistic spontaneity.

The best future for AI in cinema might be collaboration, where humans direct AI, rather than AI replacing humans completely.

Dr. Ope Banwo himself has emphasized that AI is not here to replace human creativity—it’s here to expand it. And “Omegamax Conspiracy” is proof of that vision.

Final Verdict: A Historic First Step Into AI Cinema

“Omegamax Conspiracy” is not just a movie—it’s a movement.

It marks the beginning of AI-driven storytelling in Nollywood, pushing boundaries and raising important conversations about the future of filmmaking.

Is it a perfect movie? No.

Is it an important movie? Absolutely.

Whether you’re excited about AI filmmaking or deeply skeptical, this is a film you should watch—because it represents the dawn of a new era in cinema.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – A bold, experimental, and game-changing AI film.

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