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The promise and pitfalls of artificial intelligence for global development
The teaser for a breakfast conversation that Microsoft is hosting on the promise and pitfalls of artificial intelligence captures the challenges and the opportunity well: “AI offers profound potential benefits and the opportunity to help tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues including accelerating economic growth, tackling the urgent issues of environmental sustainability, and transforming healthcare,” it reads. “But the accelerating pace of technology-driven change is also creating disruption and anxiety. It risks contributing to a sense of a fractured world, between a small group of people who benefit and a broader group of people who fear that they are being left behind. We need to come together to chart a path forward that ensures AI contributes to building a positive shared future for every community.”
- Categories
- Technology
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Malware threatens India’s mobile banking revolution
Digital transactions, currently running around 900 billion rupees ($14 billion) a month, are a tempting target for cyberthieves, who have created malware targeting digital banking customers.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Five Series in Social Business: Announcing NextBillion’s 2018 Editorial Calendar
In 2017, NextBillion organized our content around 12 monthly themes - in 2018, we’re taking a slightly different approach. We’ll still publish special series around topics of interest to our readers, but these series will be more tightly focused, and they'll continue throughout the year. Check out the five themes we'll be exploring alongside our broader social business coverage – and learn how you can contribute.
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- Social Enterprise, Technology
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The Controversial Silicon Valley-funded Quest to Educate the World’s Poorest Kids
Faith works for Bridge International Academies, a Valley-backed chain of schools in Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Uganda, and India.
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- Education, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Education Technology is a Global Opportunity
$8.15 billion. That’s the amount global investors staked in edtech companies in the first 10 months of 2017.
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- Education, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Has global development reached ‘peak blockchain hype?’
More than simply providing digital identification documents, the system seeks to bring the population out of financial exclusion and address the challenges of the statelessness they face between the bouts of repression that gain international attention, said Noor, who teaches bitcoin mining and trading to Rohingya diaspora.
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- Technology
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Why an Activist Hedge Fund Cares Whether Apple’s Devices Are Bad for Kids
The truth is that the worlds of activism and impact investing are converging much more swiftly than most people realize — and this union holds enormous promise for those who wish to see the creation of capital markets that support sustainable economic development.
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- Investing, Technology
- Region
- North America
- Tags
- impact investing
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Uber rival Grab acquires Indian startup to bulk up its mobile payment platform
The deal — which is undisclosed — will see iKaaz’s engineering team join the Bangalore-based engineering office which Grab opened last year. The firm declined to say how many new recruits are moving over from iKaaz, but a spokesperson disclosed that Grab currently has 75 engineers in Bangalore with plans to grow the number to 200 before this year.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- digital payments, startups
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