AFROTECH™ Conference is coming back bigger and better! From Nov. 13-16, thousands of Black techies will be coming together once again for the largest annual Black tech conference. This time around, the networking and knowledge sharing is set to take place in Houston, TX. AFROTECH™ Conference 2023 was held in Austin, TX. The experience included a stellar lineup of speakers such as Issa Rae, Timbaland, Marsai Martin, and more discussing topics ranging from fintech disruption to generative artificial intelligence. “I think just coming here [AFROTECH™] to fellowship could be the timing for your next step,” Timbaland told AFROTECH™ following his panel on the Innovation Stage in 2023. “I’m just meeting these great-minded people and gathering all the information. You can never stop getting information. And that’s why I think just being in a room is not about your business flourishing. It is about connecting with like-minded people to get your business to flourish. And I think this is a...

Amazon has introduced a new delivery service that caters to low-income families to help cut costs and time for grocery shopping. According to a press release, the retail giant unveiled its grocery delivery subscription, which is provided at a lower cost to individuals receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Available in over 3,500 U.S. cities, the subscription provides unlimited grocery delivery on orders more than $35 from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and other local grocery retail stores on Amazon.com. Customers who use a registered EBT (electronic benefit transfer) card to purchase groceries aren’t required to have a Prime membership to access the subscription’s benefits, the press release details. The cost for this group of customers is $4.99 per month, and Prime members pay $9.99 per month. Under the new Amazon subscription, both SNAP recipients and Prime members are offered convenience through one-hour delivery windows and 30-minute pickup...

Rajon Rondo is a two-time NBA champion , with some of the most illustrious stats in professional basketball history. Though Rondo is best known for his landmark 8+ years with the Boston Celtics , the Kentucky-born sports legend has played for numerous NBA teams, bouncing around the league between championships before his official retirement in April 2024. Today, Rajon Rondo touts an impressive net worth of over $45 million according to sources , earned mostly through his NBA salary and endorsement deals . Rondo also has several real estate holdings that have boosted his net worth, resulting in the multi-million dollar figure. Unlike many other professional athletes, Rondo has managed to lead a relatively quiet life, banking his cash without engaging in any headline-grabbing extracurriculars or major controversies. Let’s look into the career of Rajon Rondo, and extrapolate data about his impressive net worth from his time on the court. Early Life & Career Beginnings Long before he...

T he Biden administration has taken a ction against TikTok. On April 24, 2024, President Joe Biden signed a law to ban the China-based social media app under parent company ByteDance in the U.S. if it’s not sold within a year, NPR reports. The move comes after the House of Representatives introduced in March the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act , which aims to “protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary controlled applications,” as previously shared by AFROTECH™. Under President Biden’s new law, if TikTok fails to be sold in 12 months, it would become illegal for web-hosting providers to host the platform. What’s more, Google and Apple would have to pull the popular app from its app stores. According to NPR, this is the first time that a law has been passed that could result in banning a social media platform in the U.S. What has led to this timeline of events is U.S. government officials have...

TikTok’s future in the United States gets closer to being decided. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, a 12-page bill had been passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in March 2024 to eradicate the platform’s use in the United States. The bill was created to “protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary controlled applications,” per CBS News. If passed, ByteDance, the owner of the China-based platform, would have 180 days to sell TikTok for the app to remain accessible to U.S. users. If the company chooses to maintain ownership, the app and all other applications associated with ByteDance would be banned in the United States. At the time, per AP News, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew shared in a statement, “We will not stop fighting and advocating for you. We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights, to protect this amazing platform that we have built with you.” On Saturday, April 20, 2024, a modified version of...

Dr. Benjamin Harvey liquidated his retirement accounts to make advancements in the world of artificial intelligence (AI), Forbes reports. Harvey, born in Jacksonville, FL, and raised in a seven-child household, found his love for the field of technology thanks to his father, who worked as a pastor and AT&T project manager, the outlet notes. His father would bring home computers that were not functioning properly, and Harvey took the initiative to learn how to fix them. Foreshadowing his future, he would obtain a computer science degree from HBCU Mississippi Valley State University in 2008. He later scaled his education obtaining a master’s degree and Ph.D. in the same field between 2010 and 2015, his LinkedIn profile mentions. Among his career pathways included a role as chief of operations data science at the National Security Agency (NSA). His observation at the agency would open his eyes to a gap in the market as it pertains to data and analytics. It wouldn’t be until 2021 that...

Ghana is stepping up to the plate to be a part of Africa’s electric vehicle (EV) movement. Wahu Mobility seems up for the challenge as it has opened Ghana’s first EV assembly plant that has the capacity to build about 200 e-bikes per month, CNN reports. The e-mobility brand was founded to create a more sustainable last-mile delivery option.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Valerie Labi (@valerielabi) “It really kind of struck me that I didn’t want the mobility to be fulfilled by petrol motorbikes,” Wahu Mobility Co-Founder and CEO Valerie Labi told CNN. “By 2030, there will be 30 million delivery riders across Africa and it just made me think, as a continent, we are more conscious around becoming sustainable and moving to net zero.” Labi added, “And transport was just a huge opportunity to make a difference in that way.” According to the outlet, Wahu Mobility’s e-bikes take around four hours to charge. Labi also noted that the e-bikes were designed to suit Ghana’s...

Chris Paul has entered into a partnership that considers the financial futures of the youth. Goalsetter, a fintech company founded by Tanya Van Court, has shared results from a study it conducted with Ivy League university students revealing a significant lack of understanding when it comes to personal finances. When surveying 1,065 undergraduate students from Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of Pennsylvania, t he study revealed that the students answered on average only 51% of its financial education questions correctly. The questions were at the high school standard, and the percentage of acuity decreased even further when looking at only underclassmen, with scores of 48%. Furthermore, only 13% of students who took the quiz scored above a C-. To create better outcomes, Goalsetter is committed to targeting financial initiatives towards the youth, and the company is strengthening its efforts through a partnership with NBA player Chris Paul, Oakland Fund...

Dennis Rodman is likely best known for his prolific career with the NBA , showcasing incredible defensive abilities during his 20-year tenure on the court. However, the retired basketball star has gone on to exhibit a host of eccentric accolades in his 62 years on Earth, making him one of the most interesting humans to ever live. Today, Dennis Rodman touts a paltry net worth of only $500,000 according to Watcher Guru , in spite of his multi-million dollar legacy. Rodman sits at this figure for a number of reasons, most notably due to a number of shady business deals that saw his long-time financial advisor embezzling millions from his personal fortune. Despite Dennis Rodman’s lower-than-expected net worth, the retired basketball legend seems to be living comfortably today, and has tons of social credit to fall back on in case he needs additional financial security. Since retiring from the NBA, Rodman has gone on to wrestle at a professional level, appear in numerous film and...

With more than 100 patents under his belt, Lanny Smoot has never been afraid to take his imagination to the next level. As a Disney Research Fellow, Smoot is in a position where he has access to a different type of freedom — one that helps him explore different concepts and bring them to life. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, Smoot was inducted into the 2024 National Inventors Hall of Fame. He’s also the first Disney Imagineer to receive the honor and the second in the company, aside from Walt Disney himself. “To be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame means that you’ve made inventions that have changed the world in some sense, right? And it’s a great honor,” he told AFROTECH™ from his Walt Disney office in Los Angeles during an event to unveil the latest Disney Imagineer contributions, including the all-new Princess Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Animatronics.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Disney Parks (@disneyparks) “I didn’t know when the induction...

At just age 14, a New Orleans, LA, native has created an innovation for the medical field. When Naya Ellis was 7 years old, she supported her mother who was battling breast cancer, The74 reports. Merging her passion for helping others and for science, she went on to design WingItt, a stroke-detecting watch for adults. The outlet details that WingItt works to detect nerve impulses and heartbeats to identify strokes apart from the physically visible signs. After learning that the medical condition greatly affects people who are 55 and over, Ellis created the device with that age group in mind. What’s more, she aims for WingItt to be more on the affordable end in comparison to other smartwatches currently on the market. “I want to do something I’m interested in, that will also change the world,” Ellis said. The John F. Kennedy High School student’s inspiration for the invention came while attending STEM NOLA’s STEM Saturday. In a last-minute decision, she switched from creating a watch...

Cognition AI is only one of many intriguing concepts in the field of artificial intelligence. Cognitive AI, also referred to as cognitive artificial intelligence, is software that tries to think and learn by imitating the way human brains work using natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML). Despite its apparent simplicity, this novel idea in AI can take two different yet related directions. Let’s deconstruct the essence of Cognition AI, looking at its various methodologies, uses and promise for a fascinating future. Path One Of Cognition AI The field of cognition AI is particularly interesting when it comes to mimicking human cognitive functions. Here, the goal is to create artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can think, learn and solve issues similarly to how humans do. This is accomplished by utilizing natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML). With the help of ML algorithms, AI systems can gradually learn from enormous volumes of data....

J. Cole has garnered a reputation for being one of the most humble rappers of the modern era. This is due in large part to Cole’s insistence on wearing plain clothing and shying away from expensive cars and flashy jewelry. Given his down-to-earth style , it may surprise some J. Cole fans to learn that the 39-year-old rapper has amassed an impressive net worth of over $60 million, according to The Street. J. Cole’s net worth was mostly established from his career on the mic, as well as his penchant for producing beats, and on-stage performances across the globe. Unlike many other artists, Cole hasn’t invested heavily into material possessions, instead focusing his time and energy on his family and his craft. Let’s explore the many avenues in which J. Cole has ameliorated his net worth, and examine the state of his career and financial future. Early Life And Humble Beginnings One major contributing factor to J. Cole’s humility is his ongoing desire to avoid ever being broke again....

Donald Glover is a multi-hyphenate entertainer, with more successful ventures in entertainment than most people could accomplish in several lifetimes. The 40-year-old has mastered the art of rapping, singing, stand-up comedy , acting, directing, screenwriting and live performance, and has created a plethora of thought-provoking and award-winning television shows. Most recently, Donald Glover co-created and starred in the Amazon Prime Video original series “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” alongside Maya Erskine. With all of these ventures and more under his belt, Donald Glover has amassed an impressive net worth, which is expected to clock in at roughly $40 million according to Celebrity Net Worth. With such a long and storied career, it appears as though Glover’s financial portfolio will only continue to expand, as he continues to chase creative fulfillment around every corner. Here’s a brief look into Glover’s many financial ventures in art and entertainment , and an exploration of his...

One of the major flaws of artificial intelligence (AI) is that it can reinforce racial bias. As CNN reported, the technology is based on data fed by humans, which can mean the data can be racist and biased. “Remember: AI is just software that learns by example,” Reid Blackman, author of the book, “Ethical Machines,” told CNN. “So if you give it examples that contain or reflect certain kinds of biases or discriminatory attitudes … you’re going to get outputs that resemble that.” The impact of its racial bias continues to disproportionately affect the Black community , including when it comes to resume screening. “And many employers now use AI-driven tools to interview and screen job seekers, many of which pose enormous risks for discrimination against people with disabilities and other protected groups,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wrote in a 2021 report on how AI can worsen racial and economic inequities. Now, a recent research paper has shown another area where AI...