All results
A long while back, there was a cartoon about a family that lived far into the future. They had robots, flying cars, and all sorts of technology that many people could not conceive at the time. Although “The Jetsons” only lasted for three seasons, it foretold some things to come. The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) was built into the show’s fabric. And while some of the ideas in “The Jetsons” have yet to come to fruition, society is currently inundated with AI’s power and evolving possibilities. For many people and organizations, AI is a lifesaver. With ChatGPT helping folks save time with emails to platforms that serve as resume-writing assistants, AI is here to stay. However, with such strong possibilities comes the growing fear of human replacements in the workplace. While this fear may have some rational context, the future will likely be less about an AI takeover and more about the collaborative intelligence between AI and human capacity, with the goal of improving work...
The future of STEM is underway thanks to a new initiative led by IBM, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Specialisterne Foundation, and six different Historically Black Colleges and Universities(HBCUs). According to a press release, the group will now provide no-cost STEM job training to the U.S. military as well as neurodivergent learners across the world and students that make up communities that are underrepresented throughout the nation. “We believe that the most promising job candidates for today’s demanding careers will come from communities that may have been historically overlooked or excluded due to outdated hiring policies and old-fashioned credentialling,” said Justina Nixon-Saintil, Vice President, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG in an official statement shared with AfroTech. “That’s why we’re uniting the public, private, and not-for-sector sectors to cultivate STEM talent from underrepresented communities to address the world’s most critical...
This is where music and technology intersect! Timbaland’s Beatclub is set to become the first music-tech startup to be invited to join the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator, a mentorship program dedicated to providing startups with data protection, privacy, and security solutions while pushing for advancement in the startup ecosystem. The premier global marketplace for music creators was co-founded by legendary producer, Timbaland, alongside his longtime manager, Gary Marella. “At Beatclub we leverage the hyper ledger fabric and smart contracts to underpin all of our business processes and transactions across our marketplace,” said Eric Czar , Chief Technology Officer at Beatclub, in an official press release shared with AfroTech. “Our participation in IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator will enable us to continue our development work as we automate the self-executing license terms for our music products and enable all of our transactions to be fully transparent and trackable, all while...
We have Mark Dean to thank for being the brains behind some of the key components that brought us early computers in the 1980s. “A lot of kids growing up today aren’t told that you can be whatever you want to be,” the computer engineer once said, according to sources. “There may be obstacles, but there are no limits.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by AfroTech (@afro.tech) And there were certainly no limits when it came to the achievements of Dean. Upon receiving his degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee in 1979, he headed to IBM, according to Our Tennessee. In the midst of his work, Dean earned a master’s degree from Florida Atlantic University and a doctorate from Stanford University in 1992. He also made history as the first Black person to become an IBM Fellow — the company’s highest distinction. “I ignored the people attempting to block my progress and had no limits to who I talked to and in sharing my opinion,” Dean said in a previous...
The tech industry is tapping tomorrow’s future leaders for a powerful plan to innovate the space for all. Last week, Computer hardware company IBM (International Business Machines) announced a joint educational partnership with esteemed schools such as Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University for their new innovative plan of action. In an effort to develop its first Quantum education and research initiative for HBCUs, IBM has pledged a $100 million investment aimed toward driving more diversity and inclusion in the tech workforce, a press release reports. https://www.instagram.com/p/CFPgMEkBQfe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link “We believe that in order to expand opportunity for diverse populations, we need a diverse talent pipeline of the next generation of tech leaders from HBCUs,” said Carla Grant Pickens, Chief Global Diversity & Inclusion Officer at IBM, in a statement . “Diversity and inclusion is what fuels innovation and students from HBCUs will be positioned to play a...
There’s a new leader in town rising in the tech world, and the Ghanaian native is repping for Africa and women around the world. Technology giant, IBM Corporation has just elected Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh as its Regional Head for North, East and West Africa, making her the first woman and African to be up for such a position in the company, Face 2 Face Africa reports . The seasoned business professional is skilled in Business Planning, Banking, Business Development, Strategic Planning, and Marketing Strategy. Within her newly-appointed position, Kyerematen-Jimoh will be responsible for operations in over 40 countries in Africa, according to Face 2 Face Africa, including Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, Ghana, and Tunisia. “I am exceptionally proud of Angela. Her dedication and commitment to her work is unwavering. She has all our support and I know she will make this a huge success story. We welcome her back to Africa,” East Africa Business Mogul and founder of Centum...
On Monday, the Register received an interesting tip from an engineer applying for a position online. Now, IBM is apologizing for its online job app asking applicants if they were “yellow” or “mulato [sic].” The online application showed the options from a drop down menu asking people to “please state your Ethnic group,” Business Insider reported . In addition to calling themselves “yellow” or “mulato [sic],” people also had the option to pick “indigenous,” “caucasian,” or “black.” The menu was gone by the time the Register looked at the application, but it was still present in the company’s code. Plus, the internet lives forever and people took videos of it . In a statement to Business Insider, IBM’s vice president Edward Barbini said their recruitment websites had “temporarily and inappropriately” asked about ethnicity. “Those questions were removed immediately when we became aware of the issue and we apologize. IBM hiring is based on skill and qualifications. We do not use race or...