Participants attending this conference will benefit from industry experts and their insights which will help lay people make sense of the ever-evolving technological landscape. By HASANAIN ABDULLAH Following the successful hosting of the inaugural conference in Johannesburg last year, the much-anticipated second edition will be hosted in...

By ASHRAF PATEL Will AI be socialised or monetised or even worse, weaponised? In September 2024, exactly a year ago, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the UN Pact for the Future. Acknowledging the deep polycrisis of conflicts, climate change, and rapid artificial intelligence (AI) diffusion,...

In August 2025, the International Quran Research Association (IQRA’) will host a virtual conference aimed at revitalising Muslim contributions to civilisation. MAHMOOD SANGLAY reports on this groundbreaking initiative. The conference is based on the theme ‘Honouring Our Legacy, Shaping Our Future: Towards a New Muslim Contribution to...

For decades, the West, led by the United States, has dominated the technology sector, wielding immense power through its innovation hubs, global corporations and intellectual property. MAHMOOD SANGLAY argues why the advent of DeepSeek is a powerful indicator of the West’s comeuppance as a dominant global power....

HASANAIN ABDULLAH The first Ummah Tech Conference, under the theme ‘Where Faith Meets Technology’, brought together technology professionals, community leaders and entrepreneurs in an effort to create a sustainable framework within an Islamic environment. Participants from across the country, including Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha and Johannesburg engaged...

On November 25, Google and the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) announced a landmark partnership, the establishment of the Digital News Transformation Fund (DNT Fund). This is a $6 million (R114 million) initiative aimed at revitalising South Africa’s struggling independent and local news sectors. MAHMOOD SANGLAY offers...

The benefits of 4IR (Fourth Industrial Revolution) are not distributed equally. HASANAIN ABDULLAH argues that the economic disparity affects the nation’s poor and ill-equipped to exploit opportunities in the digital age. As I reflect on my role in managing downstream projects for the National Awqaf Foundation of...

Dr Waleed Kadous is a Muslim artificial intelligence engineer based in California, USA. He is a leading expert on Islam and AI and currently works for the graphic design platform Canva. His career includes work at tech companies like Anyscale, Uber and Google. MAHMOOD SANGLAY reports on...

‘For a long time I did not understand why I never saw people who looked like my dad in the NASA archives from the Apollo period,’ says Dr Sian Proctor. Dr Sian ‘Leo’ Proctor, mission pilot for the first all-civilian orbital mission, SpaceX Inspiration4, and the first...

Professional astronomers from 22 other African countries will meet in Cape Town to present their groundbreaking work in astronomy research, communication, education and development. ASTRONOMY research being conducted in Africa will feature prominently at the International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly 2024 to be held in Cape...