This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on June 10, 2024 - June 16, 2024

The rapid growth in the effectiveness of pattern-recognition prediction and creation, along with artificial intelligence (AI) development, has become a key factor in the United Nations’ journey to achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a report by McKinsey & Co titled “AI for social good: Improving lives and protecting the planet”, released on May 10.

The report states that realising this potential of AI in meeting SDG goals requires stakeholders to collaborate more closely to ensure access to adequate talent and robust data solutions, on top of AI applications and models that are more open-sourced or scalable across the globe.

Advancements in AI saw a sharp acceleration over the last two years in the ability to design, train and run the tool for millions of users. AI is already being used for 17 SDGs, including eliminating poverty, establishing sustainable cities, sustainable communities and providing quality education.

Experts surveyed believe AI has high potential to make a difference for five SDGs in particular: good health and well-being; quality education; climate action; affordable and clean energy; and sustainable cities and communities.

The report says grant and private capital funding for using AI in these SDGs centre on good health and well-being, quality education, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities and climate action.

It also notes that 40% of private capital investments going into the 20,000 AI companies analysed contributed directly or indirectly towards at least one of the 17 SDG thematic areas. Geographic disparities in grant allocation remain high. An analysis of the location of grant recipients’ headquarters from a database of US-majority foundations has found that, from 2018 to 2023, only 10% of grants allocated towards AI initiatives that address at least one of the SDGs went to organisations based in low- or middle-income countries.

Sixty per cent of respondents agreed that AI efforts today are not focused enough on the lower-income countries, where SDGs can see the biggest impact. Because of this, challenges in scaling AI for social-good initiatives have remained persistent and tough.

Meanwhile, 72% of the respondents saw that most efforts to deploy AI for social good were focused on research and innovation rather than adoption and scaling.

The report also says the biggest barriers to scaling, outside of funding, were still data availability, accessibility and quality. This means the availability of, accessibility to, as well as the readiness to adopt AI-related talent remained low in low- to middle-income countries.

One reason for this lack of accessibility and readiness to adopt can be traced to how AI tools and techniques could be misused, with experts surveyed in the report identifying key risks such as impaired fairness, as well as privacy and security concerns.

FRAC Sdn Bhd, a web3 technology company specialising in asset fractionalisation, has signed a memorandum of understanding with digital asset company Gambit Group Sdn Bhd to revolutionise asset management through innovative fractionalisation and secure custody solutions.

FRAC leverages the power of web3 technology to create smaller, tradable units of ownership, unlocking capital and offering new growth and diversification opportunities for asset owners and investors.

The agreement outlines several key areas of cooperation. Gambit will provide custody solutions for fractionalised assets created through FRAC’s platform, enhancing market trust.

Joint marketing initiatives will be explored to promote asset fractionalisation and secure custody solutions to a broader audience. The partnership also aims to launch educational programmes to raise awareness about the benefits of asset fractionalisation and digital asset custody, targeting investors, asset managers and other stakeholders in the financial industry.

Both parties are also committed to exploring joint market expansion strategies such as identifying new geographic and sectoral markets where the combined strengths of FRAC’s fractionalisation technology and Gambit’s custody solutions can be leveraged to meet emerging demand.

Lenovo has unveiled its Intelligent Sustainability Solutions Advisor (Lissa), a new AI-powered sustainability engine designed to empower businesses in making data-driven and sustainable IT buying decisions.

Lissa can help a company measure its progress and optimise sustainable IT investments. It is described as an end-to-end solution that fits budgets and supports sustainability goals.

A survey from the Boston Consulting Group found that 87% of executives believed AI had the potential to address climate issues, and Lenovo aims to leverage this sentiment to maximise the use of AI.

Lissa provides actionable insights into estimated emissions impact across the IT lifecycle and helps simulate solution pathways to identify emissions reduction opportunities. This is an effort to enable customers to align technology investments with sustainability goals.

Measat Global Bhd, Malaysia’s satellite solutions provider, is partnering with SPOTV through its subsidiary SPOTV Media Solutions Sdn Bhd to support SPOTV’s Asia-Pacific playout operations from the Measat Teleport and Broadcast Centre in Cyberjaya.

The agreement extends to the use of Measat’s teleport facilities, supporting SPOTV’s broadcast production suite and data centre services.

Previously, SPOTV chose Measat for satellite capacity and uplink services via Measat-3d. This new scope expansion further strengthens the collaboration between the two entities.

Content available on SPOTV includes the upcoming Uefa Euro 2024, MotoGP, BWF World Tour, World Table Tennis events, the tennis grand slams including Wimbledon and US Open, and key golf events including LIV Golf, The Masters and The Open Championship.

“Through our holistic offerings of data centre, teleport and satellite uplink services, Measat is better able to support broadcast partners as a single-stop solutions provider in today’s diversified media industry landscape,” says Measat chief commercial officer Ganendra Selvaraj.

Forty-four per cent of the 9.44 million flagged credit applications from member banks since September 2020 have been attributed to syndicates and fraud rings, according to the latest statistics by national fraud bureau CTOS IDGuard.

The bureau has flagged a total of RM519 million in potentially fraudulent applications over the past three years and nine months to alert banking consortium members. This represents a 62% increase from the RM319 million reported in the 36-month results published nine months ago.

CTOS IDGuard, part of CTOS’ fraud and identification services suite, leverages machine learning to increase the efficiency of the bureau and an extensive database, including CTOS electronic know your customer, multi-face identification and digital footprint. Currently, CTOS IDGuard covers more than 65% of Malaysia’s banking assets.

Shine, Swiss Re Foundation’s flagship social entrepreneurship programme introduced in 2018, is calling for participation from social entrepreneurs from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The programme provides early-stage social entrepreneurs with a grant and access to Swiss Re’s leadership, as well as business expertise and coaching to help them scale their initiatives for impact.

The programme, which is being run in Southeast Asia for the first time, seeks to boost innovation in critical impact areas — such as the net-zero transition, health and nutrition, financial literacy, socioeconomic well-being, skills development, climate-smart agriculture, disaster risk reduction, and coastal resilience.

Swiss Re will be collaborating with its outreach partner Impact Hub Kuala Lumpur and its learning partner Bookbridge for the programme.

Swiss Re Institute’s recent report titled “Changing Climates: The heat is (still) on” found that Asia-Pacific economies dominate the top 10 in terms of economic losses as a percentage of GDP from hazard intensification due to climate change. Thailand is one of the countries that shows the greatest vulnerability to potential for rising losses, as the countries are also exposed to a high probability of hazard intensification, primarily from flooding.

The application is open until June 19. Selected applicants will undergo a six-month immersive learning programme starting from January 2025, in which they will be partnered with Swiss Re experts and leadership to develop a strategic and financially viable business.

Apart from Swiss Re’s expertise, the selected entrepreneur stands a chance to win a financial award of up to S$40,000 (RM139,600) to fuel the growth of his or her enterprise.

For more details, visit https://awards.swissrefoundation.org.

MYStartup, in partnership with Watchtower and Friends (WTF), has announced the return of the MYStartup Pre-Accelerator programme for its fourth cohort. Pre-seed and early-stage start-ups from various sectors with a focus on technology-led solutions can apply for the programme until June 23.

The MYStartup Pre-Accelerator Cohort 4 Programme is designed to provide early-stage start-ups with a comprehensive learning experience over four months, with three sessions per week, each lasting three hours.

The programme, which will take place from June through September 2024, will see the selected start-ups undergo a tailored module aimed at fast-tracking development and scaling growth. Throughout the programme, these start-up founders will gain access to a wealth of resources, including world-class mentorship and outcome-based curriculum. The top 5 start-ups will qualify for an intensive fundraising accelerator programme to provide support beyond the pre-accelerator programme.

For more information, visit https://mystartupaccelerator.org.

Social enterprise Biji-biji Initiative and Ikea Social Entrepreneurship, the social arm of the Swedish furniture giant, have launched the Social Enterprise Accelerator Malaysia (SEAM) to drive positive change and empower marginalised communities across Malaysia.

SEAM is a 12-month long programme designed to empower 10 social enterprises in Malaysia, addressing challenges through internal capacity building and putting focus on impactful business strategies.

Malaysia is the second country in which the programme is being conducted, after Indonesia — where it is called Instellar and Ikea Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator (I-SEA) programme.

According to June Suhaila, deputy secretary of the policy and international relations division at the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development (Kuskop), there are 42 aspiring social enterprises, 224 basic social enterprises and 20 accredited social enterprises in its database.

SEAM offers local social enterprises a variety of resources to enhance their business models, strategies and overall impact. Participants will receive guidance from industry experts, including Ikea co-workers, who will serve as business experts, thought partners and mentors throughout the year-long journey.

In addition, 10 chosen participants will have access to a growth funding pool of US$200,000 (RM940,000). Social enterprises in sustainable development and environmental stewardship — especially those that focus on the circular economy and waste management, renewable materials and sustainable agriculture, raw materials and reforestation, aquaculture and marine conservation and inclusive employment — are encouraged to apply.

Applications, which close on July 29, can be made on the programme website (https://program.biji-biji.com/seam). — By Ravinyaa Ravimalar

Beauty tech start-ups in South Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, including Malaysia, have been given an opportunity to develop their innovation in a commercial pilot and exposure across 35 markets through L’Oréal’s Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Programme.

The programme, launched in China in 2020, offers a platform for collaboration, where start-ups will co-create and co-develop innovative beauty technology and marketing solutions with L’Oréal experts.

Start-ups will address at least one of the five challenge themes, including consumer experience, content media, new commerce and tech for good. Through their participation, start-ups will have the opportunity to connect with commercial and digital leaders, including strategic partners and mentors from Accenture, Google and Meta, who can offer insights to test new ideas and potential to scale.

Deadline for submission is July 13. After the selection process is completed, participants in Southeast Asia will go through the semi-finals online on Sept 30. Three winners from each of the regional semi-finals will vie for the top prizes at the Grand Finale in Singapore on Oct 23. Judges will comprise senior executives from L’Oréal and the programme partners.

For more information, visit https://bigbang.lorealsapmena.com.

China’s Chang’e-6 ascender separated from the lander and lifted off from the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the moon at 7.38am Beijing time on June 4 and entered lunar orbit, where it will link up with the Chang’e-6 orbiter and return to Earth on June 25.

According to the China National Space Administration, the probe — which uses laser 3D scanning and an autonomous avoidance system to detect obstacles — is bringing back soil and rock samples to Earth for the first time.

Do you always lose your physically written notes or wish you could edit them digitally? This smart notebook and smart pen combo could be a handy tool for you to carry around, as it allows for the synchronisation of texts and images from paper to screen.

Just by downloading the companion app, you can seamlessly transfer what you have written on a page to your device, instantly digitising notes and allowing you to notate, share, search, edit and organise what was put down on paper. The notes can be deleted, transcribed and coloured in real time and shared as an image or PDF or exported directly on Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.

Retailing at US$272 (RM1,278) on Amazon, the smart writing set comes with a digital smart pen, smart notebook with N-coded paper, magnetic USB recharging cable and a pen-tip ink refill. Designed with N-Code technology, the paper allows the smart pen to capture each stroke and store a digital copy of your notes.

In this timely and enlightening book, the bestselling author of Deep Work introduces a philosophy for technology use that has already improved countless lives.

Digital minimalists are all around us.

They are the calm, happy people who can hold long conversations without furtive glances at their phones. They can get lost in a good book, a woodworking project or a leisurely morning run. They can have fun with friends and family without the obsessive urge to document the experience. They stay informed about the news of the day, but do not feel overwhelmed by it. They do not experience “fear of missing out” because they already know which activities provide them with meaning and satisfaction.

Now, Newport gives us a name for this quiet movement and makes a persuasive case for its urgency in our tech-saturated world.

Common sense tips, such as turning off notifications, or occasional rituals such as observing a digital sabbath do not go far enough in helping us regain control of our technological lives, and attempts to unplug completely are complicated by the demands of family, friends and work.

What we need instead is a thoughtful method to decide what tools to use, for what purposes and under what conditions.

Drawing on a diverse array of real-life examples, from Amish farmers to harried parents to Silicon Valley programmers, Newport identifies the common practices of digital minimalists and the ideas that underpin them.

He shows how digital minimalists are rethinking their relationship with social media, rediscovering the pleasures of the offline world and reconnecting with their inner selves through regular periods of solitude.

He then shares strategies for integrating these practices into your life, starting with a 30-day “digital declutter” process that has already helped thousands feel less overwhelmed and more in control.

Technology is intrinsically neither good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values rather than letting it use you. This book shows the way. — Amazon

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