An AI image creator, Playground AI, gave an Asian MIT graduate blue eyes and lighter skin when she asked it to turn her photo into a professional LinkedIn headshot. Rona Wang, who had majored in computer science at MIT, took to Twitter to share her surprise, adding to online debates about racial biases in generative AI. What happened? The Boston Globe reported that Wang uploaded an image of herself smiling and wearing a red MIT shirt to the platform, asking it to turn the image into a “professional” LinkedIn profile
Today, Robert F. Smith announced that Vista Equity Partners, his market investment firm, has surpassed $100 billion in assets under management (AUM)—the total market value of all its investments. Vista Equity Partners Smith is the wealthiest Black man in the United States, surpassing Oprah Winfrey in 2018 as the richest Black American. He founded Vista Equity Partners in 2000 to invest in businesses that use tech to promote economic equity, ecological responsibility, and diversity and inclusion. He recently announced plans to sell Apptio – a company that helps connect technology investments to business
Acclaimed filmmaker and founder of Array Crew, Ava DuVernay, is collaborating with Oscar-winning filmmakers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, founders of the Impact network, to create the “largest hiring network” for the entertainment industry. Array Crew In 2021, DuVernay founded Array Crew, a searchable personnel database designed to connect below-the-line crew professionals. The database focuses on amplifying women, people of color and those from underrepresented backgrounds, connecting them with producers, studio executives and department heads. The database has gained the support of major studios and streamers, including Warner Bros.Discovery, Amazon Studios, Apple TV+
GRAMMY Award-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco has collaborated with Google Lab Sessions to develop an experimental AI tool, TextFX. TextFX is an AI-powered tool for rappers, writers, and wordsmiths to enhance their use of lyrical and linguistic techniques. TextFX A play on the acronym for sound effects (SFX), TextFXis an experimental demonstrating how generative language technologies can empower the creativity and workflows of artists and creators. It was created in collaboration with Lupe Fiasco who drew inspiration from the lyrical and linguistic techniques he developed throughout his career. He frequently tinkers
Immigrant rights advocates and asylum seekers have filed a lawsuit against Customs and Border Protection (CBP), raising concerns about using the CBP One app. The case highlights that the government’s mandate to schedule appointments with immigration officials via the app exclusively adds further obstacles for asylum seekers coming to the States. CBP One App The CBP One app was launched in October 2020 to streamline the scheduling of immigration appointments for travel. However, in January of this year, President Joe Biden announced his intentions to expand the app’s use to include
Nonprofit organization Blacks In Technology Foundation (BIT) has announced a strategic partnership with RoadPitch, the most extensive multi-city pitch tour to help Black tech founders to raise pre-seed and seed capital from investors. For over a decade, BIT has offered training, education, networking and mentorship opportunities to elevate Black professionals in the tech industry. The nonprofit aims to “stomp the divide,” influencing and effecting change in an industry that has historically not sought parity concerning Black workers. The Collaboration The collaboration will see RoadPitch become BIT’s official international pitch competition organizer. RoadPitch will
Porcha Woodruff, 32, was eight months pregnant when she was arrested after facial recognition technology wrongly identified her as a suspect in a robbery and carjacking. She is the sixth person, all of whom are Black, and the first woman known to be wrongfully arrested due to facial recognition technology. What happened? The New York Times reported that Woodruff was getting her six and 12-year-old daughters ready for school when six police officers arrived at her door. She had been identified as the perpetrator of a robbery and carjacking that had
Many of us find ourselves drawn to the allure of the tech industry, seeking a path that promises fulfilment and stability. For Nigeria-born data professional Ifeoma Igwe, who first moved to the UK seven years ago to study, this journey led her through unexpected twists and turns. In a candid interview with POCIT, Ifeoma shared her experiences of entering the tech industry, facing layoffs, and discovering her unique path that blends literature with tech with her text-to-speech app, Easy Edit. Joining the Tech Industry Igwe studied Economics and Management as
Black-owned SquadTrip has announced it has successfully secured $1.5 million in funding to revolutionize group travel. Making group travel easy SquadTrip is an automated payment solution for large and small groups, making booking and payments easy for group trips. Their online platform allows users to save time managing group travel by creating trip sites, automating guest billing and keeping track of all traveller logistics from one place. It is the first travel platform targeting millennials with flexible payment instalments, Apple Pay checkout and promo codes. The company was founded by
Black tech entrepreneur Luke Cooper aims to raise $50 million by November for his Baltimore-based venture capital firm, Latimer Ventures. Latimer Ventures Latimer Ventures, named in honor of Lewis Latimer, an African American inventor born to fugitive slaves, is a venture capital firm focused on helping the next generation of Black and Hispanic enterprise SaaS unicorns. They source the best seed deals from diverse managers and connect them with tech startups. Cooper founded Latimer Ventures in 2022 to address the lack of capital available to entrepreneurs of color. He plans to
