Barclays is hiring on POCIT. Oyindamola (Dammy) Lawal, Partnerships Execution Lead for Barclaycard Payments, plays a key role in shaping the strategic collaborations that power Barclays’ expanding payment technology. Working at the intersection of innovation and relationship-building, Dammy’s ultimate goal is to grow the bank’s payments partnerships across the UK and Europe. He spoke with POCIT about building a thriving career at Barclays that leaves the door open for others. Tenacity Meets Opportunity “My journey has been a mix of tenacity and good fortune,” Dammy tells POCIT. “My career with
The Legal Defense Fund (LDF), the nation’s first civil rights law organization, has appointed Dr. Joy Buolamwini, founder of the Algorithmic Justice League and author of national bestseller Unmasking AI, to its Board of Directors. As AI tools proliferate across policing, hiring, lending, education, and healthcare, civil rights advocates warn that their built-in biases could disproportionately harm Black communities. LDF says Buolamwini’s expertise in algorithmic accountability will be key to guiding the organization’s response to these emerging tech-driven civil rights challenges. A Leading Voice on Algorithmic Justice Buolamwini founded the
When Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica with 195 mph winds on October 28, it claimed dozens of lives, knocked out electricity, and disrupted water supplies for half a million people. But in Accompong, a remote Maroon community in the mountains of Cockpit Country, clean water has continued to flow thanks to a solar-powered atmospheric water generator. A Solar-Powered Atmospheric Water Generator As the Category 5 storm collapsed power grids and water systems across the island, Accompong’s self-sustaining water generator continued pulling humidity from the air and turning it into nearly 400 gallons of clean, drinkable water each
Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is taking legal action against companies and individuals who have replicated his iconic voice and likeness without his permission. His stance comes amid growing concerns in Hollywood over the use of AI to create deepfakes and synthetic replications without consent or compensation. Morgan Takes Legal Action Against Unauthorized AI In a recent interview with The Guardian, Freeman made his position clear: “I’m a little PO’d, you know. I’m like any other actor: don’t mimic me with falseness. I don’t appreciate it, and I get paid for doing stuff like that, so if you’re gonna do it without me, you’re robbing
Space Continuum, a Black-owned design and innovation firm, is partnering with German robotics leader NEURA Robotics. The partnership aims to bring next-generation humanoid robots to North America to help tackle workforce shortages. Founded by industry veteran John Johnson, Space Continuum is best known for blending physical space design with emerging technologies. The firm’s portfolio includes projects at Rush University Medical Center, the University of Chicago, and the Barack Obama Presidential Library. Robots designed to collaborate with humans With this new partnership, Space Continuum aims to tackle workforce shortages and operational
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), one of Silicon Valley’s most influential venture capital firms, has paused its Talent x Opportunity (TxO) fund which was created to support founders from underserved backgrounds. The move, first reported by TechCrunch, includes layoffs of several staff members from the TxO team. On October 16, participants received an email from Kofi Ampadu, the a16z partner who led TxO, announcing the pause: “While [TxO’s] purpose has not changed, we are pausing our existing program to refine how we deliver on it.” The Talent x Opportunity Fund a16z launched
The Nigerian government is working with Google and Apolitical, a global learning platform for government innovation, to launch a training initiative for public servants. The initiative, called the AI Government Campus, will be implemented through the Apolitical Government AI Campus. It aims to train thousands of public servants and government leaders to understand and apply artificial intelligence in public administration effectively, as reported by Techpoint Africa. The initiative is a joint effort between Google, the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), and Apolitical. “We see artificial intelligence as
Moniepoint has raised another $90 million in an extension of its Series C round, bringing its total to $200 million after its initial $110 million raise in 2024. The round included investors such as Visa, Development Partners International LLP, Leapfrog, and Alphabet Inc.’s Google Africa Investment Fund, Ross Strike, according to Bloomberg. “We will not rest on our laurels,” co-founder and CEO Tosin Eniolorunda said in a statement. “The proceeds from our landmark Series C will be deployed judiciously to generate even more momentum as we enter the next chapter of Moniepoint’s story – with
OpenAI has paused video generations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on its new Sora 2 app after backlash over disrespectful AI-generated depictions of the civil rights leader. The company announced the decision on X on Sunday, confirming it had reached a resolution with King, Inc., the organization representing the late Dr. King’s estate. The move comes less than a week after OpenAI launched Sora 2, a video-generation app that allows users to create realistic clips from text prompts. The app quickly went viral, surpassing a million downloads in five
Epiminds, an agentic AI company, has raised $6.6 million in funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners, EWOR, Entourage, and leading angels such as the former CMO of Booking.com, according to Tech Funding News reports. The Swedish startup, founded in 2025 by Mo Elkhidir (CEO) and Elias Malm, aims to reinvent how marketing agencies work by using multi-agent AI to automate campaign management. Helping marketers with routine tasks Both founders were driven by frustration with the inefficiencies of traditional marketing. Sudanese-born Elkhidir spent years researching multi-agent systems that enable digital agents to
