Tech giant Google has opened application for the Startups Growth Academy which aims to help startups use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve healthcare solutions in Africa and the Middle East.

The hybrid program is the first of a series of Google for Startups Growth Academies, which is hyper-focused on enabling startups to innovate and solve and develop tech solutions in the healthcare and wellness industry with AI.

Selected seed to Series A startups will participate in a series of tailored workshops over the course of three months and partner closely with Google and other industry experts to grow their companies, share best practices, and drive the responsible development of AI solutions in the health and well-being industry.

Speaking on the programme, Chief Health Officer at Google, Dr Karen DeSalvo said,

“For more than 10 years, Google for Startups has partnered with founders using technology to solve societal challenges, and the organisation intends to continue collaborating to activate the benefits of human-centred AI in healthcare and medicine”.

After the completion of the program, startups will have access to long-term Google mentorship and support as part of the Google for Startups alumni network.

Criteria Startups Must Meet to Qualify For The Programme

• Be a Seed to Series A startup based in Europe, the Middle East, or Africa, but looking to scale internationally; 
• Must have demonstrated traction, such as a clear track record of users and revenue;
• Focused on leveraging AI to address health or well-being challenges.
• Must have a scalable product or service, with both a significant total addressable market and a defensible growth model.

Applicants can proceed here to apply, as the deadline for the application is on the 10th of July 2023.

Founders will be interviewed between July and September. The cohort will be announced in September, followed by the commencement of the program in October.

Investors King understands that Google’s Academy Programme to Support Health-Tech Startups with AI, will pave the way for innovative solutions, promotion of knowledge/ideas, and encourage partnerships that can drive significant advancements in healthcare delivery and outcomes across the African continent.

A recent report has revealed that Twitter’s current valuation has shrunk, as the micro-blogging platform is now one-third of what Elon Musk acquired it for last year October.

According to financial services corporation Fidelity Investments, in its annual monthly report of portfolio valuations posted on the 28th of May, the financial services giant stated that the market value of its equity stake in Twitter, identified by its new name, X Holdings Corp. fell to $6.5 million at the end of April, from $19.66 million when Musk concluded the deal a 66% drop. This implied that Twitter’s current valuation is about $15 billion.

This means that in just six months since Musk paid the sum of $44 billion including $33.5 billion in equity to purchase Twitter, the company’s value has plunged by nearly two-thirds. Meanwhile, some other aspects of Twitter’s current financial health are uncertain, because the company hasn’t made enough disclosures.

Recall that Elon Musk admitted that he had a bit of buyer’s remorse over his $44 billion acquisition deal for Twitter which he stated that he obviously overpaid. This saw Musk warn workers that Twitter remained in a precarious financial position and, at one point, had been four months away from running out of money.

Investors King understands that part of the fall in Twitter’s value can be attributed to a series of decisions carried out by Musk, such as mass layoffs affecting critical teams and challenges with content moderation that have turned advertisers away from the platform.

Musk was able to win back some of them by providing steep discounts. He has also implemented subscription-based verification to boost sales.

Musk who expressed optimism, says he sees a ‘clear but difficult path’ to $250 billion valuation, which would mean current grants could 10x. He however noted that Twitter is on the path of an inverse startup. The mercurial mega-billionaire believes the social network will be worth far more in the future.

British-based security software and hardware company Sophos revealed it has uncovered multiple apps masquerading as legitimate ChatGPT chatbots.

These fake apps which have circulated both the Google Play and App Store, have forced unsuspecting users into signing up for a subscription fee. While OpenAI offers the basic functionality of ChatGPT for free, these apps are charging users an amount from $10 a month to $70 a year.

An iOS version of ChatGPT called “Ask AI Assistant”, charges users $6 a week or $12 a year after a free three-day trial. Reports reveal that in March alone, the developers amassed $10,000.

Speaking on how these apps coerce users into subscribing, Principal Threat researcher at Sophos Sean Gallagher said,

“Scammers have and always will use the latest trends or technology to line their pockets. ChatGPT is no exception. With interest in Al and chatbots arguably at an all-time high, users are turning to the Apple App and Google Play Stores to download anything that resembles ChatGPT. These types of scam apps What Sophos has dubbed “fleece Ware’ often bombard users with ads until they sign up for a subscription.

“They’re banking on the fact that users won’t pay attention to the cost or simply forget that they have this subscription. They’re specifically designed so that they may not get much use after the free trial ends, so users delete the app without realizing they’re still on the hook for a monthly or weekly payment”.

According to findings, Sophos revealed that most of these apps using the ChatGPT algorithm, are doing so to enhance their app’s ranking on Google Play store or App Store. It disclosed that most of these apps are poorly written and developed, as the app function is usually less than the ideal version.

These apps also inflate their ratings in the app store or Google Play store through fake reviews and persistent requests of users to rate the app even before they are done with the free trial.

Sophos revealed that as it continues to take down some of these fake apps, more have continued to emerge. The company has therefore urged users to also play a part in curbing the increase of these apps, by reporting to Google or Apple if they suspect that they are not genuine.

Here Are Some Ways to Spot Some Fake ChatGPT Apps

• Double-check the developers

OpenAI is the developer behind ChatGPT. So, any other chatbot apps on the App Store and all chatbot apps on the Google Play Store are products of other developers. 

• Check the reviews

Like most review sections, the reviews raving about the app will be at the top of the reviews section, giving you the idea that most people enjoy the app. But many fake app creators pay for positive app reviews. 

• Check the app permissions

Some of these apps are a privacy risk, as the app’s permissions are unnecessarily overreaching compared to the app’s purpose.  Before downloading an app that claims to be ChatGPT-adjacent, check out its app permissions.

Investors King understands that it is no surprise that there are many fake ChatGPT apps on the Google play store or App Store, as the app is the fastest-growing app of all time, hence some mischievous developers want to capitalize on it by rolling out the fake version to generate money.