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Welcome to another edition of the Fambirai monthly newsletter. Each month we share the latest AI breakthroughs, research, and controversies.
In April, we ran a series of ChatGPT training webinars with our most diverse audience yet spanning sustainability, energy, government, religion, sport, education, finance, healthcare, and retail. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and it’s clear that interest in AI is cutting across every sector.
We also wanted to share feedback from last week’s Fambirai AI training workshop for non-profits.
"Yesterday I attended an AI workshop for NGOs and for-purpose organisations run by Fambirai and facilitated skillfully by Julianne Hickey I’m now completely inspired to just go for it and play more with AI.
This workshop opened my eyes to so many more opportunities where AI can support and enhance our work (e.g deep research, first drafts, scenario planning).
By using AI in my work, I’m freeing up valuable human time and energy to focus on what matters most—real, human connection.
A great investment and highly worthwhile."
Gretchen Leuthart, Hospice NZ
On with the show, here are April’s highlights...
Top Stories
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EU unveils “AI Continent” action plan
 - It’s about time AI leadership stories came from somewhere other than Silicon Valley or China. The EU has launched its AI Continent Action Plan - a bold push to lead globally by turning Europe’s research, startups, and industrial muscle into a powerhouse of AI innovation. With AI Factories, Gigafactories, and a €20 billion private investment boost through InvestAI, the plan targets computing scale, data access, skills, and real-world adoption. It also aims to triple cloud capacity and simplify regulation through a new AI Act Service Desk. Europe is officially in the race... not as a follower, but as a force. Read more
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OpenAI extends deep research mode and releases an online shopping update
OpenAI’s o4-mini model lets free users run five deep queries a month. Read more →- ChatGPT can now help with your online shopping decisions. Read more →
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Microsoft 2025 Work Trend Index
 - ...investigates how intelligence on demand, hybrid human-AI agent teams, and evolving workplace structures are reshaping business operations and talent strategies. Read more →
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Why young people will shape Africa's AI future
- The inaugural Global AI Summit on Africa was held in Kigali, Rwanda, from April 3-4, 2025. This event, hosted by the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in collaboration with the , brought together leaders from governments, industry, academia, and more, to discuss Africa's role in the future of AI. The summit focused on harnessing AI for economic growth, social transformation, and technological leadership within the continent. Read more →
- Baidu’s cheaper, smarter chatbots
Ernie 4.5 Turbo and X1 Turbo cut prices by up to 80 %. Read more →
- Perplexity brings voice AI to older iPhones
Voice chat handles emails, rides, and directions on legacy devices. Read more → 
Industry adoption and partnerships
- Metro Bank launches AI scam checker on WhatsApp. Read more
- Adobe & Figma embrace GPT image API. Read more
- Microsoft’s AI-generated Surface ad cut cost by 90%. Read more
- Japan adopts ChatGPT Enterprise via OpenAI–NTT partnership. Read more
- Pennsylvania AI pilot saves 95 minutes a day for staff. Read more
- Google finds AI saves 122 hours per worker in UK test. Read more
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Ethics, safety & legal
- Ziff Davis sues OpenAI for copyright breach. Read more
- Voice deepfakes power new tax scams. Read more
- GAO flags AI’s rising carbon footprint. Read more
- Deepfake ads mimic Sky News reporters, spark UK probe. Read more
Society, education & research
- Experts–public perception gap widens – only 11 % of adults are excited about AI. Read more
- Tulane students build AI tools for social good. Read more
- Google offers AI to students in the US for free. Read more
- Stanford AI Index 2025 shows investments and risks both soaring. Read more
Policy & governance
- White House OMB guides federal AI adoption – new memoranda streamline agency use. Read more
China mandates deepfake labels – visible and metadata tags required from 1 Sept 2025. Read more
- International AI Safety Report maps frontier risks, authored by 100 AI experts. Read more
FYI
Case studies
- US Army AI workspace reclassified 300 000 records in a week. Read more
- Pennsylvania ChatGPT pilot saves 1.5 hours per worker daily. Read more
- Tajik schools teach AI basics in a 10-school pilot. Read more
Good news
- AI glasses guide blind users through crowded spaces. Read more
- AI model boosts guide-dog success by 20%. Read more
- ChatGPT makes exercise videos autism-friendly. Read more
- Students build AI tools for community impact. Read more
That's it for this month - thanks for reading! We'd love to hear from you, so let us know by reply email:
- if you have any feedback on our updated newsletter content and format,
- your ideas for future webinar series topics you'd like to see, or
- if you need training for organisation.
Stay tuned for May’s edition and follow us on LinkedIn if you'd like to see updates when we find them!
– The Fambirai Team
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