The company’s pricing changes come as AI vendors increasingly compete on cost, speed and performance.
The selfie video verification gives eligible users another way to recover access to their Google accounts.
Fifteen AI-driven South African start-ups can secure up to R1 million each through Google's latest accelerator programme.
Alphabet’s cloud business emerges as its fastest-growing segment, as enterprises ramp up spending on AI infrastructure and services.
Government plans AI-powered disease management, alongside investment in sovereign cloud and digital infrastructure.
The second funding round backs AI, data journalism and vernacular content as the sector pushes beyond basic digital infrastructure.
Google will build Africa's first Digital Exchange Port in the Eastern Cape, creating a high-capacity gateway linking subsea cables, ISPs and cloud platforms.
A US jury found Google liable for collecting user data despite privacy settings being turned off – and South Africans may be among the 98 million affected.
Small businesses relying on Google or Microsoft credentials to access multiple platforms face the biggest exposure from a massive data breach.
ChatGPT maker OpenAI hires Google Gemini co-lead Noam Shazeer in an artificial intelligence talent coup.
Claude’s maker is outpacing ChatGPT’s parent in valuation, users and margins – and looks set to beat it to the stock market too.
Local voters will enter the 2026 elections with fewer safeguards against online manipulation and discriminatory political adverts than their global counterparts, says CODE.
South Africa’s Digital Future in Focus as AI, Fibre and Lottery Tech Drive Innovation
These are the top stories making headlines on ITWeb this week: Incoming National Lottery operator Sizekhaya is preparing a major digital transformation of South Africa’s lottery ecosystem through new technology partnerships and an omni-channel gaming platform ahead of officially taking over the fourth National Lottery and Sports Pools licence on 1 June. Meanwhile, 1-Grid suffered a large-scale distributed denial-of-service attack that disrupted services across its web hosting platform. In connectivity news, Fibertime says it aims to reach one million homes by mid-2027 after rapidly expanding from 10 000 to 420 000 homes across 13 cities and seven provinces. In academia and innovation, Vukosi Marivate from the University of Pretoria was honoured with the Order of Mapungubwe in silver at the 2026 National Orders for his contributions to AI, computer science and natural language processing. Finally, Google has opened registrations for its 2026 Hustle Academy programme to help entrepreneurs and students across So
ITWeb TV: Making AI inclusive for Africa | Episode #137
Google South Africa country director Kabelo Makwane details the internet giant's strategy for inclusive connectivity access and AI, the rise of YouTube content engagement in SA, appetite for the Africa-based cloud region and how Google aims to help local users create commercially-viable innovations.
Google Cloud offers free cyber security training in SA
In this week's tech news roundup, Google Cloud and the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA) have teamed up to introduce new learning opportunities for South Africans to gain cyber security skills. Stay informed and engaged with our comprehensive coverage of these stories and more on our website, www.itweb.co.za and social media platforms. Discover the latest advancements shaping the future of technology by ITWeb. #newsvideo #google #skills News Links: https://www.itweb.co.za/article/excise-duty-adjustment-to-lower-end-smartphone-price-tag/lLn147mQobw7J6Aa https://www.itweb.co.za/article/makhohliso-steps-down-as-md-of-sap-southern-africa/GxwQDM1DkJ87lPVo https://www.itweb.co.za/article/global-war-for-sas-tech-skills/Olx4zMka4bGv56km https://www.itweb.co.za/article/google-cloud-offers-free-cyber-security-training-in-sa/PmxVE7KEwbBqQY85 https://www.itweb.co.za/article/2025-wired4women-awards-finalists-revealed/DZQ58vV8KpNMzXy2