This week’s stories come from the UK and USA, covering sustainability, tech and startups

1-Microsoft unplugs Skype

Skype, the pioneering VoIP service, will be officially discontinued on May 5,  since  Microsoft to prioritize its homegrown Teams service, the company announced yesterday.

Launched in 2003, Skype revolutionized cross-border communication, disrupting the landline industry with its audio and video call capabilities. At its peak, the platform boasted hundreds of millions of users, but in recent years, it has struggled to compete with more user-friendly and reliable alternatives such as Zoom and WhatsApp. I saw this story at Reuters and  Microsoft emphasized Skype’s underlying technology, which was not optimized for the smartphone era, as a factor in its decline, according to the story.(By the way I have a story here about Zoom’s Turkish competitor)

To facilitate a smooth transition, Skype users will be able to log into Teams for free using their existing credentials, with their chats and contacts migrating automatically. Microsoft assured that there would be no job cuts as a result of Skype’s shutdown, as the story put it.

The move marks the latest in a series of Microsoft’s discontinued products, including Internet Explorer and Windows Phone. Other tech giants have faced similar struggles in the online communication space, with Google making multiple attempts through services such as Hangouts and Duo.

When Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion, the platform had around 150 million monthly users. By 2020, that number had dwindled to approximately 23 million, despite a temporary boost in usage during the pandemic. In contrast, Microsoft reported that Teams now has about 320 million monthly active users.

Microsoft unplugs Skype

2-Nvidia teaches American Sign Language

The past week was full of Nvidia’s earning stories. On the other hand, Nvidia has introduced an artificial intelligence-powered platform aimed at making it easier to learn American Sign Language (ASL). The platform, named Signs, was launched on last week in collaboration with the American Society for Deaf Children and creative agency Hello Monday.

Here’s how ASL works: Designed as an interactive learning tool, Signs features a 3D avatar that demonstrates ASL signs while users keep their video cameras on for real-time feedback.  I read this story at CNN and the AI-powered system evaluates users’ signing accuracy, helping learners improve their skills. At its debut, Signs includes 100 distinct signs, with plans to expand the vocabulary to 1,000 in the future, per the story.

ASL is the third most commonly used language in the U.S., following English and Spanish. With this in mind, Nvidia’s venture into language learning reflects its ongoing efforts to diversify beyond AI hardware.

The Signs platform is free to use and allows ASL speakers to contribute video recordings of additional signs to expand its database. Nvidia intends to make this repository publicly accessible, paving the way for future advancements such as improved sign recognition in video conferencing or gesture-based controls in vehicles.

Future updates to Signs may incorporate crucial ASL elements such as facial expressions, head movements, and regional slang variations. The platform also has the potential to support hearing parents in learning ASL early, facilitating better communication with their deaf children from as young as six to eight months old.

Nvidia teaches sign language (Photo: Nvidia)

3-UK government partners with Anthropic

The United Kingdom government has entered into a strategic partnership with artificial intelligence firm Anthropic to explore how AI can drive advancements in public services. The collaboration, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), was signed by British Minister for Science, Innovation, and Technology Peter Kyle and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

A key focus of the initiative is the application of Anthropic’s advanced AI model, Claude, to improve how British citizens access and interact with online government services, according to the story. The partnership will also conduct tests to identify the most effective and responsible ways to integrate AI within the broader public sector.

I read this story at Venturebeat and the agreement aligns with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s commitment to harness AI for national growth. Starmer has pledged to “unleash AI across the UK” to facilitate a decade of renewal, with government forecasts suggesting that AI could contribute up to £47 billion ($57 billion) annually to the economy. Additionally, £14 billion ($17 billion) is expected to come from private investment, with the AI sector projected to create around 13,000 new jobs, added the story.

Claude, Anthropic’s AI model, is already utilized by several government and political institutions, including the District of Columbia Department of Health and the European Parliament. This latest partnership signals the UK government’s continued push to integrate cutting-edge AI technology into public services and strengthen the country’s position as a leader in artificial intelligence development.

UK government partners with Anthropic