Algorithms · February 2022Gaffe level: Blunder
A BBC Researcher Posing as a 13-Year-Old Found VRChat's Virtual Strip Clubs
The BBC's undercover researcher entered VRChat posing as a teen and was propositioned by adults amid avatars simulating sex. The metaverse turned out to need a chaperone and a bouncer.
Source: Engadget
AI Avatars Translate Speech Into Kenyan Sign Language in Real Time
Kenyan engineer Elly Savatia built Terp360, an AI platform that translates speech into Kenyan Sign Language in real time using 3D avatars, with more than 2,300 signs recorded alongside deaf Kenyans. It won the 2025 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, and the team has released an open dataset of nearly 12,000 sign-language motion sequences.
Source: The Eastleigh Voice