This Week’s AI Meetup: Deepfakes, Digital Trust & Even Gemini (AI Model) Joined the Conversation 😊

At this week’s 10 Academy AI Meetup in Addis Ababa, we explored how deepfakes and voice cloning are reshaping digital trust, from scams and hacking to the growing challenge of knowing what’s real online.

We touched on the race between harmful AI and detection tools, the limits of regulation, the risks for communities with lower digital literacy, and the creative possibilities these technologies unlock. And yes, even Gemini had something to say when we asked it about the topic in Amharic.

👉 Want to explore the full reflection?
Read the complete recap on our blog: https://10academy.org/blog/deepfakes-voice-cloning-and-the-new-era-of-digital-deception-how-do-we-protect-ourselves

Join Us for This Week’s AI Meetup, Guided by Gemini (AI Model), Live & With Sound

This week’s meetup is a little different, and a lot more fun. 🙌

We’ll be having a live conversation guided by Gemini, an AI model that will listen, respond, and help shape the discussion in real time.

Together, we’ll explore how to explain AI to people who are new to digital tools, and how they can actually use AI in practical, everyday ways.

📅 December 24, 2025
⏰ 6:00 PM EAT
📍 22, Comet Building (next to Axum Hotel), 2nd Floor, Office No. 205, Addis Ababa

AI Could Add Up to $1 Trillion to Africa’s Economy, But There’s a Catch

• AI has the potential to contribute up to $1T to Africa’s GDP with the right infrastructure and policy support
• 80%+ of African organizations say AI skills are their biggest constraint
• Africa still receives less than 1% of global AI investment, limiting scale and local innovation
• The real advantage will go to countries building local AI talent, data systems, and ecosystems
The data is clear: AI can transform Africa, but only if skills and infrastructure scale now.

👉 Read more on LinkedIn to understand what’s holding Africa back, and what needs to happen next.

✨ Happy New Year from 10 Academy! ✨

As we wrap up 2025, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to our partners and learners. Your trust, collaboration, and commitment made this year possible.

In 2025, 4,500+ applied, 900+ were admitted, and nearly 400 graduated; with 100+ women and 50%+ women in Kifiya AI Mastery Training Cohort 8. Together, we scaled AI4E, delivered AI education, and grew Tenx into a national AI learning and career platform.

Here’s to 2026 and even greater impact!

Join the Top 1% of AI Engineers.

Do you have the potential, curiosity, and work ethic to join the top tier of global engineering talent?

Tenacious, in partnership with 10 Academy, is launching a direct training-to-employment pathway for Ethiopia’s brightest technologists.

This is a 3-month intensive recruitment program (Feb–Apr 2026), delivered by 10 Academy’s world-class team. You will:
👉 Master Agentic AI
👉 Build autonomous systems
👉 Deliver real-world international projects
👉 Join a rich community of elite peers

We are looking for talent, not just trainees. Every participant who successfully completes the program and meets our performance bar is guaranteed a full-time, paid position as an Agentic AI Engineer at Tenacious’ Addis delivery HQ.

Join the community with a 95% placement success rate. 

Are you ready? Apply here: http://apply.10academy.org

What if you could build AI systems for international companies, without leaving Addis?

10 Academy’s Intensive + Tenacious Recruitment Pathway is a selection-driven career launchpad for engineers ready to operate at a global level.

In just 3 months, top performers will:

- Work on real international AI projects
- Design and deploy agentic, autonomous systems
- Learn how modern AI teams actually build products
- Join a high-performance peer network, not a classroom

This program is competitive by design.
We don’t optimize for volume, we optimize for capability.

If you meet the bar and excel, you just don’t “graduate.” You’re hired by Tenacious into a full-time, paid AI engineering role, delivering global work from Addis Ababa.


📅 Applications close: Jan 30, 2026
🔗 Apply: http://apply.10academy.org

🌟 Job Opportunity: Technical Tutor at 10 Academy!

Are you passionate about teaching and shaping the next generation of African tech talent? 10 Academy, a community-owned not-for-profit, is preparing African learners for high-impact roles in the global digital economy. We are looking for a Technical Tutor to guide learners in AI, advanced software systems, and emerging technologies, helping them become job-ready professionals.

⦿ Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
⦿ Employment Type: Full-time, 4-month contract (Feb – May 2026)

Requirements & Qualifications:
✔ Expertise in software architecture and scalable systems
✔ Problem decomposition and structured thinking skills
✔ Human-in-the-loop AI workflow experience
✔ Knowledge of prompt engineering and AI validation
✔ Adaptable AI mindset with evolving tools and methods
✔ Strong communication skills in collaborative learning

Personal Attributes:
Passionate about teaching and AI, empathetic, organized, and committed to preparing learners for real job performance.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Full details and application instructions are available👇🏾👇🏾
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PS7yseToQZjNvmh-kYRq7yk1fmWTaLnt4k1VfKTVn3Y/edit?usp=sharing

Join the Top 1% of AI Engineers: Where Ethiopia’s Top AI Talent Gets Hired

We’re assembling a team of expert instructors and tutors and partnering with companies contributing real technical challenges to the program.

This means participants won’t just learn AI: they’ll build agentic, autonomous systems on real global problems, alongside a high-performance peer group.

Top performers in this 3-month Tenacious Recruitment Program will be hired into paid, full-time AI engineering roles at Tenacious, delivering global projects from Addis Ababa.

📅 Applications close: Jan 30, 2026
🔗 http://apply.10academy.org

⭐ Join Us for This Week’s AI Meetup: Let’s Talk Jobs, Skills & the Digital Economy⭐

AI is changing how we work, learn, and prepare for the future, but what does that really mean for jobs and talent development in today’s digital economy?

Join us for an open, engaging discussion where we’ll explore AI’s influence on job creation, skills, and workforce readiness. This is a space for curiosity, shared perspectives, and thoughtful conversation, no technical background required.

Come connect with professionals, learners, and AI enthusiasts, and be part of a meaningful dialogue.

✔️ Topic: AI’s Influence on Job Creation and Talent Development in the Digital Economy
✔️ Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
✔️ Time: 6:00 PM EAT
✔️ Location: 22, Comet Building (next to Axum Hotel), 2nd Floor, Office No. 205, Addis Ababa

Feel free to bring a friend!

Why apply to the Tenacious Recruitment Program?

Because this program is built for engineers who want real experience, real standards, and real outcomes.

In 3 months, you’ll:
✔️ Learn from expert instructors and tutors
✔️ Work on real technical challenges from partner companies
✔️ Build agentic, autonomous AI systems used in real contexts
✔️ Grow inside a high-performance peer community

Top performers are hired into paid, full-time AI engineering roles at Tenacious, working on global projects from Addis Ababa.

And getting started is easy:

⏱ Application takes 5 minutes
💰 Free to apply
📅 Deadline: Jan 30, 2026
🔗 Apply: http://apply.10academy.org

Calling Ethiopia’s Next Generation of Women in AI

10 Academy and Tenacious are empowering women to step into world-class AI careers with a direct training-to-employment pathway.

The Tenacious Recruitment Program (TRP) is a 3-month intensive experience designed to help Ethiopian engineers gain the skills, confidence, and exposure needed to operate at a global level, and get hired.

Built with expert instructors and real technical challenges from partner companies, TRP is more than training. It’s a launchpad.

This is for women who are ready to step forward, be seen, and take their place in tech.

📅 Application Deadline: January 30, 2026
🔗Learn More and Apply here: https://10academy.org/trainings/intensive

Women Only Webinar 🌸 | Hear It From Our Alumni

Curious about the Tenacious Recruitment Program but want to understand what the experience is really like?

We’re hosting a women-only webinar designed for women who want to explore:

- What the Tenacious Recruitment Program is all about
- How our learning environment supports women
- Real experiences, challenges, and growth stories; directly from our women alumni

This is an open space to listen, ask questions, and see yourself in the journey.

🗓 January 27, 2026 ⏰ 12:00 PM (ከቀኑ 6፡00 ሰዓት)
📍 Online (Webinar): http://meet.google.com/xfz-meph-zic


👉 Learn more about the program:
https://10academy.org/trainings/intensive

⏳ 2 DAYS LEFT – TRP Applications Close Soon

If you studied tech, engineering, data, or STEM, this is your moment.
3-month intensive → Global AI & data career pathway.

Top performers can transition into paid remote roles working with international teams after training.

⚡ 5 minutes to apply
📌 Apply now and complete your application: https://10academy.org/trainings/intensive

⭐ This Week’s AI Meetup: The Great AI Partition, Engineering a World Without the Giants ⭐

What happens if access to major U.S. AI models suddenly disappears? No OpenAI. No Gemini. No Claude.

In this week’s AI Meetup, we’ll explore a question: If we suddenly lost access to the major US models, how would the rest of the world; especially Africa and Europe survive? We will explore how we’d pivot technically and what the 'Post-API' world looks like for builders.

This is an open, thought-provoking conversation for builders, technologists, founders, and curious minds who want to think beyond dependency and imagine what’s next.

Come share ideas, challenge assumptions, and connect with others.

✔️ Topic: The Great AI Partition — Engineering a World Without the Giants
✔️ Date: Wendsday, February 4, 2026
✔️ Time: 6:30 PM EAT
✔️ Location: 22, Comet Building (next to Axum Hotel), 2nd Floor, Office No. 205, Addis Ababa

Feel free to bring a friend 😉

Tenacious Recruitment Program Applications Close with 800+ Submissions and Strong Regional & Gender Diversity

We’ve officially closed applications for the Tenacious Recruitment Program (TRP 1), with 800+ completed applications, including 28% women applicants and candidates from universities across multiple regions.

What stands out most isn’t just the volume: it’s the diversity, ambition, and geographic reach of early-career tech talent stepping forward.

TRP was built to expand access to global AI & data opportunities, and this response confirms the demand is real.

To everyone who applied; thank you for stepping forward. Your ambition matters, and we wish you the very best as we move into the next stage.

Lear more about 10 Academy: https://10academy.org/

CariSurg Expands Its MedTech Pathways Using Tenx

CariSurg is expanding its MedTech Pathways Program for Caribbean participants, powered by Tenx , 10 Academy’s AI-driven training and career platform.

The 2026 Healthcare AI Training Pathway is a fully virtual program combining real-world simulations, technical challenges, structured feedback, and career matching to prepare doctors, engineers, and technologists for applied MedTech roles.

Welcoming Mikael Alemu Gorsky Back to 10 Academy. Join Us for Another Inspiring Session!

Inviting all 10 Academy alumni, builders, and AI enthusiasts!

We’re excited to welcome Mikael Alemu Gorsky for the second time at 10 Academy for a special discussion on:

“How We Build State-of-the-Art Software Business”

Mikael leads applied and experimental research in Generative AI at the Department of Computer Science, Holon Institute of Technology (Israel). With over 30 years of experience across software engineering, strategy consulting, venture investment, research, and innovation, he brings deep insights into building impactful technology and businesses.

This session is a chance to learn, connect, and exchange ideas with fellow AI and tech enthusiasts.

📅 Date: February 11, 2026
🕕 Time: 6:00 PM (EAT)
📍 Venue: Comet Building, 2nd Floor, Office No. 205 (Near Axum Hotel), Addis Ababa