World's Biggest YouTuber PewDiePie Moves to Japan

PewDiePie, the world's biggest YouTuber, has moved to Japan with his wife and two dogs John Lamparski GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
PewDiePie, the world's biggest YouTuber, has moved to Japan with his wife and two dogs John Lamparski GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
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World's Biggest YouTuber PewDiePie Moves to Japan

PewDiePie, the world's biggest YouTuber, has moved to Japan with his wife and two dogs John Lamparski GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
PewDiePie, the world's biggest YouTuber, has moved to Japan with his wife and two dogs John Lamparski GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

The world's top YouTube star, Swedish gaming streamer PewDiePie, has moved to Japan after the country relaxed its Covid-19 entry rules for some visa-holders.

The 32-year-old has a huge online following, with 111 million subscribers on YouTube, but has faced controversy over offensive jokes in the past, AFP said.

He posted a video this week documenting his arrival with his wife and dogs in Japan, which has some of the strictest virus border controls in the world.

"For so long we doubted whether we could even make this move, and we went through all the ups and downs, and obviously it's been a really long journey," said the streamer, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg.

"But I just really, really appreciate everyone who was supportive of us going... it just feels amazing to be here, finally."

Japan has allowed in foreign business visitors, students and other new residents since March but remains closed to tourists, although the prime minister has pledged a gradual easing of the rules from next month.

Details of who will be allowed to enter and when are yet to be announced, although Japanese media reports say group tours may be first to resume and that the government is discussing scrapping Covid-19 testing on arrival.

Japan welcomed a record 31.9 million foreign visitors in 2019 and had been on track to achieve its goal of 40 million in 2020 before the pandemic hit.

Kjellberg, who previously lived in Britain, said in 2019 he had bought a house in Japan.

The star has landed himself in hot water several times, including over videos containing anti-Semitic remarks and racial slurs, and in 2016 he was temporarily blocked from Twitter after joking he had joined the ISIS group.

Kjellberg also previously said he was "sickened" after hearing that the gunman behind the 2019 New Zealand mosque massacre had promoted his videos before opening fire.



SDAIA Lists ALLaM 7B Arabic Language Model on Hugging Face

SDAIA Lists ALLaM 7B Arabic Language Model on Hugging Face
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SDAIA Lists ALLaM 7B Arabic Language Model on Hugging Face

SDAIA Lists ALLaM 7B Arabic Language Model on Hugging Face

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has disclosed the listing of the generative Arabic Large Language Model (ALLaM) —7 billion parameters category— on the Hugging Face platform. This platform, a prominent global open-source repository for natural language processing (NLP) resources, now hosts the nationally developed model, making it accessible to a global audience of developers and researchers for utilization in artificial intelligence applications.
SDAIA asserts that ALLaM is positioned as one of the preeminent generative language models for the Arabic language worldwide, SPA reported.
This initiative aligns with the strategic objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, under the leadership of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and SDAIA Board of Directors Chairman, who supports SDAIA's mandate to strengthen the Kingdom's position as a global technology hub for artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
ALLaM is a large language model distinguished by its precision and efficacy in the comprehension and processing of Arabic. Its capabilities encompass text summarization, content generation, and other functionalities, positioning it as a tool for the development of smart applications. The model's training, conducted on an extensive and diverse Arabic language dataset, is cited as contributing to its performance across varied operational environments.
According to SDAIA, the availability of ALLaM on the Hugging Face platform is intended to facilitate access for the scientific and technical community, enabling the development of artificial intelligence-driven applications.
The listing on Hugging Face represents a phase in the model's ongoing development. ALLaM was initially integrated into IBM's Watsonx platform, which facilitated advanced Arabic language analysis and processing through artificial intelligence solutions. Subsequently, it was launched on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform, providing developers and enterprises access to advanced cloud computing environments.
During the LEAP25 conference, Qualcomm, in collaboration with the ALLaM development team, announced the model's availability on the Qualcomm AI Cloud. Additionally, the "ALLAM AI PC," a computer incorporating advanced artificial intelligence technologies designed to enhance user interaction with the Arabic language, was unveiled.