AI4D Posts

AI4D interview series: Benjamin Rosman from University of the Witwatersrand

Benjamin Rosman, University of the Witwatersrand / CSIR (attribution by AI4D, CC-BY 2.0., https://ai4d.ai/benjamin-blog/)

My blue sky project is a pipeline from fundamental research in Africa to applied research considering ethics and society all the way to commercialization.

Organised by K4A, IDRC, SIDA at workshop “Toward a Network of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) in sub-Saharan Africa”, Nairobi, Kenya, April 2019,@BenjaminRosman 

African AI communities gathered at Artificial Intelligence 4 Development workshop

The K4A team travelled to Nairobi in Kenya to run a workshop to set up the Network of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for Development in sub-Saharan Africa with IDRC and Strathmore University. We had 60 participants and three days of hard work. More updates from Nairobi coming soon! #ai #artificialintelligence #africa #ai4dev

African AI Network Kick-off in Nairobi

Looking forward to organising the AI4D event this week in Kenya & connecting with African focused AI community leaders to drive the artificial intelligence agenda in the region

Toward a Network of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) in sub-Saharan Africa

First High-level Forum on AI in Africa

We were invited to present our new AI4D Network of Excellence in AI in Africa at the Forum on Artificial Intelligence in Africa, organized by UNESCO and Mohamed VI Polytechnic University from 12 to 13 December in Benguérir (Morocco). This was a great opportunity to understand more about AI developments and explore the opportunities and challenges of technological innovations relating to AI in Africa.

Launching a new Artificial Intelligence Network of Excellence in Africa

We are very happy to announce the launch of the AI for Development Africa project wth IDRC, to support a network of excellence in AI in sub-Saharan Africa to strengthen and develop community scientific and technological excellence in a range of AI-related issue areas.

AI4D Africa is aiming to undertake four interrelated activities and will run for 18 months and result in the establishment of the network, research roadmap, portfolio of innovation projects, and recommendations for capacity building for ethical and locally relevant AI research around the African continent.

The project will draw from the recent IDRC and UNESCO supported mapping and facilitate a bottom-up network/community of researchers who will investigate and recommend how the network/community should shape its research agenda and actions.

Global South AI directory – a narrative of players, places and potential

The hype surrounding AI is spreading rapidly across sectors and around the globe, but more research is needed to explore the potential benefits and risks, particularly as they relate to the developing world.

For this purpose we have created a map of AI hot spots in emerging economies. The first mapping comprises 33 countries with a total of 617 institutions across 4 regions, ASIA, LAC, MENA, and SSA. The directory has quantitative value, as it presents the first bottom-up mapping of AI entities in the Global South.

Check the online directory for more detailed browsing. Read the blog here.