WHERE IS AFRICA ON THE AI MAP?
Two years back, I met with Sophia, the world’s first AI robot created by Hanson robotics. While we spoke, my personified dreams for the future of AI became an outspoken prophesy. Sophia made me realize so many things with the most important being the fact that, AI was no longer the future nor a work in progress. She was just next to me so AI itself was right there that second and most remarkably I could feel it.
Are you confident and comfortable saying you are in the midst of AI dealings every day? This is the question I asked several times after my encounter and further research and I came to the realization so many don’t still believe it’s here and most people use it without knowing e.g. Spam segregation via you mails is a perfect demonstration of the AI magic you encounter every day.
Why I think Africa is a big deal when it comes to AI and what should be done about it
AI has the capacity to transform the greatest woes of the African continent to opportunities. This will be very instrumental in sectors such as health and industry. I believe productivity has never been an issue of population but automation.
The African continent is home to many fortunes one of which is the most active and young population in the world. For this sole reason, it will be unlikely for this current dispensation not to move at a geometric scale than any other continent by 2030.
However, there are a number of factors hampering this speedy transformation ranging from policies which limits its impact, limited digital infrastructure, poor data capture and regulatory systems which weakens the rise of a powerful digital ecosystem and lack of the relevant skills needed particularly amongst the young people which I anticipate to champion this revolution.
Africa has to rise up to the task of creating innovative financial instruments and PPP engagements (public-private partnerships), to finance human capital development. Also much focus has to be put on research and innovation hubs that bridge the gap between higher education institutions and the private sector to ensure the transition of AI alone to AI as a service thus making the dream of AI products from lab to market a new order.
