Africa needs its own AI solutions, not borrowed ones, says expert

Africa should focus its use of technology on solving its own real challenges rather than copying the systems and priorities of other parts of the world. That’s the opinion of one of the expert members of the UN-backed Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, Girmaw Abebe Tadesse, who leads Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab in Kenya. In an exclusive interview with UN News in Nairobi, Mr. Tadesse said the first step for the continent is to identify key problems that need to be addressed before deciding on the type of technology, infrastructure and data needed. The interview took place as world leaders, policy experts and top AI executives met at UN Headquarters in New York during High-Level Week where greater attention is being focused on how the frontier technology can be safely managed for the benefit of all. Problem-solving approachMr. Tadesse believes that African countries should adopt an approach that takes into account the challenges their citizens face every day. “We are trying to bring the reality of our environment and integrate AI technology with the local problems we face. It is important to ask ourselves what problems we want to solve first,” he s...