The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center of Excellence Africa Convenes Industry Leaders to Explore Transformative Value of AI Technology in Emerging Economies

AICE AI for leaders’ summit to be held in Nairobi brings together policymakers, opinion leaders, and industry experts to explore the impact of AI in Kenya and Africa as a whole; thematic areas to be explored include ethical AI and AI investment.

The Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence Africa (AICE) is hosting its 2nd AI For Leaders’ Summit in Kenya on the 27th of April for industry leaders to explore the growth and transformative value of AI technology in emerging economies. AICE’s mission is to champion AI transformation, build AI capacity, and create an infrastructure for organisations to easily integrate Artificial Intelligence solutions in Africa.

The summit will cover a range of topics including how Africa can develop a clear AI strategy; Investing in AI infrastructure; training and upskilling the workforce; fostering collaboration and partnerships across academia, industry, and government to promote the development and deployment of AI solutions and ethical AI concerns.

John Kamara, Founder and Chair for AICE said “the world is on an AI frenzy but we see Africa has to accelerate its vision and participation in the immense value the AI industry has to offer our continent. We need to create a strategy on how we too can become producers and owners of technology infrastructure and not just consumers as is the case now.  To do this, we must invest in AI and data science talent as a key driver to building qualitative human capital that can have a massive impact on our FDI. Investing in AI research, training more AI engineers, investing in AI start-ups, and investing in the infrastructure required to support AI are essential for Africa to fully leverage the opportunity presented by the 4IR”.

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By leveraging AI technology, African countries can automate and streamline various processes across sectors, including healthcare, education, and agriculture. For instance, AI algorithms can be used to diagnose diseases and recommend treatment plans, streamline administrative tasks in schools and universities, and optimize crop production in agriculture. Such solutions can lead to better outcomes, increased productivity, and cost savings, all of which can contribute to the growth of the African economy.

The summit has attracted some of the top global AI leaders as panellists including but not limited to:

Amit Kumar Pandey, Co-Founder of BEING AI – A robotics and AI scientist, thought leader and strong believer of technology for humanity. He has also served as the President, Chief Science Officer (CSO) and CTO of Hanson Robotics, the company created one of among the most expressive humanoid robots – Sophia.

Dr Jacques Ludik, Founder & CEO, Machine Intelligence Institute Africa, a smart technology entrepreneur, AI expert, author, AI ecosystem builder, and award-winning AI Leader with a Ph.D. in Computer Science (AI) and 25+ years of experience in AI & Data Science and its applications.

Ado Lõhmus, CEO Greenziel Ltd, a visionary, progressive, and result-oriented business consultant, with a focus on African markets and climate financing initiatives. With over 15 years of experience in environmental and climate policies at the Estonian government and European Union level, he has worked with EU institutions, United Nations, governments worldwide, and the private sector in green technology and digitalisation

Dr Kwon, Choon, Chairman of NACSI – National Agency of Cognitive Science Industry, South Korea, a professor of Digital Media Department at the Suwon Woman’s College, Suwon.

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Kate Kalot, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, previously Director, Head of Global Developer Relations & Emerging Areas at NVIDIA leading a global team working closely with partners to create disruptive AI applications with a social impact and aiming to build a truly global and inclusive AI community. She co-founded the United AI Alliance dedicated to using data to drive environmental and social progress.

Steven Sutherland, Adapt IT Divisional Executive, a dynamic business leader with a demonstrated 25-year history in the Telecommunications and IoT sectors.

The AI Summit for Leaders aims to build a solid foundation for AI adoption in Kenya and beyond including building smart capacity and grow the AI market economy.

“As the future of Africa’s emerging economies, AI technology offers enormous potential for growth and development, and AICE is committed to ensuring that Kenya is at the forefront of this transformative revolution. AICE, through its partnership with various stakeholders globally aims to spearhead the adoption and implementation of AI technology in Kenya and beyond. We have started by developing an AI-enabled workforce by providing training and resources to AI engineers and data scientists, and by promoting research and development in the field of AI. Additionally, AICE is open to collaborating with the government and other organisations to create an enabling environment for the adoption of the technology, including policies and regulations that support its development and use.” Further stated Kamara.

Kenya is already making strides in the adoption of AI technology, with several start-ups and organisations leveraging the technology to solve various challenges. However, there is still a long way to go, and AICE is committed to accelerating the process of AI transformation, with the ultimate goal of transforming Kenya’s economy and ensuring that it remains competitive in the rapidly changing global landscape.

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