The Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence Africa (AICE) is hosting its second AI For Leaders’ Summit in Kenya on 27 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 AI 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; and fostering collaboration and partnerships across academia, industry, and government to promote the development and deployment of AI solutions, as well as 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,” says John Kamara, founder and chair of AICE. “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,” Kamara says. “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.”
By leveraging AI technology, he adds, 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 optimise 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, which 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 PhD 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.
Kate Kalot, founder & CEO, 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 growing 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,” says Kamara. “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,” he says. “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.”