🌴🔐L✨GHT @ the AI in Africa Conference in Cotonou, Benin 🇧🇯

🤖 ⚖🤖 How can we ensure equitable access to AI in Sub-Saharan Africa?

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Fascinating discussions in 🌴Cotonou, Benin🌴 during the Digital Infrastructure and Cybersecurity conference hosted by Carnegie Mellon University Africa and the CyLab-Africa/Upanzi Network

--with Conrad Tucker, Dr. Eric ADJA and Maximilien F. KPODJEDO, Ph.D

🏡 📩Take-home messages

1) 🌍💬 Securing an African voice in AI development

• Training large models from scratch requires resources that are unavailable in resource-limited settings

• Open sourcing large models allows open participation and avoids wastefully retraining the wheel 🎡

2) 🛡🛌 Protecting patient safety without stifling AI innovation in Africa

• Insist on transparently proven efficacy in the intended population before deployment. [Rigorous real-world clinical studies of AI in healthcare are both safe and innovative💡]

3) 🌐 👑 How to retain data ownership without missing out on the critical benefits of collaboration?

• I spoke about one potential solution: building collaborative federated learning to own data ownership

🗽The conference venue was in the shadow of the inspirational "Benin Amazone" statue, honoring the women warriors of the kingdom of Dahomey. The plaque reads: "Like our Amazon warriors of Dahomey, the women of Benin are our pride."