AI can be a worthy ally in changing lives

AI?can be a worthy ally in changing lives??

As 2024 begins, I am still reflecting, learning, and unlearning from the many high-level events I attended across different regions in Africa, in 2023.??

The most notable are the WINGS Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, the International Conference on Public Health in Africa held in Zambia, and Grand Challenges in Dakar, Senegal.??

What struck me during these events was the immense potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in resolving developmental challenges.??

Consider the use of large language models for analysing medical images and producing precise medical reports. Think about AI’s potential role in predicting the outbreak of infectious diseases and how they are likely to spread. We are already imagining a world where AI can be deployed to provide personalised tutoring for students in remote areas, enhancing learning outcomes for students, irrespective of their geographical location.???

Each of these concepts, once tested and proven, has the potential to make lives easier, especially for low-income communities and countries.??

Imagine how many more patients a doctor could attend to if the time spent manually analysing medical reports were reduced through machine learning.?

The reality is that there will never be enough time or funding to tackle all the obstacles hindering progress on the continent. We must work smarter.???

Nevertheless, a persistent question lingers in my mind: Are we, as Africans, truly aware of the challenges at hand, and do we understand how to harness and address them???

Do we have sight of what is necessary to change the current situation for the better???

We often discuss the idea of developing African solutions to Africa’s problems.???

We speak of leapfrogging problems and the untapped cheetah generation in discovering solutions. However, without action, it remains fancy rhetoric repeated at conferences ad nauseam.??

Africa can escape poverty; the potential and capability are in good supply.??

Previous efforts by visionaries were not high enough to clear the first hurdle.??

The most notable exception was the mobile phone, which has changed how people connect, communicate, and transact.??

The question is, will AI be to primary health care as mobile phones were to financial inclusion???

We must address two key challenges. The first is ensuring that African researchers and experts are at the forefront of creating solutions for our challenges.??

There are countless narratives on the incredible expertise, skills, and knowledge you can find in many of our research intuitions. Yet, local researchers frequently miss grants and other funding opportunities that larger, more recognised institutions receive. Encouragingly, the ideas I highlighted earlier are being pioneered by African organisations, suggesting this may be changing.??

The second challenge is how effectively we are collaborating as a continent on these challenges and their solutions. Currently, we operate in 54 separate silos. The most effective way to tackle any problem is through collective effort. Consider the competitive advantage countries like China and India enjoy due to their vast populations, each exceeding 1.4 billion people.??

During the Grand Challenges event, there was one Chinese professor who showed a picture of the team he worked with to advance ultrasound technology using AI. I was impressed by the sheer size of the team that backed his vision and threw everything possible behind him.??

We must transcend soundbites and begin to work collectively, facing challenges with a shared purpose and pooling resources.??

We can also show better ownership of our problems by investing our resources into solving them. Part of the reason technology like the mobile phone succeeded is that African entrepreneurs saw its potential took the risk and provided the investment. When you have got ‘skin in the game,’ you are more likely to make it pay off.??

It is time for us to take ownership of our challenges and break the cycle of being hindered by poverty. Until this mindset shifts, the opportunities presented by AI will continue to elude us.??