At an event organised by Viamo and attended by players in the private sector, public sector and International NGOs, Viamo Ghana launched the world’s first voice-based Generative AI.

The Resident Coordinator for the UN in Ghana, Charles Abani, lauded the first offline voice Gen AI service.

He urged more collaboration amongst innovators, the private sector and the public sector to make ICT tools accessible at scale, especially to the most marginalised and vulnerable in society.

Mr Abani said that technology is the catalyst for improving lives and achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including good health and well-being, quality education and gender equality. 

On his part, the Country Director for Viamo in Ghana and Liberia, Dr Nii Lante Heward-Mills, mentioned that the transformative technology; “Combining AI and mobile will bring the next people billion online and reduce the digital divide markedly.’’

He emphasized that the Ask Viamo Anything (AVA) service will make the internet and AI technology available to Ghanaians regardless of phone type or internet connectivity. 

Presently undergoing a pilot phase in Zambia and Nigeria, and already available in Ghana, the project is set to be launched next in Pakistan, India, and Tanzania. Viamo has plans to introduce the world's first Offline Generative AI across all of its 25 markets and country offices.

In Zambia, some of the questions asked blend aspects of the artificial intelligence behind ChatGPT, Alexa and Siri with targeted health, education, agriculture and other expertise from Viamo’s partners in the development and commercial sector such as UNICEF and Unilever respectively.

By bringing the latest iteration of AI to some of the world’s poorest and most remote communities, ‘Ask Viamo Anything’ heralds the fastest democratization of technology to date.

The user experience even leapfrogs what is available in the US and advanced economies.

While most ChatGPT users type their requests into a small box – a barrier for many in communities with low literacy rates – Viamo converts voice to text and back to voice in real-time.

The quality is enhanced by bespoke information that is geographically specific and therefore more relevant to users, in addition to regular open access information available on the Internet.

In Zambia, Viamo references lists of family planning clinics, for example, and localised, approved agricultural advice.