A computer scientist at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Dr. Emmanuel Ahene has stressed the need to generate Africa data to produce reliable Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems.

“If I leverage the American data set to build my model, then I’m not going to be getting very useful results if I deploy in the African setting.

“If I want to get useful results then I’d have to get Afrocentric data sets that will serve the needs of the people,” he said.

He was speaking at the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab and Responsible Artificial Intelligence Network 2023 conference in Kumasi.

An Artificial Intelligence expert, Darlington Akogo is entreating stakeholders in Ghana’s education sector to review student assessment methods amidst the development of Artificial Intelligent applications.

The CEO of moniHealth AI Labs, an AI health Company observes a growing hostility towards AI search engines like ChatGPT, as they finger it in educational malpractice.

“We need to respond, we need to evolve our educational system. In our society, we still prioritise memorization. If there are things which ChatGPT can tell me, then we shouldn’t be asking them in exams. We should be asking questions that drive creativity and original thoughts,” he said.

The conference was under the theme: Responsible AI and ethics- A panacea to digital transformation in sub-Saharan Africa.

The conference featured renowned AI experts like Drs. Caitlin Corrigan, Lameck Amungongo and Alexander Kriebitz of the Technical University of Munich.

The Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL) is hosted at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana.

RAIL seeks to be a first step in establishing a sustainable approach to nurturing local talent to engage in multidisciplinary, responsible AI for development research and innovation with a focus on women and that responds to capacity requirements of the public and private sector.

Deepen the understanding of how to develop and apply responsible AI tools for the advancement of computer, biomedical, agricultural, and ecological sciences.

Principal Investigator and scientific director of RAIL, Dr. Jerry John Kponyo said RAIL is strengthening capacities in the responsible use of AI in support of the most vulnerable communities in Ghana, Senegal, and the sub-region.

The two-day conference attracted students from the College of Engineering of KNUST and selected Senior High Schools in the Ashanti Region.

RAIL is currently a part of the four-year AI4D Africa partnership between the Swedish International Development Agency and IDRC to support policy, innovations and expanded leadership that will spur responsible AI development in Africa.

The mission of the program is to improve the quality of life for all in Africa and beyond by partnering with Africa’s science and policy communities to leverage AI through high-quality research, responsible innovation, and strengthening talent. The Lab is also supported by GIZ, through its FAIR Forward initiative.