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Artificial Intelligence

GOVERNMENT IN LINE WITH NET99’S POLICY APPROACH!

Former Communications Minister elaborates more about AI and 4IR

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE!

South Africans must accept the reality that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is with us to stay in Africa for the longest time, safe to estimate for another century when some innovations would thrown into the mix. There has been snippets of hope that emerged this year with leaders within the global African diaspora acknowledging that the continent must ready itself for what would be challenging days of our lives.


ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) BIG HURDLE TO JUMP


In May this year, then Minister of Communication and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele, current Deputy Minister in the seventh administration, launched the fourth hub of the Artificial Intelligence Institute of South Africa (AIISA), based in Auckland Park, Johannesburg. The AIISA was established in November 2022 to promote the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills and research capabilities in response to socio-economic challenges. It has been indicated that datacentric would be the first hurdle to jump over for the continent to be compatible and in line to share the same vision with the rest of the world.


NET NINE NINE MAKING INROADS


With Net Nine Nine infiltrating the deep rural areas across South Africa, we may be the solution to kickstart government’s plan to create common African stance on AI, develop the continent’s wide AI capacity building framework, and establish the intelligence’s think-tank. In most cases, South Africa’s secluded villages and townships are normally last to receive such critical developmental infrastructure, but Net Nine Nine has been proactive to ensured previously disadvantaged South Africans have access to internet, and can get to understand what AI is all about.


AI THINK-TANK SESSION LAUNCHED


Gungubele indicated through the Department’s statement that his expectation is that after his launch of the AI think-tank session, South Africa would have a clear way forward towards leveraging this cutting edge technology to resolve some of Mzansi’s economic and social challenges.


AFRICA 4IR STRATEGY IN LINE WITH AI


“I also expect that there will be provincial seminars undertaken to further seek inputs during the public comments process before we finalise the draft national AI Policy as a guiding policy document,” he told delegates. 
“I would like to point out that with the right mix of policies, Africa and its citizens can reap benefits of AI in years to come.” 
“As South Africa, through South Africa’s Presidential Report on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), we also identified AI as one of the key areas for the Africa 4IR Strategy and look forward to collaborating with all of you in our midst,” added Gungubele.

AI RESEARCH COMPANIES NEEDED IN AFRICA


“Noting these, I therefore impress upon cloud companies such as Microsoft, Google, Huawei, Nokia, and Amazon Web Services, amongst others, to continue establishing AI research centres in Africa.
“Secondly, we need universities in South Africa and Africa to consider that the best approach to AI is collaboration.
“As the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies in the Republic of South Africa, we have adopted an all-inclusive approach, which is at the heart of our shared response to addressing the digital transformation era.
“For Africa to be competitive in the world, we need to realise that there was a space race, then the arms race and now the AI race. We cannot afford to be left behind on this one.”