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Department of Computer Science and Technology

Artificial intelligence research has become deep but narrow. What would AI look like if it was invented in Africa?

Our goal is to explore that question by working with computer scientists and educators in Ethiopia, Namibia, Uganda and elsewhere. This blog will be our project diary over the coming year:

  • October to December 2019, based in Bahir Dar Ethiopia 
  • January to February 2020, based in Wellington New Zealand 
  • March to May 2020, based in Windhoek Namibia 
  • June 2020, based in Kampala Uganda

The project team includes Alan Blackwell, Sharath Srinivasan, Luke Church, Helen Arnold, Kanta Dihal and Stephen Cave (Cambridge), Tesfa Tegegne, Berie Getie Kassa, Addisu Damena, Hailu Beshada, and Mebratu Beyene (Bahir Dar, Ethiopia) Martin Ujakpa, Kingo Mchombu, Oladele Arowolo, Nic Bidwell, Paulus Sheetekela, Sashah Mutasa, Timoteus Sheepo and Jonathan Fundisi (IUM Namibia), Frank Kavishe (UNam Namibia), Billie Lythberg, Albert Refiti, Rachel Wolfgramm (AUT and Auckland University), Ros Parkes-Ratanshi, Daniel Mutembesa (IDI and Makerere Uganda) and many others.

Many organisations have helped to set this project up, including Cambridge Global Challenges, the Centre for Global Equality, Africa’s Voices Foundation, the Leverhulme Centre for Future of Intelligence, and Cambridge Mathematics. Thinking and preparation has benefited from a fantastic team of advisers, including Neil Lawrence, David Spiegelhalter, Lara Allen, Rachel Adams, Keith Breckenridge, James Allingham, Ulrich Paquet, MJ Gifford, Lynn McClure, Marc Deisenroth, Tom Wilkinson

This project is supported by grants from the Alborada Foundation, the UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund and the University of Cambridge, in association with Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, International University of Management Namibia and Makerere University.