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AI Africa: Unlocking AI potential in Africa

AI Africa: Global Business Services transformed by AI

AI Africa: Singularity SA CEO on the convergence of AI & robotics

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‘Marty the Robot’ inspires the next generation of robotics, software developers and engineers by introducing an innovative to enhance teaching and learning of STEM in early education. CNBC Africa is joined by Ben Karenzi, Robotic Representative, Sub Sahara Africa.

Marty the Robot set to transform STEM education in Rwanda

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Mint Innovations is a start-up that has come up with solutions for health using robotics and assistive technologies. CNBC Africa had a conversation with Founder and CEO Benjamin Nortey on this and the role of technology in accelerating Africa’s bid to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.

This is how technology can accelerate universal healthcare in Africa

By Lee Naik, CEO, TransUnion Africa



In 2019, it’s not the technology that matters – it’s the thinking behind it. Disruptive technologies that once seemed revolutionary are fast becoming ordinary parts of our lives and we are reaching the point where digital stops being a thing and becomes everything. 



My take on the trends presents a view of how we as humans can consider some of these technological advances that are intrinsically part of our world and our lives and apply purpose to them.



Technologies
Converge as 5G Lands



Biometrics, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI),
IOT, augmented and mixed reality: none of these technologies are new &#8211; NASA has
been using a digital twin framework as far back as the Apollo 13 mission. What
is new is the way in which they are maturing and converging at more or less the
same time, allowing them to build on each other and enable new applications.
Many potentially game-changing technologies are expected to be embedded in our
core processes within the next few years.



Smart cities, for example, are exploring the use of
real-time machine learning and EDGE computing to better deliver existing
connected services. As IOT sensors become cheaper and more ubiquitous, we are
now are gaining access to the sensory information needed to build applications that
solve problems in novel, hyper-contextualized ways.



At the same time, the catalyst that will allow these technologies to become accessible to the average African consumer is finally within reach. Last year saw the first commercially available 5G service launch in Lesotho, with more rollouts planned throughout 2019. With 5G offering speeds up to 1000 times faster than what we’re used to, digital connectivity is about to take a quantum leap forward in Africa. Assuming that South Africa sorts out its spectrum issues &#8211; and both government and telcos have shown great progress here over the last few months &#8211; 5G has the potential to solve a persistent barrier to digital growth &#8211; that of last mile connectivity. When even the most rural and remote areas have access to reliable, high-speed connectivity, the infrastructure will finally be in place for us to re-imagine service delivery for government and business and take us closer to an egalitarian digital society for citizens.



AI
Goes Mainstream



In 2019, machine learning and AI are no longer the
sole domain of the “Big Four” multinational tech companies (Google, Amazon,
Facebook, and Apple – GAFA) and major tech organisations. We’ve already seen
chatbots flourish as the tools to build them have become available to the
Average Joe. Now, we’re seeing the same happening with more advanced AI
analytics as <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/industry/technology/technology-media-and-telecom-predictions/cloud-based-artificial-intelligence.html">DevOps embraces end-to-end
automation</a>. The more complex, labour-intensive tasks associated with AI are now being
packaged into simple, easy-to-deploy applications, and accessibility is opening
up in a big way.



This means that anyone with enough development
knowledge can theoretically build their own mini-Watson, not just major
enterprises with full data science teams at their disposal. Start-ups,
entrepreneurs, small businesses and NGOs alike will be able to leverage
existing tools to create their own AI-driven platforms and ecosystems.
According to <a href="https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/gartner-top-10-strategic-technology-trends-for-2019/">Gartner</a>, citizen data scientists
are expected to grow at five times the rate of their professional
counterparts.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 



African organisations and entrepreneurs in
particular stand to benefit as they can more easily access game-changing data
analytics that would’ve been unthinkable a few years ago. On the flipside, the
competitive landscape is about to get a lot hotter as sophisticated AI becomes
not just a nice-to-have but a key competitive differentiator. Organisations are
going to need to take a serious look at their business intelligence
capabilities going into 2019 and see whether they can keep up in a market where
AI is everywhere.&nbsp; Finally, we will see
the move from a gut feel to analytics lead organisations. 



The
Digital Identity Question Takes Centre Stage



With the meeting of the digital and physical
worlds, having a fully formed digital identity is increasingly important in being
able to access real-world services. From banking to travel to hospitals,
industries are embracing the use of biometrics, digital onboarding, and
connected devices to serve consumers. Anyone who lacks a digital footprint
stands to be left out.



Shifting to a digital identity model isn’t easy,
not when identity fraud, spoofed information, and even deepfakes are
everywhere. It’s never been more important to have the tools and processes in
place to be able to distinguish real from fake. The other defining question
around digital identities is how you integrate an individual’s online and
offline behaviours to form a unified picture of who they are. Expect to see a
major focus in 2019 on data protection technologies as organisations struggle
with how to deliver more relevant experiences to their customers, without
exposing themselves to risk. 



Identity inclusion stands to be the next great
frontier in digitising society, especially in the developing world where the
standard identity markers – ID numbers, addresses, utility bills, sources of
income &#8211; don’t always work. Thankfully, Africa has a head start in looking
beyond traditional ways of creating verifying digital identities to drive
service delivery. Using AI to establish digital identities as well as
alternative data models, will be key drivers in mapping digital identities and creating
more secure access to products and services.



Time
To Clean Up Your Data Act



Over the past few years, we’ve seen increased awareness
among consumers around their personal data and what it is used for. Even major
players that previously seemed untouchable are not immune to scrutiny of their
data and security policies. This year there will be less tolerance for bad data
practices.



The implementation of various consumer protection
policies around the world &#8211; GDPR and PoPIA in particular &#8211; put organisations
even under greater pressure to secure and utilise personal data ethically. With
great power doesn’t just come great responsibility but also a greater chance of
legal and financial consequences if you don’t follow through. 



Data protection technologies and services should
thrive as a result, but we’ll also see companies wrestling with just how to
implement analytics and make use of personal data without falling foul of
privacy laws. Thankfully, even as AI poses a challenge, it also provides a
potential solution &#8211; already, we are seeing sophisticated automated compliance
solutions powered by machine learning and natural language processing. 



Rediscovering
Purpose in a Changing World



We’ve seen a societal shift towards not only to more
ethical consumption of products and services, but also trying to live a more
purposeful life. Faced with more choices and information than they&#8217;ve ever had
access to, consumers are striving to make more meaningful choices whether it&#8217;s
who they work for, what they spend their time doing, or how they spend their
money. 



Similarly, organisations are wrestling with their
own purpose in a world with nearly unlimited data and powerful technology. How
do you make the right choices to grow and deliver meaningful outcomes to
shareholders, consumers and society at large? 



As the hype dies down on disruptive technologies
and they become an accepted part of our everyday lives, 2019 provides an
opportunity to seriously consider how they can be used purposefully. If every
choice we make is capable of being enhanced with data, and every object a
potential source of rich insights, then the limits on what we can and can’t do
to create better businesses and societies fall away. Expect the concept of
‘information for good’ to reach into even the most unexpected places as we
explore what it means to exist in the midst of the fourth industrial
revolution. 



I’ll be expanding on each of these trends in the months
to come, providing use cases and practical advice on how to navigate each of
them. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts. What trends do you think
will have the biggest impact on your industry? What predictions would you add
to the list above?

5 tech predictions for 2019

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A group of young people from Diepsloot Combined School, who took part in ‘Robotics for the Future learning program’ offered by I-Innovate, have created some robotics as a means of responding to their community needs. Some of their innovations include a robot that respond to high crime levels in Diepsloot and electricity challenges. For more CNBC Africa is joined by 15-year old Phindile Mailula, 14-year old Kelebogile Matloga and I-Innovate CEO, Trisha Crookes.

These SA students are using AI to tackle challenges in their community

Corporate South Africa is at a high-tech watershed moment in how it uses technology to gain a competitive edge. This is according to Arthur Goldstuck, Managing Director of World Wide Worx, who in partnership with enterprise software company Syspro compiled a new study into the readiness of corporates to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution called The Mobile Corporation in South Africa 2018.
Telephonic interviews with 400 information technology decision-makers at large enterprises in South Africa were conducted for the report, which reveals that South Africa’s corporates are stuck in the third industrial revolution that took decades for new technologies to evolve but are ready to enter the fourth, where evolution is instant.
READ: <a href="http://cnbc.africa/news/special-report/2015/11/06/your-next-co-worker-could-be-a-robot/">Your next co-worker could be a robot </a>
According to the research, many South Africa companies are ready to embrace emerging technologies like robotics, the internet of things, big data and machine learning.
“The reason is simple,” says Phil Duff, CEO of Syspro. “They are all seeing their counterparts globally being disrupted by small, nimble newcomers or large companies that are willing to disrupt themselves.
“If they don’t respond as part of their own strategic direction, someone will force them to respond. The result will be that these companies will find themselves performing crisis management instead of strategy management.”
The six charts below show how South African companies are embracing these technologies.
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<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-315255" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Picture6.png" alt="" width="804" height="486" />

Six key charts that show how far SA is in embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution

By: Standard Bank
Sela  Kasepa attended her first semester at Harvard University in August last year. Just months prior, the 21-year-old was mulling over her education, uncertain of her future plans. That changed after watching a CNN insert featuring the first Pan African Robotics competition founded by Dr. Sidy Ndao. Kasepa was captivated. That same evening she took a chance and sent a cold email to Dr. Ndao inquiring about robotics. Two days later, he responded with encouragement to pursue robotics. Sela found inspiration from the Pan African Robotics founder and her interaction with him made her believe that she too could create with her hands. This encounter set a trail for her journey as a robotics mentor.
<div id="attachment_289521" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-289521" class="wp-image-289521 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/robotics_team_in_dc_ZISD.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="482" />Zambia Institute of Sustainable Development: Standard Bank</div>
Kasepa never imagined one day she would take a mechanics class, let alone at the prestigious Harvard University. Kasepa completed her schooling with funding from the Zambia Institute of Sustainable Development (ZISD), acing her GCSEs with 10 distinctions in 10 subjects. She had excellent grades and big dreams, but two years after graduating grade twelve she had little else to show for it. Her passion for astrophysics fueled her ambition to study at a university that encouraged holistic learning &#8211; she took her first SAT tests on her own and thereafter sent applications to Ivy League Universities in the United States. Her first attempts were futile, with no scholarship offers.
During those difficult years of uncertainty, Peter Lungu, Executive Director of ZISD, reached out to Kasepa because of her interest in the SAT programme the non-profit institution offers. The small action pivoted into a mentorship relationship, with Lungu urging Kasepa to continue applying to her desired universities. After redoing her SATs with her mentor’s guidance, she attained a perfect score in Physics (800) and a 790 in Maths Level II.
On the final day of call for applications, Kasepa submitted her application to Harvard. Along with Stanford, MIT, Michigan State University, and University of California Berkeley, she was successful, with each admission offering scholarships.
Two semesters in, Kasepa signed up for an engineering robotics class. The joy of creating something that works rekindled her love for the functionality of machines. “It’s a time when you realize your hands are capable of doing so much,” she says.
A lunch chat with a Rwandese friend turned to development talk. She was fascinated by how Rwanda, a country with few natural resources, was making groundbreaking progress far ahead of her own country. Her friend’s comment that a country&#8217;s’ top resource is its people, struck a chord. “If we the people don’t take the reins to develop our country, no matter our resources, we cannot develop,” she says.
In the coming days, Kasepa spent hours online looking for a competition her country could participate in, until she eventually came across FIRST Global Robotics competition. Another cold email later, the organizers advised her to enlist Zambia. Even though she was above the age restriction to participate in the competition, she had the opportunity to mentor a Zambian team – if she could build one last minute. She picked up her phone to call Lungu to ask him to help prep a team to participate in the FIRST competition.
Lungu never expected to co-mentor a robotics team. He had never been versed in engineering or robotics. His role at ZISD was a vocational call after a long lucrative career as an auditor. When he was awakened in the middle of the night by Sela with news that Zambia could participate in the FIRST Global Robotics if they got a team together, he did not hesitate. While he already had access to the country’s most brilliant students, none of them had any knowledge of robotics before. The 2017 robotics challenge was about water. This required tools, equipment, preparation, and travel for the competition. This meant funds for the team.
Sela sent even more cold emails in search for sponsorship, much in vain. At a coffee with her professor Evelyn Hu, she made mention of her struggle, and was amazed when a few days later Hu connected her to sponsors for three of the team members plus a mentor. After rallying with the local team in Zambia, Peter Lungu liaised with Ethiopian airlines for a sharply discounted airfare so all seven members of the Zambia Robotics team could be present for the competition.
Sela says shifting from mentee to mentor gave her a moment&#8217;s pause. “It was scary on my part. This is something new. (You’re) mentoring people in a new area, I was nervous about that. I’m grateful to Mr. Lungu who helped me co-mentor the team.”
Unable to miss her classes, Kasepa watched the competition for her computer. She entrusted team captain Mwengwe Mpekansambo to take charge even after their machine broke down during trials. Working all night, the former head girl at Fatima Girls encouraged her six teammates to fix the problem. Makasa Mwamba, Mphande Phiri, Chewe Malupenga, Clivert Mande, Jireh Katebe, Ephraim Mulilo, Meek Simbule, Njavwa Kabandama, and Mary Ngoma all went from no knowledge on robotics to hands-on leading Zambia on her maiden competition to attain 32nd position out of 163, applying their various capacities from the makeshift robotics shop at ZISD center.
https://soundcloud.com/africacom/captaining-zambias-first-robotics-team#t=2:22
INTERVIEW WITH TEAM CAPTAIN MWENGWE MPEKANSAMBO
On the competition, Kasepa says: “For me, this is not just about competing. I want the idea to spread. Robotics is not just about building a robot; it is realizing we can do something with our hands.”
The world of robotics opened Sela’s mind to a world of possibilities. The global robotics competition in Mexico 2018 is in her sights and she wants to take the reins on the upcoming Zambian robotics team. Her goal for the team is to instill in them a sense of ownership and responsibility. She wants their endeavors to move beyond seeking sponsorship for competitions to being a self-sustainable team propelling innovation in the Southern African country. Her hopes are for mini-robotics competitions to spring around Zambia so that new talent can have a platform as well.
Sela Kasepa admits the journey has not been without its trials for her.  She has since been proactive in a competitive learning environment full of new challenges and rigorous study. Kasepa aspires to become an aerospace engineer, influenced by ZISD Founder Chiluwata Lungu, an aerospace engineer himself. When she worried about employment possibilities in Zambia if she chose to delve in the complex course, he opened her eyes to the multifaceted nature of engineering and the practicality of combustion and propulsion in different sectors of STEM.
The path she’s worked so hard to attain comes with its sacrifices. Intensive study, time zone difference, and her extracurricular activity such as being part of the Harvard robotics club, have made it difficult for Sela to always stay in touch with friends and family. During semester break, she only spent about six days at home in Kitwe and the rest of the four weeks working alongside her ZISD family in Lusaka to organize a robotics showcase for Zambian children.
Back at Harvard, the learning experience has exceeded her expectations and she admits she will need to attain work-life balance to maintain a social life.
“My classmates (at Harvard) are now my friends. The courses can be tough and when we work together to solve complex problems, a bond of friendship is formed… The open door policy at Harvard is also amazing. I can walk into any professor’s office and ask about their course. The professors are very passionate here.”
On what kept her going when she was ready to give up during her years out of school, she quotes a quote she saw on a friend’s social media. She lives by it. “Do not let reality change your dreams, change your reality with your dreams.”

Powering Zambia’s First Robotics Team

<a class="inline_quotes" href="http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/BABA" target="_self" data-gdsid="" data-inline-quote-symbol="BABA">Alibaba</a> Chairman Jack Ma warned on Monday that society could see decades of pain thanks to disruption caused by the internet and new technologies to different areas of the economy.
In a speech at a China Entrepreneur Club event, the billionaire urged governments to bring in education reform and outlined how humans need to work with machines.
&#8220;In the coming 30 years, the world&#8217;s pain will be much more than happiness, because there are many more problems that we have come across,&#8221; Ma said in Chinese, speaking about potential job disruptions caused by technology.
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The Alibaba founder warned that social conflicts could have a &#8220;huge impact&#8221; on all walks of life. Ma&#8217;s company has invested in areas such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence as it expands into new sectors beyond its e-commerce business.
Ma said around 15 years ago he gave two or three hundred speeches warning about the impact of e-commerce and the internet on traditional businesses, but not many people listened as he wasn&#8217;t well-known.
The billionaire warned that any business not linked to the internet could suffer in the future.
Ma also spoke about the rise of robots and artificial intelligence (AI) and said that this technology will be needed to process the large amount of data being generated today, something that a human brain can&#8217;t do. But machines shouldn&#8217;t replace what humans can do, Ma said, but instead the technology community needs to look at making machines do what humans cannot. This would make the machine a &#8220;human partner&#8221; rather than an opponent.
But he did admit that AI was likely to lead to people living longer and fewer jobs around. And robots could also replace chief executives of companies.
&#8220;30 years later, the Time Magazine cover for the best CEO of the year very likely will be a robot. It remembers better than you, it counts faster than you, and it won&#8217;t be angry with competitors,&#8221; Ma said.

CEOs could be robots in 30 years

Jessica Wa&#8217;u | CNBC
A new report from UBS estimates that artificial intelligence (AI) technologies could create an economic value of about $1.8 trillion to $3 trillion in Asia by 2030. But that value comes at a cost, with an estimated 30 million to 50 million jobs in Asia at risk of displacement in the medium to long term.
Financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, retail and transportation, are the sectors likely to bear the brunt of job losses, according to UBS Global IT Analyst Sundeep Gantori. Speaking with CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Street Signs,&#8221; he said jobs in traditional sectors that are predictive and routine in nature will be affected.
So in preparation for the future, he advised that job seekers target roles requiring personalization or creativity.
<blockquote>&#8220;Focus on creativity jobs&#8230; entrepreneurship jobs, arts&#8230; and maybe sports,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We have to go back to those old days where arts are valued. So maybe that&#8217;s the future.&#8221;</blockquote>
While some jobs may become irrelevant, AI will also create new categories of jobs elsewhere, Gantori said. Data scientists are expected to get a leg up in the future, with UBS describing data as the &#8220;fuel&#8221; that powers the AI engine.
The firm also recommended investing in research and development-intensive companies related to AI, such as healthcare and advanced engineering.
The report pointed to Asia being a late entrant in the AI world, lagging behind a solid ecosystem in the U.S. But expect that gap to narrow as governments put more money into data sciences and machine learning, he said. Capital flows into AI-based start-ups are also expected to increase as the relevant talent pool in Asia grows.
Gantori said, &#8220;By 2025, we think that the talent in India and China together will exceed what we&#8217;ll have in the U.S. At the same time, the region generates a lot of data, which is very handy in AI.&#8221;

robotics

AI Africa: Unlocking AI potential in Africa

AI Africa: Global Business Services transformed by AI

AI Africa: Singularity SA CEO on the convergence of AI & robotics

Marty the Robot set to transform STEM education in Rwanda

This is how technology can accelerate universal healthcare in Africa

5 tech predictions for 2019

These SA students are using AI to tackle challenges in their community

Six key charts that show how far SA is in embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Powering Zambia’s First Robotics Team

CEOs could be robots in 30 years

How to keep a job in a world of AI? Get creative

News Tips

Advertise With Us

robotics

AI Africa: Unlocking AI potential in Africa

AI Africa: Global Business Services transformed by AI

AI Africa: Singularity SA CEO on the convergence of AI & robotics

Marty the Robot set to transform STEM education in Rwanda

This is how technology can accelerate universal healthcare in Africa

5 tech predictions for 2019

These SA students are using AI to tackle challenges in their community

Six key charts that show how far SA is in embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Powering Zambia’s First Robotics Team

CEOs could be robots in 30 years

How to keep a job in a world of AI? Get creative

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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