GOOGLE on Thursday unveiled a $37 million package to accelerate artificial intelligence development across Africa, pledging support for local AI research and projects ranging from crop monitoring to adapting technology for the continent’s languages.
The commitment from the US tech giant also included efforts to back startups in the health and education sectors.
“Africa is home to some of the most important and inspiring work in AI today,” said James Manyika, a senior vice president at the company, speaking during the launch of an “AI community centre” in Ghana’s capital, Accra.
The centre will serve as a hub for training, collaboration and experimentation, including programming for AI literacy.
Among the flagship initiatives unveiled is the AI Collaborative for Food Security, meant to connect researchers and non-profits to develop tools to improve early hunger detection, crop resilience and decision-making for smallholder farmers.
The project aims to help African food systems withstand growing climate and economic shocks.
AI has already been deployed by some farmers across the continent, including in nearby Nigeria, long home to a booming domestic tech industry. Local agri-tech companies have popped up to monitor soil conditions for crops or temperature and humidity on chicken farms.
Google is also set to launch a financing platform to back AI-driven startups in the agriculture, health and education sectors. Through its philanthropic arm, it committed $7 million to expand AI education initiatives in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Ghana. AFP
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