Sylvia Duruson
Kuda Musasiwa founded ZivAi, the first AI chatbot developed specifically for Africans. Musasiwa’s childhood experiences as a Zimbabwean immigrant in 1980s Australia shaped his vision for leveraging technology to empower the African diaspora worldwide.
Moved to Australia at a young age by his father, an early computing pioneer, Musasiwa found himself the only black student facing discrimination. This outsider experience inspired Musasiwa’s lifelong mission to support fellow Africans across the diaspora.
After learning computing basics from his father, Musasiwa earned an MSc in Computer Science. He embarked on digital startups to foster connection and community amongst Zimbabweans globally.
This led Musasiwa to create ZivAi – an AI chatbot tailored for Zimbabweans who lack access to tools like ChatGPT. Despite impressive skills, Zimbabwe’s economic barriers prevent youth from reaching their potential. Musasiwa designed ZivAi to assist local businesses through integrated payment channels, as sanctions and fees hinder traditional remittances.
Though utilising open-source components, ZivAi prioritises African languages and use cases. Musasiwa wants the chatbot to support rural students in their native tongues. This requires the tricky integration of African language datasets, like Facebook’s translation corpus. Lacking Big Tech resources, Musasiwa’s scrappy team forges ahead independently.
ZivAi follows earlier bots, Shandu and Lucy, leveraged for a political campaign and customer support. But ChatGPT’s launch showed Musasiwa the power of large language models. With ChatGPT’s API restricted at home, he built ZivAi for broad African use. After six months, ZivAi has 18,000 users. A pan-African mega bot called DanAi is now in beta testing.
But Musasiwa’s team lacks funding and resources in Zimbabwe to properly scale up. They relocated to South Africa despite difficulties in building ZivAi. The project’s modest $50,000 crowdfunding target reveals the immense obstacles. Yet Musasiwa remains optimistic that quality African AI can drive progress on the continent.
Overall, Musasiwa’s tireless efforts exemplify using technology to uplift communities and bypass unfair limitations. Despite constraints, he ingeniously carved an AI path anchored in Africa’s needs and languages. Musasiwa’s vision persists in empowering youth to achieve their potential.
