Grace Ashiru
Several controversies about Africa being neglected from the AI conversation have gotten the eye of the public and have ever since been an online debate.
OpenAI ChatGPT, a notable Microsoft backed-up name that has brought artificial intelligence (AI) to its peak since its launch in late 2022 and has since then taken over as a frontier in software technology.
However, its operations seem to make others believe Africa is not being a part of its development, which turns out to be very untrue, as Africans are well known for the development of certain chatbots. While OpenAI ChatGPT and Midjourney are the widely known AI chatbots, others are quietly gaining ground in Africa.
Chatbot like Kainene vos Savant was developed by Nigerian developer Justin Irabor and operate specifically on Telegram with their tone and unconventional style, which appears to be more informal and playful, especially the fact that it adopts the use of slang too in its response.
The features of these Chatbots make them more accessible to Africans who employ their use on messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Telegram.
Foondamate is also another African chatbot that can be used via WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Its basic function is to solve and proffer quick answers to school-related questions and this AI can explain maths problems with all procedures to be taken before arriving at your answer. These African chatbots have over 1 million users across 30 countries and raised $2 million in seed funding last year.
Next is MobileGPT, developed by Bertha Kgokong. MobileGPT is mostly accessible on WhatsApp and it enables users to generate documents, create AI images and interact with a personal AI assistant.
In conclusion, these updates show Africa has already gained a spot for itself in the AI conversation and is thriving in the field of artificial intelligence.
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