Grace Ashiru
Zindi, as a founding member of the South African Artificial Intelligence Association (SAAIA), is taking the initiative to further AI education and re-skilling in South Africa.
Launching SAAIA aims to get people to see AI as an important tool for education and social change. AI can improve economic growth, trade, investment, equality, and inclusion in the country and the continent.
The Western Cape government, Michalsons and Webber Wentzel law companies, Tshwane University of Technology, the Technology Innovation Agency, and several AI start-ups, like Zindi, are all on the founding advisory board of SAAIA.
As a co-founder of SAAIA, Dr Nick Bradshaw, who is also a co-founder of AI Media Africa and has 25 years of experience in corporate collaboration software and cloud platforms, has joined Zindi.
Bradshaw says, “AI Media Africa’s research has shown that AI and related automation technologies affect over 120 traditional industries around the world, showing AI’s transformative potential.”
SAAIA has support from well-known South African institutions and foreign development groups like GIZ and the German Agency for Foreign Cooperation. This large group shows how important it is to work together to get the most out of AI for South Africa and the rest of the continent.
SAAIA gets help from well-known South African institutions and development groups from other countries, like GIZ and the German Agency for International Cooperation. This big group of people shows how important it is for South Africa and the rest of the region to work together to get the most out of AI.
Celina Lee is the CEO of Zindi and a member of the advisory board of SAAIA. She says that South Africa’s economic growth and its people’s improvement depend on ethical AI.
With SAAIA, the goal is to bring together Zindi’s community of 65 000 data scientists from over 50 countries on the continent and many groups, societies, businesses, and partner organisations working in the AI area. This way of working together will make it easier to find new ways to do things and help the AI industry in South Africa and Africa as a whole move forward.
People who want to join SAAIA can do so for free, giving them access to tools, information, and news throughout the year. Members will also get a discount on passes to the AI Expo, which will be held in November 2023. You can find more details at https://aiexpoafrica.com/.
On Wednesday, July 19, 2023, Zindi representatives will hold a party in Pretoria to mark the official start of SAAIA. This event aims to mark the start of a new era of AI research and collaboration in South Africa by bringing together key stakeholders and AI fans.
With the creation of SAAIA and its focus on AI education, responsible adoption, and inclusion, South Africa is ready to use AI to improve society, the economy grows, and give everyone more chances.
