Africa Adopts Artificial Intelligence Amid Challenges.

By Jean Pierre Afadhali

Artificial Intelligence adoption is growing in Africa, but low Internet connectivity, lack of data, inadequate digital infrastructure, skills gap and limited markets are hindering the new technology’s ecosystem on the continent, new study reveals.

A new report released by Qubit Hub, a Pan-African AI research Lab cites data sets and data systems, digital infrastructure, talents and AI markets as key components of any AI ecosystem.

Amid Artificial Intelligence’s adoption, the report states data is now the new oil, yet its deposit in Africa has not yet been tapped into. For instance, Africa’s population is estimated to be about 1.4 billion, which represents about 17 percent of the world population.

“From a data market perspective, Africa presents perhaps the last untapped market, whose opportunity for growth is curtailed by limited online data sets,” notes the report.

According to the AI research report, data set limitations have several implications in use case scenarios, such as AI power systems being inept at distinguishing people of colour. “These controversies are not limited to facial recognition systems,” the report states.

For instance, the study cites a case of an AI imaging system that failed to generate an image of a black doctor treating a white child.  Another one wrongfully identified a heavily pregnant black woman as a criminal.

“These limitations not only result in biased AI systems, but also hinder the development of bespoke AI products for the African market, given that AI systems perform best when trained on data that is representative of the target user,” report authors explain.

AI adoption could lead to success story

AI adoption, if well executed, can lead to a success story similar to that of digital mobile payments, stated the study, adding African startups are already adopting this emerging, disruptive technology to contextualise the continent's demands in the age of AI.

Additionally, digital infrastructure that combines data centres, connectivity and chip manufacturing is hindering the adoption of the new technology on the continent.

The study says: “as AI powered technologies become embedded in everyday life, the demand for computing resources will not let up anytime soon.  In Africa, the data centre market by investment is expected to reach USD 5 billion by 2026.

However, the continent is still lagging behind in data centres establishment, yet they are crucial in the AI technology ecosystem. According to the Data Center Map, Africa has only a total of 95 data centres out of 5,065 globally. This is 1.8 percent compared to the population size of 17 percent of the globe.  This means, Africans’ data is mainly stored outside the continent, where the big tech companies have large markets.

Despite, digital infrastructure gap, the report reveals some organisations hope to bridge the gap. For instance, the organization, Africa Data Centres has announced ambitious plans to bridge the divide. Their USD 500 million investment will see 10 hyperscale data centres sprout across 10 African countries within the next two years.

Connectivity that allows the use and applications of AI models has been cited as another major challenge on the continent’s ecosystem.  “While some AI models and ML algorithms can be run on small devices such as personal computers, laptops, and smartphones, the majority of current use cases are drawn from cloud service use,” states the report. It adds, the consideration of internet connection in an African context is vital.

The skill gap will also play an important role in AI adoption across Africa. For instance, AI startups are sprouting and are in need of talent to advance the design and development of solutions specific to Africa, noted the Qubit Hub study.

“Upskilling initiatives are therefore needed to equip talent with the technical (AI related) skill proficiencies required to harness their full potential,” read part of the report about the role of talents in AI growth in Africa.

Meanwhile, the African Union Development Agency (AUDA) is organising a dialogue on the state of AI in Africa, signaling the continent’s interest in the disruptive technology.

Study authors further state “AI is a new frontier after the mobile money revolution saying that for the ecosystem to move in the same direction, the question is whether the population is cognizant of how AI-related interventions meet their needs.”

AI Experts say the technology is still nascent in Africa and its transformative power is yet to be extensively exploited on the continent.