By Last year, Google announced plans to open a new AI lab in Africa. Now, Google AI Accra is open for business, and the team there is working on building AI-powered solutions to real-world problems, including helping communities in Africa and beyond to improve their lives.
Google uses Machine Learning (ML) and AI in all of its products and AI and ML are used every day by people across the world, many of who don’t even realise they’re using it. Machine learning is used for everything from filtering out the spam in your email to powering the Google Assistant on your smart speaker, from taking the perfect low-light photos on the Pixel 3 to helping the world speak the same language through Google Translate.
Google recognises that it’s important for everyone that emerging technology is socially beneficial and upholds the highest standards of scientific excellence. Based on its seven guiding principles for ethical use of AI and ML, Google is taking a thoughtful approach to help nurture an emerging technology, which is outlined in depth here.
Google’s AI Centre was opened in Ghana because in order to build technology that benefits people everywhere, it needs to be built by people with a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints. The researchers of Google AI centre in Accra bring a fresh perspective and expertise to build new technologies in Africa that can contribute positively to life here, as well as around the globe.
Google AI Accra forms part of the company’s structured efforts to explore and integrate more diverse experiences / learnings beyond present-day centres of innovation. ‘AI by Africa, for the world’ helps us highlight the crucial role that this new centre will be playing in our vision of using AI to solve problems for everyone, in every part of the world.
A strong focus areas for Google is how AI and ML can be used for social good. We already see how machine learning is improving people’s lives, from protecting us all from spam and fraud to making devices more accessible via speech. Working with partners from such diverse fields as medicine, transportation, environmental groups and small businesses can help to evolve AI and ML tools to meet real-world challenges. This is why Google shares its machine learning tools, so that organisations outside of Google can benefit.
