The News

Wits University in South Africa is poised to launch its inaugural artificial intelligence institute this week, aiming to propel the advancement of AI technology across the African continent. This initiative arises amidst increasing worries that AI could exacerbate the existing digital divide between affluent and less fortunate nations.

Dubbed the Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute, this program is committed to producing influential research, nurturing talent, and encouraging innovative AI applications. A key focus will be on guiding policy-making regarding the governance and ethics of AI throughout Africa.

The institute has received an initial investment of 60 million rand ($3.3 million) from Wits, with additional funding anticipated from various tech companies currently in discussions. Wits is collaborating with other African universities to establish a pan-African MIND fellowship scheduled for launch in 2025.

The inauguration is set for November 19, featuring a cohort of 34 research fellows chosen in October. The institute plans to welcome academics from other African institutions by 2025.

Initially, the institute aims to support at least 20 Master’s students, 20 PhD candidates, and 10 Post-Doctoral Fellowships.

Professor Benjamin Rosman will take the helm as the inaugural director of the institute. Rosman also leads the Robotics, Autonomous Intelligence and Learning (RAIL) Laboratory at Wits’ School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics.

The vision for the institute was first articulated in 2017 by Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, currently the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits University, alongside the late Professor Barry Dwolatzky and Dr. Solomon Assefa, who was then the research director at IBM Africa.

Despite AI's potential to contribute $1.5 trillion to Africa’s GDP by 2030, significant challenges remain due to a digital skills gap and insufficient policy frameworks in many regions.

A white paper from Microsoft on AI and future employment underscores the "essential" need to "cultivate African talent in AI research, innovation, design, as well as policy and governance."

In November, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco implemented ChatGPT Edu—an educational version of ChatGPT—to enhance a variety of academic and administrative tasks. This initiative positions it as the first university in Africa to adopt such technology.

The institution anticipates that AI will facilitate personalized learning experiences for students, assist faculty with grading and curriculum development, and support researchers in data analysis and grant writing. Through its collaboration with OpenAI, students and researchers will also gain access to ChatGPT-4 personal accounts.