‘For AI to change how economies work, it has to represent all of us’

Vukosi Marivate helps to build scientific communities and networks for African researchers in machine learning and artificial intelligence. These include Deep Learning Indaba, an events and awards programme inspired by the isiZulu word for gathering. Marivate, a computer scientist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, says Indaba came about to “bring together the African community to strengthen machine learning, so that we can contribute, shape and ultimately be our own owners of these coming technologies.”

Marivate also co-founded the startup Lelapa AI, inspired this time by the Setswana word for home. An early project for the company, which aims to be a home for the top AI talent and researchers in Africa, was to build natural language processing systems for Africa languages. There are more than 2000 of them, he says.

The computer scientist, based at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, is the fourth researcher to feature in this eight-part Changemakers podcast series. It accompanies an ongoing Nature Q&A series that highlights scientists who fight racism in science and champion inclusion at work.

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