Zindi, a professional network for data scientists in Africa has launched the South African Artificial Intelligence Association (SAAIA) to promote the adoption of AI as a tool for education and social impact.
The association’s Founding Advisory Board includes major law firms, government entities, universities, and AI startups. The co-founder of SAAIA, Dr. Nick Bradshaw, brings extensive experience in enterprise collaboration software and cloud platforms.
Research conducted by AI Media Africa, another co-founder, shows the global impact of AI and automation technologies on various industries. The CEO Zindi & SAAIA advisory board member Celina Lee, emphasize the importance of responsible AI adoption for South Africa’s economic development, fairness, and inclusivity, saying “The adoption of responsible AI is necessary to maintain the integrity of South Africa’s economic development and uplifting of its people.”
SAAIA aims to focus on regulation, economic growth, trade, investment, and equality in the AI space. Founding members include South African institutions and international organizations like GIZ. The vision of SAAIA is to guide stakeholders toward achieving these objectives.
Zindi CEO said, “Our community at Zindi is made up of 65 000 data scientists from more than 50 countries on the continent, as well as hundreds of groups, societies, businesses, and other partner organizations working in the AI space. The introduction of SAAIA bodes well for bringing all of these groups together, to discover new ways of working and uplift the AI sector in South Africa and Africa as a whole.”
With the right guidance and institutions, AI (Artificial Intelligence) will elevate economic growth, trade, investment, equality and inclusivity in South Africa and across the continent.