Google opens Africa’s first Artificial Intelligence lab

Search engine giants Google has opened its first African artificial intelligence (AI) centre in Ghana’s capital Accra, one year after announcing the project, CNN reports.

The research laboratory will host software engineers and research scientists to work on projects dedicated to the next-generation technology.

Google will also team up with local universities and institutions as well as policy-makers, in its push to develop AI in Africa.

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While the new centre came within the framework of Google’s push to step up investment in the continent, the US tech giant looks to establish itself as an “AI first” company, with research centres worldwide in major cities like Tokyo, Zurich, New York, and Paris.

Research scientist Moustapha Cisse, who leads Google’s AI efforts in Africa, said that his team aims to provide developers with the research needed to make products that can solve problems Africans face every day in areas such as agriculture, health and education, according to CNN.

“Most of what we do in our research centers at Google and not just in Accra, we publish it and open-source code, so that everybody can use it to build all sorts of things,” Cisse was quoted as saying.

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