73rd Bernard Price Memorial Lecture | "Charting a Path for African Low Resource Languages"

73rd Bernard Price Memorial Lecture

"Charting a Path for African Low-Resource Languages - a Multifaceted Approach to Research and Development"
by guest speaker, Prof Vukosi Marivate

Date: 26 September 2024
Time: 18h00 - 20h00
Venue: Senate Room, Senate House, Wits University, Johannesburg

Presentation Synopsis:
The talk delves into the challenges and opportunities of advancing Artificial Intelligence in Africa, specifically in language development. It emphasizes the need for multidisciplinary approaches beyond technical solutions to address the cultural and human aspects essential to language innovation. It also highlights the difficulties of developing AI systems for Africa’s diverse languages and the impact of linguistic diversity on technological progress. Additionally, it showcases the work of the Data Science for Social Impact research group at the University of Pretoria and the efforts of Lelapa AI. These initiatives demonstrate collaborative and innovative strategies to overcome AI challenges in Africa, fostering a future where technology and culture intersect.

About the Speaker
Prof Vukosi Marivate holds the ABSA UP Chair of Data Science and is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Pretoria. He focuses on AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP), local or low-resource languages, and Data Science for Society, leading the Data Science for Social Impact (DSFSI) research group. He co-founded Lelapa AI, a socially grounded Africa-centric AI research and product lab. Vukosi also co-founded the Masakhane NLP research foundation and the Deep Learning Indaba.