AI Promises to Transform African Healthcare
“When it comes to healthcare, you want to make sure that you’ve gone through the right process of properly evaluating the various AI systems or software data.”
-Darlington Akogo, Founder & Director of Artificial Intelligence at GUDRA
The only downside about our work at Global Digital Futures is that we meet a lot of over-achievers who throw our own lives into perspective…
It was only after ending the podcast interview Global Dynamics of AI in Healthcare with Darlington Akogo; after he had told us about his work as founder and director of Artificial Intelligence at GUDRA and its subsidiaries, which include companies that focus on AI in healthtech, plant and pest disease detection, biotech and biomedical research, transport, sanitation and energy; only after we had talked about his role as the lead for TG-AI4 Radiology under the UN International Telecommunication Union and WHO's Focus Group on 'Artificial Intelligence for Health'; and after we had learnt about him being a member of the MIT Tech Review Global panel and a World Economic Forum ‘global shaper’; only then did Darlington admit to us that he was just 25 years old. 25!!
Having talked to Trueman Hama Mamumbo last week, an A-Level student who has created Dzidzo paDen, a whatsapp bot that disseminates educational resources to other students across Zimbabwe, and who has just partnered with UNESCO on the project, we are left wondering - is it just us?
At 25, Darlington has a vision that AI technology will democratise African healthcare. This graphic explains how AI promises to overcome some of the biggest challenges in global health. But, Ajay Aggarwal’s article takes a pragmatic approach, warning us to not believe all the hype… Darlington is acutely aware of the barriers that stand in the way of this AI-driven future. In an article he wrote for the FT, he outlines how low and middle income countries need to develop infrastructure, data culture, appropriate regulations and standards, locally rooted solutions and targeted funding in order for his dream to become a reality.
Without these changes, AI stands little chance of making the transformations that it promises. When used in diagnostics, for example, AI is trained to detect illnesses through exposure to large datasets. So, when datasets are not representative of the people that the technology seeks to serve, we end up with algorithmic bias. In other words, AI can only be as thorough, broad and exhaustive as the datasets it is trained on. And across Africa, there are currently very low levels of digitisation and electronic record use. It seems to be a bit of a chicken and egg situation: until there are strong enough datasets, the effectiveness of AI systems is limited; but until there is widespread adaptation to AI systems, data gathering is limited. We must bear in mind what a huge task it is to implement the resources and training that will enable healthcare professionals across the continent to adapt to new systems.
This journal article points out that we are heading in the right direction; access to stable electricity and internet connection is growing, as is smartphone penetration. Last week I wrote about technology for development to accompany Chipo’s conversation with Hannah Metcalfe from Viamo. Once again, this topic comes back to the need to harness mobile technology, and encourage locally-rooted solutions.
Luckily, we have some brilliant, young overachievers to put our trust in. What is most inspiring to me about Darlington is how he is already invested in capacity building for the next generation. In our upcoming thinktank to accompany this episode, we speak to Issah Samori, an Artificial Intelligence Engineer that specializes in Deep Learning and Machine Learning. He also tutors at Runmila AI Institute, an AI and Data Science training institute, which is one of the many subsidiaries of GUDRA. Darlington also works with Global Black Youth, a platform for “Convening and amplifying the work of the world's most innovative, disruptive and entrepreneurial young Black leaders.”
So, whilst our own achievements might pale in comparison to Darlington’s, Issah’s and Trueman’s, we should put our jealousy aside and continue to amplify all of the work they are doing.
See you next time, and enjoy the podcast!
Eliza
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Spotlight
Global Black Youth works to convene and amplify the work of the world's most innovative, disruptive and entrepreneurial young Black leaders.
HUMA (The Institute for Humanities in Africa) has an ongoing research project ‘Future Hospitals: 4IR and Ethics Of Care In Africa’. In our upcoming Think Tank episode we talk to Min'enhle Ncube and Amina Alaoui Soulimani, two doctoral research fellows from the project.
Other tech news I’ve been reading
The latest ‘Tech States’ newsletter from Tortoise asks ‘How should Big Tech treat the Taliban?
This Rest of Worldarticle argues that ‘To break the cycle of favoritism and white privilege, Kenya’s tech ecosystem needs to back itself with money and self-belief.
The Intercept looks into online harassment from bots in Saudi Arabia, here.
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