President Paul Kagame has said artificial intelligence must be developed in a way that benefits people across the world, including Africa, saying the continent is well-positioned to play a key role in the global digital economy. The Head of State said on Wednesday, July 8, at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. ALSO READ: Kagame named co-chair of new global commission on AI The United Nations-backed summit brought together leaders from governments, technology companies, international organisations and academia to explore how AI can be developed and deployed to address global challenges. Artificial intelligence has the power to transform lives and strengthen economies. Africa is well-positioned to contribute to the digital economy. By 2050, our continent will have the largest, fastest-growing workforce in the world, Kagame said. He added that young Africans are already developing AI-driven solutions. “We have to invest in them. It will be a win-win for everyone.” The bottom line is that for AI to serve humanity as a whole, we must get it right in Africa and everywhere else. Launch of global commission on AI During the Geneva summit, Kagame will participate in the official launch of the AI for Good Global Commission, which he co-chairs with Marc Benioff, CEO and Co-Founder of Salesforce. ITU's Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin is the commission's Vice-Chair. ALSO READ: What to know about new global commission on AI co-chaired by Kagame The commission is a high-level multi-stakeholder initiative bringing together leaders from government, business and international institutions to identify practical pathways for strengthening trust in AI, expanding access to the technology and ensuring its benefits are widely shared. During the summit, Kagame and Benioff will also participate in a fireside chat moderated by Bogdan-Martin. The discussion will explore how bringing together leaders who develop AI technologies, deploy them at scale, shape policy and represent communities can help advance responsible AI solutions across sectors and borders. The commission has 44 founding members, including heads of state, chief executives of leading technology companies, senior United Nations officials and leaders of international organisations. Among them are Presidents Alar Karis of Estonia and Halla Tómasdóttir of Iceland. Other members include Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries; Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA; Andy Jassy, CEO and President of Amazon; Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft; Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization; James Manyika, President for Research, Labs, Technology & Society at Google and Alphabet.
