James Manyika & Alex Okosi
Google

“Africa must be at the heart of the AI revolution,” says Alex Okosi, Managing Director of Google Africa. For the Nigerian executive, the priority is ensuring that young Africans are equipped to secure the jobs of tomorrow created by these emerging technologies. “We do not want the digital divide,” he argues, “to become an AI divide.” To help bridge that gap, Google Africa has recently committed $37 million to support AI innovation across the continent, investing in projects focused on food security, agriculture, healthcare and education. Among its flagship initiatives is AI Collaborative: Food Security, which develops AI solutions to strengthen agricultural resilience. His colleague James Manyika—Google’s Zimbabwean-born Senior Vice President responsible for Technology and Society, Innovation, and oversight of Google Research—believes Africa is already shaping the future of artificial intelligence. Speaking at the inauguration of an AI community centre in Accra, he declared: “Africa is now home to some of the most important and inspiring work” in artificial intelligence.