Africa has crucial role in advancing study of AI, say professors
Scholars who built network of tens of thousands of people working on AI say research produced on the continent can ‘push the boundaries’
Published on
October 13, 2026
Last updated
October 13, 2026
Africa is by no means “at the kiddies’ table” when it comes to contributing to engineering advancements in artificial intelligence, according to two professors who have made it their mission to support budding technology researchers on the continent.
When computer scientist Benjamin Rosman, who was “born and bred” in Johannesburg, was starting out in his career 20 years ago, most were forced to go abroad for postgraduate studies.
But Rosman, who co-directs the University of the Witwatersrand’s Robotics, Autonomous Intelligence and Learning Lab (RAIL Lab) with Steve James, says this picture has changed.
This is largely down to the efforts of Rosman and his collaborators to inspire machine learning knowledge development across South Africa and the wider region.