The telecommunication giant Safaricom has launched this year’s Technovation Kenya Program which aims to create mobile applications and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for various sectors of the economy.
The 2024 cohort has 400 female students from various parts of the country participating in the program. The participants are drawn from Nairobi, Eldoret, Nakuru, Greater Western, Mombasa, and Lamu.
Girls will be trained to acquire skills that help them develop mobile applications and AI solutions in different areas, including agriculture, care, and climate change.
The program will be conducted in partnership with Dell and its launch saw representative students invited from Apostolic Carmel, State House Girls, Ushirika Girls School, and St Mary’s Wamo Center.
What is Technovation?
Technovation is a global tech education program that trains girls to be problem solvers by building mobile applications and AI solutions.
Safaricom’s Women in Tech (WIT) partners with Technovation to run its program in the country.
WIT invites girls aged 8-18 years to participate in the Technovation Program. Mentors are trained on the program and then teach girls in a 14-week program.
WIT facilitates the weekly engagements that empower teams to create solutions in various sectors such as education, transport, agriculture, and gender equality.
What is AI (Artificial intelligence)
Artificial intelligence is a product of processes that involve machine learning, where the final product is able to perform functions that human beings would usually do.
The ChatGPT chatbot has become a popular AI product that has seen users utilize it to write text such as emails, blog posts, and books. One Japanese Author recently admitted that she used ChatGPT to write around five percent of her book, which won an award.
AI is also being used in image generation already and design brands like Adobe have incorporated AI into their software like PhotoShop.
In 2023, Hollywood experienced a historic strike that went on for months and saw actors and actresses support scriptwriters against AI infiltration into the movie world, among other concerns. Studios had to come up with deals that addressed the issues raised.
The European Union (EU) in 2023 also came up with regulations to manage the spread and adoption of AI in member countries. It was the first regulation of its kind since AI tools burst into the scene.
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