Kenyan youth will now be able to design and build their own robots using 3D printed parts and second-hand phones.
The initiative is a program to be undertaken jointly between United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) and Infinix Mobile.
It will be targeting university students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics(STEM) field.
The program will give the students skills to train the robots to recognize images, sounds, and poses, and program them to respond and perform simple tasks.
Google head of developer relations for Sub-Saharan Africa, John Kimani highlighted the need to invest in youth.
“This mobile application will empower everyone to explore the world of machine learning and programming, without the need for a laptop," said Kimani
The project will be undertaken through an app called “Coglabs.”
Kimani noted that the app would ensure equal opportunities for all to create their own robotic wonders, wherever they may be.
Starting from Kenya, Infinix plans to organize a series of CogLabs workshops.
According to the Association of Artificial Intelligence Kenya 2023 report, Kenya has 2500 Artificial Intelligence professionals including machine learning, and data science practitioners among others .
The mobile company plans to provide primary, secondary and tertiary students with opportunities to engage in hands-on learning experiences.
Brand Manager of Infinix Kenya, Michael Zeng noted that the project was designed to build capacity in crucial domains such as robotics, machine learning, and AI, with a focus on education equality.
Notably, infinix has made significant advancements in AI education and adoption in Africa.
In 2020, the company released voice interaction technology supporting Hausa, and now provides support for major African languages.
To further expand its language capabilities, Infinix has established specialized Research and Development (R&D) centers focused on minor and regional languages across seven African countries, employing over 120 linguists.
According to the Association of Artificial Intelligence Kenya 2023 report, Kenya has 2500 Artificial Intelligence professionals including machine learning, and data science practitioners among others.
This, industry experts say, highlights the need for more youth to join the Artificial Intelligence sector.
Kenya boasts of a youthful population, according to the 2019 Population and Census results which shows that 75 per cent(35.7 million) of the 47.6 million population is under the age of 35.
Furthermore,latest data from the Global System for Mobile Communications Association Africa AI report shows Kenya‘s Artificial Intelligence (AI) sector received $15 million (Sh1.95 billion) in funding in 2023.
This aligns with the Forbes 2024 report projecting the AI market to reach $407 billion by 2027, a substantial growth from its estimated $86.9 billion revenue in 2022.
