- The dominating Job related searches have so far increased by over 5,000 per cent.
- The second most sought niche was AI in relation to CV building. It increased by 1,150 per cent.
Search interest in Artificial Intelligence in Kenya is at an all-time high, with focus on jobs dominating the space, according to Google.
The tech firm says people have searched for AI more than ever this year, the numbers rising by 270 per cent since last year, and by 400 per cent in the past five years.
"The dominating job related searches have so far increased by over 5,000 per cent,” Google says in part.
The second most sought niche was AI in relation to CV building. It increased by 1,150 per cent.
The trends also show that Kenyans are increasingly interested in building their careers and learning new skills.
Searches in relation to AI courses increased by 100 per cent while ones for free AI image generator increased by 2,500 per cent.
“Those related to music generator increased by 2,200 per cent, AI website builder 1,600 per cent, AI video generator 1,400 per cent and logo maker AI by 1,150 per cent,” the firm says.
“Searches for online business from home have also increased by 250 per cent since last year, and how to register a business have increased by 200 per cent.”
The service provider which released their conversational AI service Bard, a conversational generative chatbot, in the country in English in March and in Swahili in July, now says AI has huge potential to help people, businesses and communities.
According to Agnes Gathaiya, the firm’s director in East Africa, it is great to see people in the country show such a keen interest in transformational technology.
“People in Africa and across the world are already using and benefiting from responsibly developed AI-based tools every day, but the speed of technological advancement is accelerating, and it is exciting to see these breakthroughs,” Gathaiya said.
“It is therefore important that we get it right here in Kenya. We’re committed to working boldly, responsibly and together with Kenya to maximise the potential of AI, while minimising its abuse.”
Nevertheless, the report further says Kenyans are increasingly looking to gain new certifications, particularly in digital skills with searches for courses in virtual assistance growing by 450 per cent, data analysis by 200 per cent and digital marketing by 200 per cent.
People were also concerned about protecting themselves from cybercrime and misinformation in the period under review, google adds in part.
Searches for DNS hijacking increased by 350 per cent, click fraud moved by 150 per cent while voice phishing increased by 100 per cent.
On the other hand, searches for fake news increased by over 5,000 per cent over the past ten years.
“Fact-checking and disinformation rose by 2,700 per cent and 1,150 per cent, respectively over the past ten years,” Google says.