In the last few years, Google has made it clear that they are an AI forward company. Their software products have AI sprinkled over them like Google Photos, Google Assistant, Google Camera inside the Pixel and so much more.
Google AI is the branch that deals with artificial intelligence research that would advance the status quo and be applied to products. They have research centres around the world and today, they have announced a new one that is a first for Africa.
Today Google has announced that they have a Google AI research centre which will open later this year in Accra, Ghana. The company says that they will bring together the top machine learning researchers and engineers in this new centre dedicated to AI research and its applications.
Google also says they are committed to collaborating with local universities, research centres as well as policy makers on the potential uses of AI in Africa.
The new centre will now join the other Google Ai research locations which include Beijing, Paris, Zurich, Tokyo, Toronto, Montreal, Seattle, Boston,Tel Aviv, New York and of course their Mountain View headquarters. Google is also offering positions up on their site as either a Research Scientist or a Software Engineer.
This is a cool move by Google and may offer unique AI applications for Africa as a whole. Some of the applications that apply on other parts of the world may not necessarily work here and the localization effect might filter through and be adopted to Google products later on.
Google recently expanded their Launchpad Accelerator program to Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa and this was focused on giving startups the jumpstart they need to accelerate their product.
