N’Guessan also discusses the pressing issues facing AI, including the short-term and long-term impacts on humans, the need for regulatory policies, and the question of accountability for AI outcomes. She advises AI users to be aware of data privacy and security, the spread of deepfake-generated content, and the risk of over-dependence on AI tools. She also outlines key principles for building responsible AI, including diversity, accessibility, accountability, explainability, and data privacy and safety.
Key takeaways:
- Charlette N’Guessan is the Data Solutions and Ecosystem Lead at Amini, a deep tech startup leveraging space technology and AI to tackle environmental data scarcity in Africa and the global South. She is also the first woman recipient of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
- N’Guessan advises women seeking to enter the AI field to focus on their learning and acquire the necessary skills, as the industry may expect them to demonstrate their capabilities more intensely compared to their male counterparts.
- Some of the most pressing issues facing AI as it evolves include challenges in articulating its short-term and long-term impacts on humans, defining policies and laws to mitigate risks in AI models, and determining who should be held accountable for the outcomes of AI models.
- When building responsible AI for the African market, N’Guessan advises to consider context, accessibility, accountability, explainability, and data privacy and safety. She also suggests that investors should look beyond trends and deeply evaluate the solution at both the technical and impact levels.