An Artificial Intelligence-4D Showcase, which was geared at addressing the digital disparities in developing countries, was recently hosted here by TrueSelph Inc, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Lab, Version 75 Inc (V75) and Jaseci Labs LLC.
The initiative, which was displayed at the Marriott Hotel, was funded by the IDB Lab, which is the innovation and venture capital arm of the bank that focuses on the development of technology and entrepreneurship with two objectives: supporting vulnerable communities and activating new industries in frontier markets.
Local tech company V75 offered technical support and noted that the event being the first of its kind came at the right time to inspire and empower the Guyanese technology-ecosystem as many companies and academic institutions are adapting to this new technological trend.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of V75 Inc Eldon Marks, during his keynote address at the AI-4D Showcase 2023, touched on the subject of democratizing AI for development.
He said Guyana’s journey with AI since 2018 illustrates how this dynamic tool can empower individuals, transform industries like healthcare and transportation, and advance national development strategies through human capital development and innovation.
He added that building platforms like TrueSelph with the intention of concept, will lower the barrier to entry so that AI can be harnessed by a broader audience, including youths with fewer technical skills, to create amazing solutions.
Marks, who is also a university lecturer, highlighted the importance of utilizing “the AI enablement programme”. He gave examples like the Guardian AI for gender-based violence response and AI integration in WhatsApp for business customer service. He explained that AI when used in its constructive form shows the potential to participate meaningfully in daily interactions, enhancing productivity and service quality.
“We have a responsibility to ensure AI advancements align with social needs and ethical standards,” he said. “TrueSelph not only advances technological capabilities but also integrates features like data anonymization and digital likeness verification to prioritize privacy and counter misinformation.”
The V75 CEO was adamant that the strategic partnerships and collaborations his company fostered were in alignment with key UN Sustainable Development Goals, which underline the potential for AI to contribute positively to education, employment, economic growth, and cross-sector partnerships on a global scale.
There were recommendations to embrace practical AI applications for industry and development as well as inspired meaningful discussions on AI adoption and strategy in Guyana.
For nearly two decades, Marks has contributed to the growth of Guyana’s tech landscape. In the last five years, his leadership has created opportunities for young professionals and upskilled hundreds in the tech sector. Notably, his initiatives have introduced conversational AI specialization to Guyana, paving the way for AI engineers to craft solutions used globally.
Senior Advisor on Artificial Intelligence in the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology Mehdi Snène, in his address, highlighted how AI fosters the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
For developing countries, it presents “the possibility of leapfrogging outdated technologies and bringing services directly to people where needs are bigger and for the people that need them most, but this will depend on AI being harnessed responsibly and made accessible to all,” he said.
Meanwhile, Christopher Clarke, a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan, said privacy must be prioritized throughout the AI lifecycle. He was adamant that adequate data protection frameworks should also be established.
Clarke, known for his research in “enhanced capabilities of AI, particularly in natural language processing (NLP) and human AI Interaction, has published several research papers at renowned conferences and has collaborated with industry leaders such as Microsoft, Amazon, Ford, and Clinc Inc, a tech company in Michigan, USA.
The AI-4D showcase was held under the theme “Democratizing AI”. According to some academics, AI technology brings major benefits in many areas, but without the ethical guardrails, it risks reproducing real-world biases and discrimination, fueling divisions and threatening fundamental human rights and freedoms.
AI business models are highly concentrated in just a few countries and in a handful of firms — usually developed in male-dominated teams, without the cultural diversity that characterizes our world.
