S03E75 Google DeepMind on Equipping African AI Researchers of the Future with Technical Skills

In this episode, Kwame speaks with Prof. Ulrich Paquet, Research Scientist at Google DeepMind and Director of AI at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), and Sepehr Hejazi Moghadam, Senior Programme Manager at Google.org and lead of the Science Ecosystem portfolio, to unpack the launch of a freely accessible AI curriculum. Developed from the ground up with African educators to include culturally relevant cases, the programme is specifically designed to close the technical skills gap facing African universities and students.With Nobel Prize-winning AI tools like AlphaFold already impacting the work of 25,000 African researchers, and the Ubuntu philosophy "I am because we are" shaping the heart of responsible innovation, this conversation highlights why equipping African AI talent is not just a regional priority, but a global one. Because, as Sepehr puts it: "AI systems reflect those who build them."Google is betting on African brilliance to close the digital gap and reshape the global tech landscape. Tune in to learn how you can get started on the curriculum today at skills.google.