Africa and the A.I Revolution: An Interview with Dr. Atif Mohammad
By Ndiho Media
For more than ten years, I have traveled across Africa showcasing stories on innovation and entrepreneurship. Since 2013, I have interviewed over 300 startup founders and CEOs—from emerging founders of small innovation hubs to CEOs of Africa’s maiden unicorn, Jumia. I have, in the process, noticed how life at the grassroots has been revolutionized by digital technologies: digital payments in FinTech, digital platforms in EduTech, HealthTech interventions, and now rising generative AI.
It has provided me with a front-row seat to Africa’s tech revolution. Every interview has been distinct, and every CEO has had something to impart about resilience, creativity, or problem-solving that I had not known prior. Different Perspectives is a companion project in which I publish some of those memorable interviews. These interviews speak to me and, I hope, to audiences seeking insight into the future of tech.
One of those interviews was with Dr. Atif Farid Mohammad, Global Head of GenAI and Chief Data Officer at Global Technology Solutions Inc. Dr. Mohammad is among today’s leading spokespeople for artificial intelligence, and he described the subject in a manner both uncomplicated and powerful.
“When you talk about artificial intelligence, you are technically about machines that are making an effort to speak back with us,” he explained to me. “You and I are holding a two-way discussion. A machine, however, learns from information and provides us with a response in a language we could understand.”
He made a distinct line between AI and generative AI:
“If data are the passengers in a train, then generative AI is the engine. Big language models, like ChatGPT, take in data, create something new, and output it in a human-consumable format.”
Where others are concerned about the dangers of AI, Dr. Mohammad feels much of that is misplaced worry.
“The real worry is fear of missing out,” he added. “Ethical standards and regulations are called for, but the tech in itself holds tremendous potential, ranging from accelerated vaccine development to novel prospects in healthcare.”
Ndiho Media,LLC. 