Exploring the future of AI with Janet Sawari, Founder & CEO, The AI Review

Ahead of World Summit AI (11th-12th October 2023, Taets Art & Event Park, Amsterdam), we asked Janet Sawari, Founder & CEO, The AI Review, her thoughts on the future of AI.

As an expert in the field, what critical challenges do you believe the AI community needs to address to ensure responsible & and ethical AI deployment?

We need more research to be conducted to test out artificial general intelligence in different 'sandbox' like environments. We havent been succesful at encouraging the public sector to construct regulation for the technology thus it is also going to be informed by the activities and innovations that develop from the private sector, as a result there should be groups that also measure and track the different activities in the global AI ecosystem as a means to regulate and navigate threats. We have a few, i believe we need more.

 

How has AI impacted your specific field of expertise, and what transformative changes do you foresee in the near future?

  

I do research work, and also run a startup, and ive realised we have been able to build products significantly faster and also be able to conduct research scoping in a shorter period. However the biggest upside for me personally has been the ability to start working in the semi-conductor space in anticipation on this emerging markets rising opportunities.

 

 

How do you envision AI shaping various industries, and what advice would you give to businesses seeking to integrate AI into their operations?

  

AI will empower more businesses to augment operational efficiency and optimise output by leveraging AI tools. For example, retailers are able to know their customers better by tracking onsite productivity. My advice would be ensure you have access to enough data to help train your models.

 

In your opinion, what opportunities and challenges does AI present for job markets and workforce development worldwide?

The two biggest advantages of AI are prediction and learning, and so when we look at job markets, there are new roles that will emerge based on how AI is able to replace jobs that are difficult, dangerous and redundant for humans. AI in my opinion is going to lower the amount of experience and skills required to take on a role in a business that can be augment by AI, so the challenge then becomes creating support infrastructure and education fast enough once demand for the new job types that dont exist today start to transform employees roles into new ones . The real question is, how fast we are going to produce relevant educatiional material for the future of work.

 

Can you share an example of an AI application or project that has personally impressed you, and explain why it stands out?

 

This may be quite concieted, but the product i am working on impresses me with every iteration. A few years ago i never imagined a platform like XVSN Illuminate possible and i did not anticipate that it would be an application that could revolutionise how operational compliance, safety and efficiency is tracked.

 

What measures do you believe should be taken to bridge the AI research gap between developed and developing nations to ensure equitable technological progress?

 

We need more institutions that are designed with the innovator and not just the entrepreneur in mind. Outside academia there are very few enterprise programs, grants, initiatives and so forth that enable innovators in developing countries to just build, and to conduct moonshot experiments which is where i believe real reserarch gaps will be closed.

 

What advice would you give to aspiring AI researchers and enthusiasts who want to make a positive impact in the field?

 

They should look for problems they care about, they should be curious and daring enough to try work on projects, even those that may seem impossible.

 

If you could solve any global problem in the world with AI, what would it be and why?

 

It would definitely be access to education. This is the biggest problem we have as humanity, this is were war's start and hunger ends, access to education. Education is an equalizer for economic opportunity, it is also the fertilizer to grow sophisticated technologies. Generative AI in particular can enable adaptive learning and personalization, which can also accelerate and improve the rate of learning.

 

What inspired you to participate in this AI summit as a speaker, and what message do you hope to convey to the audience?

 

I want to see more women and youth in AI, and i also want to play my part in contributing to the global AI ecosystem. The World AI Summit stage i believe will allow me the opportunity to be the representation i want to see, share my work in advancing impact through research, and finally to encourage industry players to start considering Africa to build large scale industrial AI innovations.