IBM Puts Watson to Work to Solve “African Grand Challenges”
April 4, 2014
The article on The Telegraph titled IBM’s Watson Beat Jeopardy, Now It Wants to Win Over Africa explores IBM’s decision to open their twelfth global research center in Nairobi, Kenya. This is the first IBM research center in Africa, and the work that the supercomputer will be put to is admirable. The article states,
“‘IBMers’ from across the planet and from Kenya will work to find solutions to Africa’s grand challenges across energy, water, transportation, agriculture, healthcare, financial inclusion, human mobility and public safety. In the last decade, Africa has been a tremendous growth story, yet the continent’s challenges, stemming from population growth, water scarcity, disease, low agricultural yield and other factors are impediments to inclusive economic growth.”
Certainly big changes are happening in Africa, and Nairobi is seen as the technological heart of Africa (or somewhat tritely as Africa’s version of Silicon Valley). How IBM’s Watson will be able problem-solve such “grand challenges” remains an exciting new enterprise. IBM has funneled over a billion dollars into Watson, as well as $100 million dollars into Project Lucy, a project linked to the African research center. Project Lucy is a ten-year initiative looking into solutions to African issues through the eyes of industry and the academy and other agencies. We can all only hope for the best, but as the article somewhat ominously mentions, “no one should ever take Africa for granted.”
Chelsea Kerwin, April 04, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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