Webinar: Learnings from the African Approach towards AI Ethics in the Private and Public Sector for Japan

When you think of the regions and countries you associate with artificial intelligence (AI), it is unlikely that you would imagine African countries. However, Africa is in the midst of a thriving AI business scene with South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya leading the way.
In the technology sector, there is still a tendency for information to be limited to the usual suspects such as major Western countries, China, and Singapore. This event will highlight the current state of AI development and implementation in Africa, which is not usually put under the limelight. We will welcome two AI ethics experts in the African context from South Africa to share their efforts and the creation of frameworks and guidelines for ethics, safety, and responsibility in the use of AI and data by governments, public institutions, and companies.

A panel discussion in the second half of the event will focus on what Japan can learn from African efforts in AI ethics and governance.

Nathan Ross-Adams

Nathan-Ross helps African businesses and governments design, develop and deploy trustworthy AI. He combines legal, commercial, and technical insights to partner with his clients to move toward holistic and sustainable solutions. He believes the best way to formulate these solutions is through collaboration, clear communication, and simple legal documents in immersive legal design. Nathan-Ross is part of a dynamic team of 4IR lawyers at the global law firm, Michalsons. His clients represent a range of data, technology, and advertising companies as well as governments, software, hardware, robotics, biotech, pharmaceuticals, telecoms, and energy clients. He also lectures on AI and the law at the University of Johannesburg. Nathan-Ross’s writing features prominently in the African emerging technologies law scene.

Beyond his writing, he’s also been a panelist with South Africa’s Information Regulator and has spoken at multiple African and Global conferences on AI and the law.

Deshni Govender

Deshni Govender is an experienced lawyer and AI professional with passion, commitment and track record in creating a more inclusive and equitable Artificial Intelligence industry for all. With over a decade of combined legal, financial services and technology experience, she brings unique perspective and skill to international development in artificial intelligence.
She currently works for GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), a leading German international development organization as the South Africa country focal point, where she is responsible for designing and implementing programs in the country that promote a more ethical, open and sustainable approach to artificial intelligence in public and private sector. This extends to realising the African Union goals of pan-African digitalisation by advancing EU-AU cooperation. She goal is to democratise AI in Africa.
Her passion extends to volunteering as part of the RAIL (Responsible AI Licences) working group where she contributes her skills and expertise to promote the understanding and use of Responsible AI Licences and improve the legal understanding and interpretation of these licences for ethical AI development. Within GIZ, Deshni co-founded the GIZ Diverse Women in Tech network and features on the list of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics 2022. Deshni persists in her endeavor as a changemaker for diversity and gender equality in the technology industry. She holds a master’s degree in Law from University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Mark Irura Gachara

Mark Irura is a Kenya-based technical lead with extensive experience heading end-to-end digital implementations for bilateral and multilateral development agencies such as the World Bank, UNICEF, USAID as well as government ministries in east and southern Africa. With more than a decade of experience predominantly in East and Southern Africa, Mark has implemented and managed large-scale M&E platforms; Customs and Domestic Tax systems; assessed scalable technical tool in the fields of Open Data and Open Contracting; as well as designed comprehensive data models and enterprise software tools to visualize and manage data. More recently, he is working at GIZ on a global project focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a view to promote creation of local AI solutions using local data and local approaches. This is with a focus on language technologies (specifically Swahili and other local languages) as well as refining implementation of use cases that encourage the use of AI to solve climate change problems.

Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo
AI Governance Project Team
E-mail: ifi_ai★ifi.u-tokyo.ac.jp(Please replace the ★ with @ when sending an email)