3 Incredible AI solutions for Africa (that don't involve the media or podcasting)
PLUS 40% of us will use AI in our jobs... very soon
AI Solution #1: Major Floods
Africa has a flooding problem. Just at the end of last year nearly 1.6 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya were displaced by severe climate-induced floods. And The World Bank says that predicting when they happen is the most effective way of saving lives and money. Enter Flood Hub, an AI system by Google, that can predict when and where floods will happen and uses warning systems to inform residents when to flee.
The AI uses a Hydrologic Model, which forecasts the amount of water flowing in a river, and an Inundation Model, which predicts which areas would be affected and how high the water level would get.
Flood Hub can see seven days into the future and covers river basins in at least 80 countries, including 23 in Africa, providing flood forecasting services to 460 million people across 1,800 sites. Though, I can see certain areas getting warnings but not have the funds or assistance to do anything about them.
AI Solution #2: Food Security
According to a report in 2022, around 140 million people in Africa face severe food insecurity, with one in five going to bed hungry.
And a major cause of this? Locusts. In May 2022, the largest locust infestation in 25 years ravaged South Africa's Eastern Cape, destroying five million hectares of grazing land. Reports later revealed that early warning systems could have prevented the infestation.
InstaDeep, an AI-powered decision-making outfit, is working to solve this problem in two ways. First, by collaborating with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to create systems that will assist farmers in detecting locust outbreaks and putting control measures in place.
Second, the centre is working on AI models that will utilise FAO’s historical data and weather readings like temperature and rainfall to predict when the critters breed.
AI Solution #3: Maternal Health
Ultrasounds are crucial for maternal health. However, performing an ultrasound still requires substantial training and experience. And because there is a shortage of sonographers in Africa, up to half of pregnant women in poor areas don’t even get a screening during their pregnancies.
In response to this problem, Jacaranda Health is building a handheld ultrasound device. And Google has created an AI doctor that they claim can look after you.
At Develop AI we are interested in how AI is influencing all types of industries, not just the media space. Stay tuned as we release what I believe is called a “vertical” soon.
Coding Corner (the gradual process of a journalist learning how to code)
This is exciting. I have added a host of code to the AI podcasting tool and renamed the show “Africa Loves Politics”. Now, our hosts chat about three stories around African politics (instead of being stuck endlessly talking about this newsletter). The tool I’ve coded now scrapes Google News for the top 30 stories of the day and gives me the option to choose which ones I prefer. I also added the ability for me to remove lines from the script after ChatGPT has written it (as the hosts keep trying to introduce or end the show during each new segment). There are a load of fixes I want to implement, but feel free to drop me a line with your suggestions.
This week’s AI tool for people to use…
If you are bored of the arbitrarily flat tone of ChatGPT then try NovelAI for story inspiration. Though, personally, I believe this stuff has a long way to go in order to replace anyone.
What AI was used in creating this newsletter?
Nothing, except the picture above with thanks to ChatGPT.
In the news…
Samsung went ballistic with their AI mobile phones this week with features that include live translations while on a call… and it will even work if you call someone on a landline.
The BBC splashed the story: “AI to hit 40% of jobs and worsen inequality, IMF says” across its platforms on Monday. 2024 is truly going to be the year when we see the hype of AI settle and start to understand whose work is really in danger.
What’s new at Develop AI?
We are now part of “Develop Media” which includes Develop Audio. They have released two newsletter courses: in seven days you can learn investigative podcasting and in five days branded podcasting. Feel free to sign up, they are both free. Each day you will receive a lesson in your inbox and access to YouTube videos to help you through the material. And then join our WhatsApp Community where you can ask questions. A huge thanks has to go to DW Akademie for making these courses possible.
See you next week. All the best,
Join our WhatsApp Community and visit our website.
Contact us on X, Threads, LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok.
You can email me directly on paul@developai.co.za.
Listen to Develop Audio’s podcasts and sign up for a free newsletter course in Branded Podcasting or Investigative Podcasting.
Physically we are based in Cape Town, South Africa.
If you aren’t subscribed to this newsletter, click here.