Harnessing Data Science for Africa’s Socio-Economic Development

Henry Ford’s Faster Horse

Evolved Relationship with Information

New Flow of Information

Evolved Relationship

Evolved Relationship

Evolved Relationship

Revolution

Digital Revolution and Inequality

• Potential for explicit and implicit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sexuality, health status
• All prohibited under European law, but can pass unawares, or be implicit
• GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation

Discrimination

• Potential for explicit and implicit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sexuality, health status
• All prohibited under European law, but can pass unawares, or be implicit
• GDPR: Good Data Practice Rules

Marginalization

• Credit scoring, insurance, medical treatment
• What if certain sectors of society are under-represented in our analysis?
• What if Silicon Valley develops everything for us?

Digital Revolution and Inequality?

Coin Pusher

Royal Society Report

Public Research

Public Research

Public Research

Public Research

Mercutio

User: Hi ChatGPT, Could you write soliloquy that introduces what a Large Language Model is as spoken by Mercutio?

Machine: Ah, friends, lend me your ears, I prithee, For now I must utter a tale of wonder, Of a creation divine, called the Large Language Model, An oracle, a sorcerer, a wordsmith, yea verily, a master of the quill.

From the depths of this scholarly dominion, A creature of artifice did rise; Twas wrought of ones and zeroes, woven as if by Puck’s own hand, To mimic our thoughts, our voice, our very essence.

A thousand minds, nay, a millionfold, Conjoined in this digital Athenaeum, Words and phrases, like soldiers in battle, Marching to form the verses of our age.

This Large Language Model, a changeling so fair, Hath the power to bring forth wisdom, To transmute our queries, our curiosities, Into answers, clear as a midsummer’s day.

Yet, beware, my companions, for magic hath its limits, Not unlike the mortal bounds of we who dwell in flesh, The Large Language Model hath its strengths, But ’tis not an all-knowing oracle, a god it is not.

As Mercutio, your humble servant, doth stand before thee, I marvel at the art and science that hath brought forth this wondrous creation, This Large Language Model, a testament to man’s yearning, To comprehend the world and make meaning of the great tapestry of existence.

In faith, dear friends, let us embrace the magic and beauty of this digital bard, And mayhaps, by its grace, we shall glean some wisdom, As we wander together, hand in hand, Through this boundless realm of knowledge and wonder.

ChatGPT transcript, 14th April 2023.

\(p\)-Fairness and \(n\)-Fairness

A Question of Trust

A Question of Trust

Again Univesities are to treat each applicant fairly on the basis of ability and promise, but they are supposed also to admit a socially more representative intake.

There’s no guarantee that the process meets the target.

Onora O’Neill A Question of Trust: Called to Account Reith Lectures 2002 O’Neill (2002)]

NACA Langley

AI Proving Grounds

• Understand the nature of the tool.
• What is the potential, what are the pitfalls?
• Build societal AI capability.

Data Science Africa is a bottom up initiative for capacity building in data science, machine learning and AI on the African continent