Jean-Baptiste Millogo : “AI in Africa can transform our lives and societies”

Can you introduce the Internet Society and explain its main missions?

Internet Society is an NGO over 30 years old, founded by one of the pioneers of the Internet. Its goal is simple: to bring the Internet to everyone. To achieve this, we work on several fronts: infrastructure, public policy, and capacity building. We train future champions who will continue to develop this technology in the years to come.

This edition of the summit focuses on artificial intelligence (AI). What does this inspire in you, and why is it important to develop African AI?

For us working in the Internet sector, AI is a technology that can add value to people’s lives. It can generate new solutions in many areas: agriculture, education, culture… Developing AI in Africa allows us to improve our lives, progress differently, and protect the planet more efficiently.

Specifically, how does your organization support governments and institutions in adopting AI?

Adopting AI involves several aspects. We raise awareness and contribute to the development of legal and regulatory frameworks to guide the use of this technology. We also facilitate the networking of experts and the adaptation of existing solutions to our African contexts. The goal is to support development while leveraging experiences already in place elsewhere.

As part of capacity building, we provide educational content on digital platforms. With AI, it is possible to track the distribution of these contents, the number of people using them, and produce a quick dashboard on the state of education or training in a country. Even in the health sector, AI enables advanced analyses and the identification of solutions adapted to complex challenges.