AI Safety lab focusing on technical alignment and governance of AI in Africa and the Global South more broadly. We are a grassroots community-led research lab

Project summary

The Equiano Project is a new AI research lab that will be located in Africa. The lab's mission is to cultivate technical expertise to advance AI safety research, economic impacts, and policy frameworks. The lab will focus on researching AI alignment, specifically in the context of low-resource natural language processing (NLP), policy, and economic frameworks.

website: https://www.equiano.institute

Project goals

The Equiano Project has the following goals:

To train and cultivate AI Safety scholars in Africa

To develop indigenous interpretable models, policy frameworks, and highlight the economic impacts of AI in Africa

To expand access and collaboration of AI Safety Research in emerging markets, ensuring that diverse perspectives and voices are included in shaping AI policies and practices

To advance mechanistic interpretability techniques and evaluation specifically tailored to African AI models and data sets, enhancing transparency and accountability in AI systems deployed in the region

To empower Equiano Scholars with the skills and knowledge necessary for technical alignment and policy work, enabling them to contribute effectively to AI governance efforts

To investigate the potential productivity gains, automation opportunities, and economic impacts that AI can bring to various sectors in Africa, guiding policymakers and stakeholders in leveraging AI for sustainable development

Concrete steps to achieve those goals

Train and cultivate AI Safety scholars in Africa: The lab will offer a variety of training programs and research opportunities for African scholars. These programs will cover the fundamentals of AI safety, as well as the latest research in the field. The lab will also provide mentorship and support to help scholars develop their careers in AI safety.

Develop indigenous interpretable models, policy frameworks, and highlight the economic impacts of AI in Africa: The lab will develop AI models that are tailored to the needs of Africa. These models will be interpretable, meaning that they will be understandable to humans. The lab will also develop policy frameworks that promote the responsible development and use of AI in Africa. The lab will also conduct research on the economic impacts of AI in Africa.

Expand access and collaboration of AI Safety Research in emerging markets: The lab will partner with local and international research institutions, universities, governments, and industry stakeholders. These partnerships will help to ensure that the lab's research is relevant to the needs of Africa and that it has a real impact on the continent. The lab will also host workshops and conferences to promote collaboration in the field of AI safety.

Advance mechanistic interpretability techniques and evaluation specifically tailored to African AI models and data sets, enhancing transparency and accountability in AI systems deployed in the region: The lab will develop new techniques for evaluating the interpretability of AI models. These techniques will be tailored to the needs of Africa, where data sets are often small and noisy.

Empower Equiano Scholars with the skills and knowledge necessary for technical alignment and policy work, enabling them to contribute effectively to AI governance efforts: The lab will provide training and mentorship to Equiano Scholars to help them develop the skills and knowledge necessary for technical alignment and policy work. The lab will also provide opportunities for Equiano Scholars to get involved in AI governance efforts.

Investigate the potential productivity gains, automation opportunities, and economic impacts that AI can bring to various sectors in Africa, guiding policymakers and stakeholders in leveraging AI for sustainable development: The lab will conduct research on the potential economic impacts of AI in Africa. This research will help policymakers and stakeholders to understand how AI can be used to promote sustainable development in Africa.

How will this funding be used?

The funding for the Equiano Project will be used to cover the following costs:

Salaries for lab staff

Research expenses, such as publishing and data costs

Equipment and software

Conferences and workshops

Outreach and dissemination

https://manifund.org/projects/-ai-alignment-research-lab-for-africa?tab=bids

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