By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
The Responsible AI Lab, RAIL of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is developing an AI technology that could preempt the onset of rare and hitherto incurable diseases in humans for early treatment and, in certain cases, prevent deaths, especially among children.
Such diseases include cancer and childhood diseases.
The Scientific Director and Principal Investigator of the KNUST RAIL Project, Professor Jerry John Kponyo, disclosed this in Kumasi at the opening of a three day Ghana Data Summit.
“When it comes to identifying diseases and their cures, it is related to how much information is available. Thanks to AI, now there is a lot of data with reference to diseases which previously, we did not know about. And so, what we are doing at the Responsible AI Lab is leveraging on technology to be able to identify what the factors are as far as rare diseases are concerned.”
“So previous diseases that were to affect children and in no time they would be dead, now we are able to preempt them as a result of the use of AI. And that is the work that we are doing as far as rare diseases are concerned, and it is a positive dimension with reference to AI,” Pro. Kponyo, also the Director of Quality Assurance at KNUST, emphasised.
Professor Jerry John Kponyo noted that, contrary to misconceptions about machine learning, especially Artificial Intelligence that has consequences for human development. such technologies are presenting huge opportunities for society in almost every sphere of human endeavours.
The three-day Ghana Data Summit is being jointly organised by the KNUST and Ndabax Ghana, a nonmprofit data and science-based organisation, with the support of GIZ and others.
The summit brought together students from pre-tertiary and university, researchers, professionals and lecturers to expose themselves and build their competencies in emerging technologies especially Artificial intelligence (AI), as tools for socio-economic, institutional, and personal advancement in a technologically driven world order.
There was a panel discussion on machine learning and the opportunities and challenges they present by some experts.
The three-day Ghana Data Summit was on theme: “Unleashing the Potential of AI through Grassroots Programme.”
The Vice Chancellor of the KNUST, Professor Mrs. Rita Dickson, announced plans by the university to organise capacity-building courses in new technologies for teachers to enable them to adequately handle the Ghana Education Service’s new curricular for pre tertiary schools.
She said AI has come to stay and that Ghana must have an AI Strategy in place to advance machine Learning and responsible use of it.
A Co-Founder of Data Science Network, Delali Agbenyega, said since the commencement of the Ghana Data Summit in 2019, about 1, 500 persons especially youth, have been directly impacted.