Lifestyle
Standard of living Nigeria gathered that a personnel excited by socioeconomic pattern in Africa has launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered truth-checking platform to counter the unfold of misinformation and disinformation on the continent.
Talking on the revealing of the AI-powered platform, named, ‘MyAIFactChecker’ on Monday in Ilorin, the World Director of a Nigeria-primarily based non-revenue group, Brain Builders Childhood Trend Initiative (BBYDI), Abideen Olasupo, stated that FactCheck Africa, an initiative of the BBYDI, modified into launched in 2022 as an neutral, non-partisan and non-revenue truth-checking platform for Africans.
“MyAIFactChecker modified into a product of months of devoted effort and learn, with toughen from BECERA and the US Command Department, noting that the initiative would revolutionise how Africans converse recordsdata and other online recordsdata.
“MyAIFactChecker is an illustration of our group’s unwavering dedication to combating the scourge of misinformation, disinformation, and pretend recordsdata, thereby safeguarding the integrity of recordsdata. This platform leverages decreasing-edge AI technology, is user-friendly, and enables you to converse the authenticity of recordsdata, social media posts, and other online boom material lickety-split and very simply.”
Olasupo also stated that the modern platform would offer users with a bunch of functionalities, alongside with a chatbot interface, feedback mechanism, and inform search skill that’s accessible in English, Swahili, French, Arabic, and a few different trendy local languages in Nigeria.
Essentially based entirely totally on him, the commence of MyAIFactChecker comes at a severe time, because the proliferation of disinformation and tainted boom material continues to pose necessary threats to the integrity of elections, democracy, public health, and stability in African countries.
The BBDYI world director, who stated the impact of pretend recordsdata and disinformation on elections could per chance per chance now not be waved, expressed optimism that his organisation’s newly introduced AI truth-checking would support fight the unfold of disinformation in African countries getting willing to include elections this year.
“It’s great to repeat that 2024 is a year of elections in Africa as about 24 countries on the continent will include elections this year.
All the contrivance in which via electioneering sessions, there’s continually a proliferation of pretend recordsdata, and its attendant consequences could per chance per chance negatively impact the electoral direction of.
With the commence of MyAIFactChecker, we are poised to curb the unfold of misinformation and disinformation before, all over, and after elections in these affected countries.
“We hold that discover entry to to real recordsdata is a most foremost devoted, and we are devoted to empowering folks with the instruments to discern truth from falsehood in this digital age. We are going to have the skill to proceed to promote media literacy and severe pondering all over Africa,” he stated.
Olasupo, who stated that he attended the 2024 United Nations ECOSOC Childhood Forum held in Fresh York final week, added that he spoke on ‘The ethical exhaust of AI and its implications for education in Africa’, asserting that his organisation would proceed to push for policies round the moral exhaust of AI in Nigeria and Africa as a total to maximise its benefits and mitigate its dangers.
He lauded Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economic system, Bosun Tijani, for spearheading the initiative to bring a total Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the country, stressing that such endeavour modified into necessary in positioning Nigeria to successfully leverage AI for nationwide pattern.
“In recognition of the astronomical skill of AI in addressing societal challenges, BBYDI will proceed to advocate for policies and ethical frameworks to recordsdata the deployment of AI technologies all over Africa. It’s crucial that we harness the energy of AI for the collective factual of our society,” he illustrious.
Earlier in his address, the Head of Programmes at FactCheck Africa, Habeeb Adisa, stated the introduction of the modern AI resolution “represents a large pattern in our trudge to battle the dissemination of pretend recordsdata that continues to undermine societal believe and assign of dwelling off discord among folks.
“Our platform is designed to cater for a diverse linguistic landscape all around the continent. Users can simply enter a contemporary quiz, and our platform will provide them with an evaluation of the article’s authenticity. This could occasionally additionally allow them to know if it’s credible, in part credible, or unreliable.”
He also disclosed that FactCheck Africa had launched a 3-month AI Journalism Fellowship for journalists in West Africa. Essentially based entirely totally on him, the fellowship is a total training programme that could equip selected journalists with the sure bet, abilities, and ethical concerns wanted to navigate AI in journalism.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of BBYDI, Nura Jimoh, acknowledged that the revealing of MyAIFactChecker reinforced the dedication of their organisation to leverage tech solutions and digital instruments to address societal challenges.
She recalled that BBYDI final year, in collaboration with Christian Support, organised the first CivicTech Hackathon in Nigeria to address voter apathy and support increased citizens’ participation in the electoral direction of.
“We also launched evit.ng to observe and snarl violence pre and publish-election. We also unveiled conflictreport.org to curb the farmer-herders disaster in the northern portion of the country.
“Additionally, we introduced KnowCovid19NG with toughen from the US Embassy to flatten the curve and provide psychosocial toughen all around the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years before the 2023 fundamental elections, we launched Yvotenaija.org to promote civic education all over grassroots communities and on diverse social media platforms,” Jimoh remarked.
