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Deep Learning Indaba𝕏
South Africa

09 - 12 Jul, 2024

A Deep Learning Indaba𝕏 is a locally-organised “Indaba” or conference that helps ensure that knowledge and capacity in machine learning are spread more widely across the African continent.


Academia
🔭
R2200

Closed!

Acceptance: upon payment

Industry
🛠
R5000

Closed!

Acceptance: upon payment

Studying
🎓
Free!

Closed!

Acceptance: 6th June (approx.)

Present a talk
🎤

Closed!

Acceptance: 1st June (approx.)


Machine learning and artificial intelligence conference

Duration

Jul 09, 2024 - Jul 12, 2024

The conference will be a multi-day event featuring…

400+
attendees

50+
speakers

4+
tutorials

50+
posters

2+
hackathon problems

Partners

view all

🙌 Supporters

Deep Learning Indaba
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

🐘 African Elephant (R100 000+)

NITheCS
DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statisical Sciences (CoE-MaSS)

🦏 Black Rhino (R50 000+)

InstaDeep
Isazi
SocioTech

🐆 Leopard (Hackathon)

Zindi
InstaDeep
Isazi

🐃 Cape Buffalo (R25 000+)

Alphawave
CHPC
AI Media Group
Pink Elephant
ByteFuse
Predictive Insights
Saigen

🦁 Lion (R15 000+)

DSI Africa
Mozilla

🖼️ AI Fest Exhibitors

DSI Arica
ShockLab

🧤 Community

Sisonke Biotik
Masakhane
SAAIA - South African Artificial Intelligence Association
AI Media Group
WeThinkCode
Deep Learning Indaba
Discovery

🏛 Affiliated institutions

AIMS
University of Cape Town
University of the Witwatersrand
University of Pretoria
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Insitute of Science and Technology Austria
CSIR
Centre for AI Research
Computational Neuroscience Imbizo

Schedule outline

expand all

 10h00 - 13h00

Registration and Explore Campus

Outside Science Stadium Area

Check in, collect conference materials, and prepare for an engaging day ahead! Once you’ve checked in, take a stroll around campus and grab some lunch from one of the vendors.

 13h00 - 13h30

Welcome - Committee and Wits

WSS2

Kickoff time! 🎉 Join the organising committee and Wits University representatives for opening remarks, setting the stage for a sensational conference!

 13h30 - 14h30
Keynote - NLP 1 number of speakers
WSS2
Lelapa AI
 14h30 - 15h00

Capture the Moment

Group photo time! 📸 Gather around and freeze this moment in time together! ❤️

 15h00 - 19h00
Poster Session

Discover up-and-coming research and inventive projects in our poster session and compete for prizes! Ensure your presence at your poster during the first hour to qualify. Learn more about Poster Guidelines and Requirements.

 08h00 - 08h55

☕ & Registration

Outside Science Stadium Area

Wake up your day with coffee, tea, and last-minute sign-ups! ☕

 09h00 - 10h00
Keynote - Cyber Security 1 number of speakers
WSS2
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
 10h00 - 10h25

Quick pause: Speaker introductions begin at 10:25. Be there!

 10h30 - 12h00
Fundamentals 1 number of speakers
WSS2
University of Johannesburg
Track 1 4 number of speakers
WSS1
Legal Interact
EPI-USE/University of Pretoria
University of the Western Cape
University of Pretoria
Track 2 3 number of speakers
WSS3
Analytix Engine
The Antidote to ML Hype
ML Applied ML & Industry
Rand Mutual Assurance / University of Pretoria
Melio.ai
 12h00 - 13h00

🌮

Convocation Dining Hall

It’s chow time! Grab a plate and enjoy your lunch break! 🥗

 13h00 - 14h00
Keynote - Deep Learning and Wildlife Monitoring 1 number of speakers
WSS2
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS)
 14h00 - 14h25

Outside Science Stadium Area

Just java: coffee only break (and tea👀)—speaker intros at 14:25! ☕

 14h30 - 16h00
Fundamentals 1 number of speakers
WSS2
Discovery
Track 1 4 number of speakers
WSS1
University of Cape Town
University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
University of Cape Town
Track 2 6 number of speakers
WSS3
University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)
University of the Witwatersrand, and nCino, Inc (Formally DocFox Inc)
Sybrin
South African Radio Astronomical Observatory
 16h00 - 16h25

Outside Science Stadium Area

Fuel up: snacks ready, energy up! We’re back after a quick recharge! 🍪⚡

 16h30 - 17h00
Community Opportunities 1 number of speakers
WSS2
 17h00 - 17h30
Data Science 1 number of speakers
WSS2
Zindi
 17h30 - 18h00
Community Opportunities 1 number of speakers
WSS2
NICIS CHPC (CSIR)
 16h30 - 17h30

Flash Talks

WSS1
 16h30 - 19h30
Meetups and Mentorship 1 number of speakers
1st Floor Meetup Rooms

Meetups and Mentorship Sessions - Join us for an informal meetup where you can network, collaborate, and make valuable connections with your peers. We encourage you to find a mentor, mentee or research collaborator and book a 1-on-1 with them with SwapCard after the meetup.

 16h30 - 20h00
Hackathon with Isazi 1 number of speakers
MSL105

Forecasting Practical

 08h00 - 08h55

☕️🍵

Outside Science Stadium Area

Rise and shine: your morning coffee & tea are ready! ☕️🌅

 09h00 - 10h00
Keynote - Human Centered AI 1 number of speakers
WSS2
Institute for Intelligent Systems, Primus Tech Hub
 10h00 - 10h25

Pause & prep! Speaker intros begin at 10:25—don’t miss out! 🕥

 10h30 - 12h00
Fundamentals 1 number of speakers
WSS2
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Track 1 3 number of speakers
WSS1
Saigen
Speech Recognition for Africa
Language AI in Africa
University of Cambridge
CSIR and NWU
Track 2 5 number of speakers
WSS3
Minerva University
University of the Witwatersrand and Sol Plaatje University
University of Pretoria
University Of Kwazulu Nata
NRF-iThemba LABS
 12h00 - 13h00

🍽️

Convocation Dining Hall

Lunch break! Refuel and relax with an important lunch before we resume.

 13h00 - 14h00
Workshop - Preparing for the Future World of Work Part 1 2 number of speakers
WSS1
WeThinkCode_
WeThinkCode_
Workshop - Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Part 1 4 number of speakers
WSS2
CSIR
Discovery
CSIR and NWU
CSIR
Workshop - AI Safety Part 1 2 number of speakers
WSS3
University of Cape Town
An Introduction to AI Safety
AI Ethics AI Safety and Governance in Africa Workshop
AI Safety Cape Town
An Introduction to AI Safety
AI Ethics AI Safety and Governance in Africa Workshop
 14h00 - 14h25

Outside Science Stadium Area

Just coffee & tea, please! 🕒 Meet back at your workshops at 14:25.

 14h30 - 16h00
Workshop - Preparing for the Future World of Work Part 2 2 number of speakers
WSS1
WeThinkCode_
WeThinkCode_
Workshop - Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Part 2 4 number of speakers
WSS2
CSIR
Discovery
CSIR and NWU
CSIR
Workshop - AI Safety Part 2 2 number of speakers
WSS3
University of Cape Town
An Introduction to AI Safety
AI Ethics AI Safety and Governance in Africa Workshop
AI Safety Cape Town
An Introduction to AI Safety
AI Ethics AI Safety and Governance in Africa Workshop
 16h00 - 16h25

Outside Science Stadium Area

Snack time! Grab a coffee, some treats, and stretch those legs—see you in 30! 🏃☕

 16h30 - 17h30

Flash Talks

WSS3
 16h30 - 17h00
Medical AI 1 number of speakers
WSS2
Opti-Num Solutions
 17h00 - 17h30
Bio AI 1 number of speakers
WSS2
Instadeep
 17h30 - 18h00
Education 1 number of speakers
WSS2
AMBA
Education
Education
 16h30 - 19h30
Meetups and Mentorship 1 number of speakers
1st Floor Meetup Rooms

Meetups and Mentorship Sessions - Join us for an informal meetup where you can network, collaborate, and make valuable connections with your peers. We encourage you to find a mentor, mentee or research collaborator and book a 1-on-1 with them with SwapCard after the meetup.

 16h30 - 18h00
Preparing for the Hackathon with InstaDeep 1 number of speakers
MSL105

Model Optimisation Practical

InstaDeep
 18h00 - 00h00
Hackathon with InstaDeep 1 number of speakers
MSL105

Model Optimisation Practical

InstaDeep

 08h00 - 08h55

Outside Science Stadium Area

Wake up and smell the coffee…or tea!👀 Your morning kick starts here! ☕🍵

 09h00 - 10h00
Keynote - Data to Inform and Inspire Action 1 number of speakers
WSS2
Medscheme Holdings
 10h00 - 10h25

Pause & prep: Speaker intros begin at 10:25—get ready to be inspired! ⏰

 10h30 - 12h00
Fundamentals 1 number of speakers
WSS2
University of Pretoria
Workshop - AI in Healthcare Part 1 5 number of speakers
WSS3
MADIVA Research Hub
UCT
IBM Research
CSIR, University of Stellenbosch (Dep of Industrial Engineering) & UNISA, (School of Engineering)
IRD South Africa NPC
Workshop - Entrepreneurship Part 1 1 number of speakers
WSS1
Alphawave
 12h00 - 13h00

🍽️

Convocation Dining Hall

Lunch is served! Fuel up and energize for the afternoon! 🍽️

 13h00 - 14h00
Networks and Cybersecurity 3 number of speakers
WSS2
MindJoy
University of the Western Cape
CSIR/ TUT/ WITS Business School
Workshop - AI in Healthcare Part 2 5 number of speakers
WSS3
MADIVA Research Hub
UCT
IBM Research
CSIR, University of Stellenbosch (Dep of Industrial Engineering) & UNISA, (School of Engineering)
IRD South Africa NPC
Workshop - Entrepreneurship Part 2 1 number of speakers
WSS1
Alphawave
 14h00 - 14h25

Outside Science Stadium Area

Just coffee & tea! Quick sip and back to action—intros begin at 14:25! ☕🍵

 14h30 - 15h30
Ethics and Governance 2 number of speakers
WSS2
University of Pretoria
Code for Africa
Workshop - AI in Healthcare Part 3 5 number of speakers
WSS3
MADIVA Research Hub
UCT
IBM Research
CSIR, University of Stellenbosch (Dep of Industrial Engineering) & UNISA, (School of Engineering)
IRD South Africa NPC
Workshop - Entrepreneurship Part 3 1 number of speakers
WSS1
Alphawave
 15h30 - 15h55

Outside Science Stadium Area

Break & snacks: Grab a bite, energize your mind!

 16h00 - 17h00

Panel Discussion - AGI Horizons: Utopia, Dystopia, and everything in-between

WSS2

AI is the most influential technology of our lifetime, and it has only just begun. In this conversation with some of the leading figures in AI development in Africa, we will discuss the implications of the imminent emergence of AGI and what this means for Africa and humanity. This sweeping discussion will dive into both what AGI might mean for improving the wellbeing of our species and the planet, and the risks associated with developing this technology. This conversation serves to communicate expert opinions on the future of AI and give the audience a sense of where the field is headed.

AIMS
University of the Witwatersrand
AI Safety Cape Town
Institute for Intelligent Systems, Primus Tech Hub
AI and Africa
Language Keynote AI in Africa
 17h00 - 17h30

Prize Giving and Closing Ceremony

WSS2

Curtain call! 🏁🏆 Join us at the prize giving and closing ceremony to celebrate success, innovation, and the grand conclusion of our incredible journey together!

 17h30 - 18h00

Travel 🎒 to the Closing Event

En route to the encore! 🎒 Pack your enthusiasm and travel with us to the closing celebration—departing now!

 18h00 - 22h00

Closing Event

The Living Room, Maboneng
Closing Event

Final act: Gather for our grand closure! 🚀 Reflect, rejoice, and roll out with your packs loaded with fresh ideas and new connections. Transportation Information: Buses will depart from Wits University immediately after the closing ceremony. Return buses will be available from Maboneng back to Wits at 10:00 PM. Considering the limited parking in Maboneng, those who drive are advised to park at Wits and use the provided buses.

Adele Botha

CSIR, University of Stellenbosch (Dep of Industrial Engineering) & UNISA, (School of Engineering)

AI - The Ethics of IT

Day 3 - 14h30 - 15h30

Healthcare Healthcare

Arné Schreuder

EPI-USE/University of Pretoria

An Introduction to Spiking Neural Networks and Biologically Plausible Machine Learning

Day 1 - 10h30 - 12h00

Deep Learning Deep Learning

Asad Jeewa

University of KwaZulu-Natal

Fundamentals of Reinforcement Learning

Day 2 - 10h30 - 12h00

Research Research RL RL

Asif Aziz

AMBA

Education

Day 2 - 17h30 - 18h00

Education Education

Athandiwe Saba

Code for Africa

The Power of AI to Fight Information Manipulation

Day 3 - 14h30 - 15h30

AI Ethics AI Ethics AI in Africa AI in Africa Language Language

Avashlin Moodley

CSIR

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

Day 2 - 14h30 - 16h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Batsi Ziki

University of Cape Town

Exploring Meta-learned Curiosity Algorithms

Day 1 - 14h30 - 16h00

Research Research RL RL

Benjamin Rosman

University of the Witwatersrand

Panelist

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Benjamin Sturgeon

University of Cape Town

An Introduction to AI Safety

Day 2 - 14h30 - 16h00

AI Ethics AI Ethics AI Safety and Governance in Africa Workshop AI Safety and Governance in Africa Workshop

Bigomokero Antoine Bagula

University of the Western Cape

Transforming Networking Through Artificial Intelligence: From Best Effort to Knowledge Aware Networking

Day 3 - 13h00 - 14h00

AI in Africa AI in Africa MLOps MLOps

Bruce Bassett

AIMS

Panelist

Astronomy Astronomy ML ML Research Research

Charl Van Heerden

Saigen

Speech Recognition for Africa

Day 2 - 10h30 - 12h00

AI in Africa AI in Africa Language Language

Chijioke Okorie

University of Pretoria

Intellectual Property, Data, and Technology, in terms of Governance

Day 3 - 14h30 - 15h30

AI in Africa AI in Africa Legal Legal

Dr Laticha EM Walters

IRD South Africa NPC

AI in Digital Health Governance

Day 3 - 14h30 - 15h30

Healthcare Healthcare

Edward Khomotso Nkadimeng

NRF-iThemba LABS

Enhancing Dynamic Aperture Estimations in the C70 Cyclotron Using Deep Learning Techniques

Day 2 - 10h30 - 12h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Emmanuel Dufourq

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS)

Deep Learning and Wildlife Monitoring

Day 1 - 13h00 - 14h00

BioAI BioAI Deep Learning Deep Learning Keynote Keynote

Frans Meyer

Alphawave

Disciplined Entrepreneurship for AI Startups

Day 3 - 14h30 - 15h30

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry Workshop Workshop

Gabrielle Immelman

MindJoy

Accelerating STEM Education with AI

Day 3 - 13h00 - 14h00

Education Education

Gloria Pucoe

University of the Witwatersrand and Sol Plaatje University

Utilising Ensemble Cluster for Parkinson's Disease Detection.

Day 2 - 10h30 - 12h00

BioAI BioAI Data Science Data Science

Heinrich van Deventer

University of Pretoria

Limits of ANNs in Continual Learning

Day 1 - 10h30 - 12h00

Deep Learning Deep Learning

Henrica Makulu Kadira

Medscheme Holdings

Using Data to Inform and Inspire Action

Day 3 - 09h00 - 10h00

AI in Africa AI in Africa Data Science Data Science Keynote Keynote

Hossein Masoumi Karakani

University of Pretoria

Data Literacy: The New Alphabet of the AI Era

Day 3 - 10h30 - 12h00

Data Science Data Science

Jabu Mtsweni

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

The Good and not so Good of Cybersecurity for AI & AI for Cybersecurity

Day 1 - 09h00 - 10h00

AI Ethics AI Ethics Research Research

Jason Chalom

University of the Witwatersrand, and nCino, Inc (Formally DocFox Inc)

GradSUM a Method to Quantitatively Characterise and Explain Deep Learning Model Behaviour in Several Domains (Unpublished)

Day 1 - 14h30 - 16h00

Vision Vision

Jeroen van Goey

InstaDeep

Day 2 - 16h30 - 18h00

Hackathon Hackathon

Jessica Rees

Discovery

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

Day 2 - 14h30 - 16h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Jimoh Saheed Tunji

University Of Kwazulu Nata

Comparative Analysis of Density Functions for Assessing Wind Energy Potential in Africa

Day 2 - 10h30 - 12h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Jocelyn Mazarura

Discovery

Introduction to Natural Language Processing

Day 1 - 14h30 - 16h00

Deep Learning Deep Learning Language Language

Joel Leonard

University of Pretoria

Application of A Discrete Event- Based Monte Carlo Simulation for Improving Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM) Of an SO2 Abatement Plant

Day 2 - 10h30 - 12h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Jonathan Shock

University of Cape Town

Reinforcement Learning: Meta, Offline, Multi-agent and more

Day 1 - 14h30 - 16h00

Research Research RL RL

Karabo Madibela

University of the Western Cape

Decoding the Brain: The Role of AI in Neurodevelopmental Health Optimization

Day 1 - 10h30 - 12h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Kayode Adetunji

MADIVA Research Hub

Leveraging AI and ML for Innovations in African Healthcare.

Day 3 - 14h30 - 15h30

Explainable AI Explainable AI Healthcare Healthcare

Kevin Colville

NICIS CHPC (CSIR)

Centre for High Performance Computing

Day 1 - 17h30 - 18h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry Research Research

Kgomotso Moretsele

WeThinkCode_

Insights on Preparing for the Workplace

Day 2 - 14h30 - 16h00

Education Education Workshop Workshop

Kirsten Taneall Smith

Opti-Num Solutions

Design and Deployment of AI for Innovation in Medical Imaging, Leveraging MATLAB and C++

Day 2 - 16h30 - 17h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry Healthcare Healthcare

Leo John Hyams

AI Safety Cape Town

An Introduction to AI Safety

Day 2 - 14h30 - 16h00

AI Ethics AI Ethics AI Safety and Governance in Africa Workshop AI Safety and Governance in Africa Workshop

Mandlenkosi Zwane

Introduction and Demonstration of AI-Based Segmentation for Medical Images

Day 1 - 14h30 - 16h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Mayur Ranchod

Sybrin

Is Seeing Really Believing Anymore? 👀

Day 1 - 14h30 - 16h00

Vision Vision

Michelle Skelton

UCT

DS-I Africa - Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa

Day 3 - 14h30 - 15h30

Healthcare Healthcare Research Research

Mixo Ngoveni

Red Bull Basement University - Empowering Young Minds to use Technology for Positive Impact

Day 1 - 16h30 - 17h00

Education Education Social Social

Mortda Adam

University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)

Advancements in Vehicle Detection for Autonomous Drivin

Day 1 - 14h30 - 16h00

Vision Vision

Mpho Dipitso

WeThinkCode_

Insights on preparing for the workplace

Day 2 - 14h30 - 16h00

Education Education Workshop Workshop

Mpho Raborife

Institute for Intelligent Systems, Primus Tech Hub

NLP for Africa: Trends and Perspectives

Day 2 - 09h00 - 10h00

AI in Africa AI in Africa Keynote Keynote Language Language

Neelan Pather

Analytix Engine

The Antidote to ML Hype

Day 1 - 10h30 - 12h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry ML ML

Pelonomi Moiloa

Lelapa AI

Organizing African Talent to Move Humanity Forward: Language Technology for Africa

Day 0 - 13h30 - 14h30

AI in Africa AI in Africa Keynote Keynote Language Language

Peter Ochieng

University of Cambridge

Exploiting Phonological Similarities between African Languages to achieve Speech to Speech Translation

Day 2 - 10h30 - 12h00

Data Science Data Science

Philip Sterne

Minerva University

Teaching Computer Science in the age of LLMs

Day 2 - 10h30 - 12h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Privolin Naidoo

CSIR

Leveraging RAG to Improve LLM Generation

Day 2 - 14h30 - 16h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Shane Acton

Instadeep

Exploring SOTA methods in BioAi

Day 2 - 17h00 - 17h30

BioAI BioAI Research Research

Simon Rosen

University of the Witwatersrand

Optimal Task Generalisation in Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning

Day 1 - 14h30 - 16h00

Research Research RL RL

Siphiwe Thwala

IBM Research

Biomedical Text Insights Extraction

Day 3 - 14h30 - 15h30

BioAI BioAI Data Science Data Science

Steven James

University of the Witwatersrand

Concurrent and Temporal Composition for Zero-shot Transfer in Reinforcement Learning

Day 1 - 14h30 - 16h00

Research Research RL RL

Sthembiso Mkhwanazi

CSIR and NWU

Breaking Down isiZulu texts: Supervised Segmentation for Better Language Modeling and Translation

Day 2 - 14h30 - 16h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Takura Wekwete

Rand Mutual Assurance / University of Pretoria

Reinforcement Learning in Financial Risk Management

Day 1 - 10h30 - 12h00

Research Research RL RL

Tam Ogubai

Zindi

It Takes a Ecosystem for Data Science to Succeed.

Day 1 - 17h00 - 17h30

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry Data Science Data Science

Tariq Blecher

South African Radio Astronomical Observatory

ML Approaches to Radio Interferometric Imaging

Day 1 - 14h30 - 16h00

Vision Vision

Tawanda Ewing

Legal Interact

Bridging the Gap to AGI - The Thinking Graph

Day 1 - 10h30 - 12h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Terence Van Zyl

University of Johannesburg

Deep Learning : The Journey from Feature Engineering to Representation Learning

Day 1 - 10h30 - 12h00

Deep Learning Deep Learning Foundations Foundations

Tsapang Mashego

Enhancing Autonomous Driving: An In-depth Analysis of Deep Learning-based Object Detection Techniques

Day 1 - 14h30 - 16h00

Deep Learning Deep Learning

Verosha Pillay

Melio.ai

Exploring MLOps with Melio AI and Zindi

Day 1 - 10h30 - 12h00

Applied ML & Industry Applied ML & Industry

Zubeida Dawood

CSIR/ TUT/ WITS Business School

Real-world Applications of Ontology Engineering in Deep Learning : A Cybersecurity Learning Factory Use Case

Day 3 - 13h00 - 14h00

Deep Learning Deep Learning Research Research

What people say about the Indaba𝕏

The incredible diversity of experiences and backgrounds of people in the AI and ML field. Everyone has a unique story.

The IndabaX is an amazing event that changed my perspective on how ML can be used in Africa. I am so glad I attended and I would recommend it to anyone.

My key take aways from the conference were in the academia side; I really enjoyed being in the Company of the people I have had around me. They were very intelligent group of People, ranging from the event organizers to the lectures whom shared their years of acquired experience with passion to my fellow students whom were also so accommodating and intelligent. The positive mindset I have acquired from the IndabaX conference was just what I needed to align my personal life with the research project I am currently working on; to know that there are similar minded people out there whom are also working on solving real life problems using science really reenergized me. I thank you kindly for the opportunity.

I enjoyed meeting different people, who are doing very different from what i do and seeing things from their perspective. The keynote were wildly helpful and interesting, so was the panel discussion. I realized that there is no one straight path in AI and ML and that a lot of us can take very different routes and sort of end up at the same place which is interesting.

I am an intermediate in research and reinforcement learning with interest in working in industry. Therefore, the whole conference was my key take away in a way. I attended all reinforcement learning related talks, from the foundations to the applied ML and industry. It was interesting how RL was first introduced before moving on to how it is applied. That was thoughtful and accommodating.

I think the conference did very well when it came to diversity and inclusion, this is highly attributed to the fact that it did not only focus on the technical side of things but included people from different background and cultures with different life experiences. How they came together towards working on solving real life problems really shows the success of this event.

In terms of people, I think there’s an even proportion amongst all genders and race. Including applied ML and industry was truly outstanding because not everyone wants to be in research and academia. The talks were so diverse that most industry were included.

Organising committee

photo of Abdel Mfougouon Njupoun

Local organiser, Hackathon, AI Fest, National logistics

Abdel Mfougouon Njupoun

University of the Witwatersrand
photo of Ahmed Ghoor

Programme, AI Fest

Ahmed Ghoor

Muslim Impact Lab
photo of Aldrin Ngorima

Marketing, AI Fest

Aldrin Ngorima

North-West University
photo of Anil Pise

Local organiser, AI Fest

Anil Pise

Deloitte
photo of Anna Bosman

Executive Director

Anna Bosman

University of Pretoria
photo of Callum Rhys Tilbury

Programme

Callum Rhys Tilbury

InstaDeep Ltd
photo of Christopher Currin

Board of Directors

Christopher Currin

Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Imbizo
photo of Clement Masilela

Accounting, Fundraising

Clement Masilela

PBT Group
photo of Dan Masethe

AI Fest, Hackathon

Dan Masethe

TUT
photo of Devon Jarvis

Local organiser

Devon Jarvis

University of the Witwatersrand
photo of Ditiro Rampate

Fundraising, National logistics

Ditiro Rampate

IndabaX Botswana
photo of Dumisani Zambukere

Programme, Local organiser, Hackathon, AI Fest

Dumisani Zambukere

University of the Witwatersrand
photo of Elizabeth Booi

Programme, AI Fest

Elizabeth Booi

University of the Western Cape
photo of Emily-Rose Steyn

Local organiser, AI Fest, National logistics

Emily-Rose Steyn

University of the Witwatersrand
photo of Emmanuel Owusu Ahenkan

Hackathon

Emmanuel Owusu Ahenkan

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences
photo of Faheem Sima

Marketing, Hackathon

Faheem Sima

CSIR
photo of Francis E. Agamah

AI Fest

Francis E. Agamah

University of Cape Town
photo of Joel Leonard

Local organiser, Marketing

Joel Leonard

University of Pretoria
photo of Ketro Sithole

Hackathon

Ketro Sithole

Expeditus (Pty) Ltd
photo of Kwasi Darkwa

Marketing

Kwasi Darkwa

IndabaX Botswana & Argo Media Group
photo of Laing Lourens

Local organiser, Fundraising, Hackathon, AI Fest

Laing Lourens

CSIR
photo of Leo Hyams

Fundraising

Leo Hyams

University of Cape Town
photo of Lesego Makhafola

Fundraising, Programme

Lesego Makhafola

University of Pretoria
photo of Lydia de Lange

Executive Director, Accounting, Fundraising

Lydia de Lange

SocioTech
photo of Mahloromela Silas Seabi

Local organiser

Mahloromela Silas Seabi

photo of Maria Schuld

Board of Directors

Maria Schuld

UKZN/UJ
photo of Matimba Shingange

Local organiser, National logistics, Programme

Matimba Shingange

University of Pretoria
photo of Mphatso Nkhoma

Marketing

Mphatso Nkhoma

University of Cape Town
photo of Nandi Mwase

National logistics, Accounting

Nandi Mwase

University of Pretoria
photo of Natalie Bianca Alexander

Programme, AI Fest organise

Natalie Bianca Alexander

IBM & The University of Cape Town
photo of Ndivhuwo Makondo

Local organiser, Programme

Ndivhuwo Makondo

IBM & University of the Witwatersrand
photo of Nkosana Daniel Mlandu

Hackathon

Nkosana Daniel Mlandu

National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe
photo of Nomonde Khalo

Marketing, AI Fest, National logistics

Nomonde Khalo

University of Cape Town
photo of Nompilo Mkhulisi

Marketing, National logistics

Nompilo Mkhulisi

Durban University of Technology
photo of Philipa Murindagomo

Hackathon, AI Fest

Philipa Murindagomo

National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe
photo of Qiulin Li

AI Fest, Hackathon

Qiulin Li

photo of Ruan de Kock

National logistics, Local organiser

Ruan de Kock

InstaDeep Ltd
photo of Samuel Oladejo

Fundraising, Hackathon

Samuel Oladejo

UJ
photo of Seani Rananga

Programme

Seani Rananga

University of Pretoria
photo of St John Grimbly

Accounting, Programme

St John Grimbly

University of Cape Town
photo of Stephanie Müller

Local organiser, Programme

Stephanie Müller

IBM & University of the Witwatersrand
photo of Tessa Richardson

Fundraising, Programme, Marketing, AI Fest

Tessa Richardson

University of Cape Town
photo of Thapelo Maupa

National logistics

Thapelo Maupa

Independent Researcher
photo of Thapelo Sindane

National logistics, Local organiser

Thapelo Sindane

University of Pretoria
photo of Thembelihle Dlamini

Local organiser, Hackathon organizer, National logistics

Thembelihle Dlamini

IBM
photo of Tshepo Moagi

Marketing, Hackathon

Tshepo Moagi

Anglo Platinum
photo of Yeshalen Naicker

Marketing, Hackathon, Local organiser

Yeshalen Naicker

CSIR
photo of Ziliro Jere

National logistics

Ziliro Jere

University of Witwatersrand