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HBCUs: Africa as a National Security Partner for AI (2026 BEYA) · Futurecast by AI NEXTGEN America

0:00
Career Communications Group and the Bay
0:02
Area STEM conference present
0:04
HBCUs,
0:05
Africa as a national security partner
0:08
for AI.
0:09
>> Great. Okay, so my name is Lola Fatunbi.
0:12
I am a senior scientist and slash
0:15
engineer supporting as a contractor for
0:17
the Department of Defense. I work on
0:20
various initiatives um
0:22
where um I look at different research
0:24
programs and help build their um the
0:26
technical and programmatic capacity. Um
0:29
so um and one of the initiatives I work
0:32
on a lot is helping to see how can we um
0:36
connect um internationally globally to
0:39
help advance the Department's mission.
0:41
So um for the last couple of years I've
0:44
had the privilege of and the ability to
0:46
be able to work on um
0:49
looking at different countries in Africa
0:50
and seeing how the Department of War can
0:52
build partnerships.
0:54
So today we were asked to talk about um
0:59
to HBCUs about how Africa is a national
1:03
security partner for AI. So I'm going to
1:05
give you guys a little bit of background
1:07
information on why this even is
1:09
important to us. Then I'm going to
1:11
introduce our wonderful panels. Each of
1:13
them have a special connection to either
1:17
academia, research, um
1:19
artificial intelligence,
1:21
um Africa, and um
1:24
and building um this missions with
1:26
HBCUs.
1:28
So let's begin. I first want to start by
1:32
talking about
1:34
I'll still I first want to um you know,
1:36
go back take um take a step back and
1:38
talk about how today's discussion on is
1:42
on the strategic intersection that is
1:44
often overlooked and that's the
1:46
alignment between HBCUs, Africa, and the
1:49
national security priorities and and
1:51
artificial intelligence. So this is not
1:54
just a conversation about outreach. It's
1:57
a conversation about positioning
1:58
ourselves. It's about where future
2:01
talent resides and where AI systems are
2:04
being stress tested and how trusted
2:07
institutions can be the anchor for
2:10
durable partnerships in a violent in a
2:12
volatile century.
2:13
And so today we're examining
2:16
um that these are not three separate
2:18
ecosystems. It's a shared logic of a
2:20
strategic landscape.
2:22
So, let's get right into it. What is
2:25
this overlap?
2:27
When we look at Africa, HBCUs, and the
2:30
Department of War, we're not looking at
2:33
these disconnected policy domains. We're
2:35
looking at overlapping realities. By
2:39
mid-century, nearly 1/4 of the global
2:43
population is going to be in the African
2:45
continent alone. I know I'm sure you
2:47
guys heard of heard of that statistics
2:49
many times before. But what does that
2:51
mean? That means the scale alone makes
2:54
workforce right in this in AI,
2:55
biotechnology, logistics, and advanced
2:57
systems a global strategic variable. And
3:01
at the same time, the Department of War
3:03
is focused on AI performance in
3:04
degraded, contested, and
3:06
resource-constrained environments. Many
3:08
African contexts already operate under
3:11
those current conditions. And these are
3:13
not just laboratory simulations. They're
3:16
a real-world proving grounds. And HBCUs
3:20
add another dimension that they have
3:23
built on research excellence under these
3:25
constraints for generations. They
3:27
understand HBCUs understand how to
3:30
innovate and responsibly, and how to
3:33
navigate
3:34
um compliance, and how to build trusted
3:36
partnerships. This overlap is clear.
3:40
Talent,
3:41
operational realism, trust, and
3:43
long-term alignment. This is a strategic
3:46
govern- um convergence.
3:49
As we look at these different areas,
3:51
we've been identifying what are these
3:53
different um um areas that we have these
3:56
overlapping we share these interests. We
3:58
looked at work first um critical
4:00
technologies.
4:01
Um there is AI and resource and
4:03
constrained environments,
4:05
um research security and international
4:07
collaboration. That's an area that's
4:10
very important to the Department of War
4:12
as we're building um partnerships, as
4:14
we're building innovations, as we're
4:15
building IP. And um
4:18
and as I said before, research security
4:20
and international collaboration.
4:23
So, what are Africa's strategic needs
4:25
and how do they align with US security
4:28
priorities?
4:29
Africa priorities are often framed
4:31
through a developmental lens, but when
4:33
we examine through a security lens, the
4:36
alignment becomes more unmistakable.
4:38
Health security, biosurveillance are
4:41
global defense issues. Disease detection
4:45
gaps where vulnerable vulnerabilities
4:47
are everywhere. AI-enabled monitoring
4:50
and logistics optimization are dual-use
4:52
capabilities where direct national
4:55
security implications.
4:57
So, for um for example, for food
4:59
security, it's not just about a
5:00
humanitarian
5:02
um
5:03
initiative, it's destabilizing.
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Agriculture resilience reduces conflict
5:08
risks, migration pressure, and
5:10
governance breakdown.
5:11
Um not pictured here, but climate is
5:13
also a really big um area uh of uh
5:17
interest. So, climate stress acts as a
5:19
threat multiplier, energy instability,
5:21
water scarcity, infrastructure
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uh fragility creates security vacuums.
5:26
So, and then then we have logistics and
5:29
decision and support, which is a core um
5:32
defense modernization priority, um
5:35
which mirrors the complex pl- and these
5:37
mirror the complexity of many African
5:40
operating environments. So, this
5:42
alignment is not just structural, it's
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it's also very symbolic.
5:47
So, how do you HBCUs fit? There is this
5:51
natural bridge
5:53
that I want to talk to you all about.
5:56
For Department of all this conversation
5:58
intersects
5:59
directly with with many modernization
6:02
goals.
6:03
As you as we all know that a lot of
6:05
HBCUs have these strong STEM programs.
6:09
We know that 3% of the US institutions
6:12
even though they only make up just 3% US
6:13
institutions 25% of the black STEM
6:16
graduates are going to be an HBCU STEM
6:19
graduate. Both
6:22
the
6:23
basic and applied research impact, you
6:27
know, we have HBCUs have had a long
6:29
history of community-based applied
6:30
research and excels at under-resourced
6:34
under-resourced environments developing
6:36
practical solutions with tangible
6:38
society
6:40
impacts and benefits.
6:42
And then there's also
6:44
workforce ability. The future of the AI
6:47
ecosystem will be a global feature. So
6:50
building trusted and scientific
6:52
relationships now shape a long-term
6:55
collaboration and influence.
6:58
And and then also finally we have
7:00
strategic positioning where
7:03
technology partnerships shape
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geopolitical alignment. Scientific
7:08
collaboration influences the norms, the
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standards, and governance. So if we're
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absent from these ecosystems, we
7:14
relinquish our influence. Engagement
7:18
right now is just is not optional. It's
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very strategic.
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So and then why does this matter to the
7:23
Department of of the war?
7:25
It's cuz what what what what does this
7:28
really look like in practice? For AI,
7:30
for health security, it's distributed
7:32
bio surveillance, predictive analytics,
7:34
medical logistics optimization. For AI
7:37
and agriculture resilience, it's climate
7:39
adaptive modeling, it's smart irrigation
7:42
and decentralized sensing
7:44
sensing for supply chain transparency.
7:47
For AI
7:49
in logistics, it's decision-making and
7:51
support in austere and dynamic
7:52
environments.
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And each of these are
7:56
are dual use. Each advances global
7:58
stability and and our defense capability
8:00
simultaneously. So, this exchange is not
8:03
is is is a reciprocal exchange.
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And HBCUs contribute to this research
8:09
infrastructure and talent development.
8:12
Our African partners
8:15
contribute operational realism and
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forward design innovation in these
8:18
ecosystems. So, the department the
8:20
department will gain robust systems and
8:23
trusted partnerships under this
8:25
long-term workforce access. So, this is
8:29
three-way strategic exchange. So, here I
8:31
have
8:33
going over again some of these different
8:34
areas that I talked about that we think
8:37
is going to be very leveraged and
8:41
through these different partnerships,
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we HBCUs have a lot to contribute,
8:46
Africa has a lot to contribute, and DoD
8:48
has
8:49
and and everyone has a lot to gain. So,
8:52
why are these panelists here?
8:55
I
8:56
we've composed a very very wonderful
8:58
panel panelists
9:00
today here and it's not just because of
9:02
the background and the work that they're
9:04
doing, but these panelists I know them
9:06
personally and they are genuinely really
9:08
good people that are here to not only
9:12
think about how to
9:15
build these partnerships, but how to
9:16
also sustain it and its longevity. So,
9:20
across all the
9:22
these different domains that I keep
9:23
talking about, health and climate and
9:26
agriculture and AI, there is one common
9:29
denominator and that is governance.
9:32
Resilience is not purely technological.
9:34
It requires an integrated ecological
9:36
systems of human systems and
9:38
institutional systems.
9:41
Um so, that's
9:42
that's why it's very important that
9:44
leadership matters and we have these
9:46
great panelists. So, I'm going to
9:48
introduce
9:50
each one of them today starting with
9:52
Dominique Dr. Dominique Carter.
9:55
So, she is an expert in AI agriculture,
9:58
health, global policy. Dominique excels
10:01
in translating African priorities into
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actionable items
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and AI strategies to inform how Africa
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can be focused on AI initiatives that
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directly influence national policy and
10:13
decision-making in agriculture.
10:15
>> Hi everybody.
10:17
Thank you for being here. I think this
10:19
is a really important conversation and
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I'm happy to contribute a small part.
10:24
And so, something that I would like to
10:27
say to just begin the framing of the
10:29
conversation is usually when
10:33
partnerships with Africa are discussed,
10:36
it is usually associated with the
10:39
narrative as Africa or African countries
10:41
being a recipient versus a architect or
10:45
co-designer. But, we're stopping that
10:47
here today, right? And it's not because
10:51
this is a black conference, the black
10:53
people in the audience, everything is
10:55
black, but this is what the data shows.
10:57
And so, what we do know for a fact is
11:01
eat in spite of this narrative, Africa
11:03
in fact is not catching up, it's
11:05
actually designing forward. And the
11:08
reason why I say that is Africa is a
11:11
ripe hotbed for innovation and that is
11:14
out of necessity. So, if we take for
11:16
example,
11:18
FinTech or financial tech, African
11:20
countries are leading the world in
11:22
financial tech and so, that already
11:24
demonstrates that there is a digital
11:26
foundation there. And why is that the
11:29
case? It's not because oh, they just
11:31
decided one day well, we're going to
11:32
lead the world in digital innovation as
11:34
it relates to finance and financial
11:37
products to serve people. It was because
11:39
they were locked out of traditional
11:41
financing financial institutions and
11:44
banking systems because of the high risk
11:46
profile that was always associated. But
11:49
that is also not by chance, right? And
11:52
due to and I'm not going to be shy about
11:54
it, colonial conquest, imperialism from
11:57
the West, right? They had to make do
12:00
with what they had, but making do with
12:02
what they had actually spurred a level
12:04
of innovation that I don't think the
12:06
rest of the world was prepared for. And
12:08
so, what we see now are other countries
12:11
that are adopting those same principles
12:13
that Africa initiated out of necessity,
12:16
but now this is becoming a norm. So, I
12:18
use the financial
12:20
industry as an example to just
12:22
demonstrate the prowess, the innovation
12:25
that already exists on the continent
12:26
that people don't often talked about in
12:29
the context of uh the scientific
12:32
leadership that's happening there and
12:34
that has always been there and not
12:37
because they are the recipient of any
12:39
aid, right? And we see other countries
12:42
that are taking advantage of this and
12:44
are taking it a step further by for
12:47
example, preventing or locking out
12:50
different type of banking structures
12:53
that I would say are predatory in nature
12:55
so they can own their they can own their
12:57
natural resources, they can own their
12:59
innovation. And then those are the type
13:01
of things that we need to think about
13:02
when we talk about co-designing
13:04
effective partnerships. So, I just want
13:07
to say that there. Uh so, we're changing
13:09
the the narrative. I talked about the
13:11
digital foundation using fintech as an
13:13
example. And then as it
13:16
as it relates to AI, the opportunity
13:20
abounds as it relates to the utilization
13:22
and innovation for AI. Not only as it
13:25
relates to fintech, but when we think
13:27
about the use of AI in agriculture,
13:31
we don't even fully realize that in this
13:33
country, and we don't have some of the
13:35
challenges that
13:37
are viewed there or
13:39
are very present in Africa as it relates
13:41
to climate volatility. So, not being
13:44
able to predict when the best time is to
13:46
seed and harvest crops and things of
13:48
that nature. But, that requires, right,
13:50
internet. How are you going to share
13:52
data? How are you going to collect
13:54
remote sensing data on soil in real time
13:57
if you don't even have uh internet? But,
14:01
again, this is a opportunity for
14:03
innovation, and African countries are
14:05
taking advantage of that. And so, so
14:08
when we think about what African
14:11
scientific leadership looks like in real
14:13
time,
14:14
um I want to provide some specific
14:16
examples as it relates to agriculture.
14:18
And I'm looking at uh two different
14:20
laptops, and that's my fault. So, first,
14:22
with climate-smart
14:23
crops, um I used an example or briefly
14:27
talked about it on the previous slide
14:29
where AI can be used to help small
14:32
shareholder farmers better predict when
14:34
to seed and harvest crops. We also can
14:36
see the use of AI realized
14:38
as it relates to traceability of food
14:41
products through the agriculture and
14:43
food supply chain. So, once you have
14:45
those products in harvest, where are
14:47
they going, and are they still in the
14:51
locations that they're supposed to be
14:53
when they reach the end user? And so,
14:56
there's high utilization of AI in that.
14:58
And the reason why I want to point that
15:00
out is because we saw a breakdown of our
15:03
own food supply chain traceability
15:05
during COVID. And we couldn't even we
15:07
didn't even know where our cold storage
15:09
products were. So, milk and things and
15:11
eggs like that, farmers had onions going
15:13
bad. But, these are problems that
15:16
African countries didn't face because
15:19
they are innovating in real time. And
15:21
then, we also see
15:24
um the use of AI as stewardship. Uh
15:27
large conversation that's happening in
15:29
this country and other high-income
15:32
countries is this conversation around
15:35
the ethical use of AI.
15:37
But, what I notice is the use of AI in
15:40
African countries is really about how to
15:42
steward over different sectors. How to
15:45
utilize AI as an actual partner in the
15:48
development of innovation. And because
15:52
the technology is being designed in a
15:55
way as a steward versus being designed
15:58
in a way to see how much can we get out
16:01
from the onset, it inherently has ethics
16:05
in the design. And that is something
16:07
that I think high-income countries in
16:09
the West in particular can learn from
16:11
African countries as they're innovating
16:13
in this way.
16:15
>> Thank you, Dominique.
16:16
Next Our next panelist we have is Dr.
16:18
Laura Steckman. She um is the lead for
16:21
AI and trust and influence at the um
16:24
um AFOSR, that's the Air Force Office of
16:26
Scientific Research. Dr. Steckman is
16:28
also focused on responsible AI and
16:30
global engagement. She represents how
16:32
the um
16:33
our national security communities
16:34
elevates trust and risk and impact in AI
16:36
partnerships.
16:38
>> Good afternoon and thank you for having
16:40
me. Thank you for spending some time uh
16:42
with us this afternoon. Thank you, Dr.
16:44
Fatunmbi, for putting this together.
16:45
Really, really exciting.
16:48
Um hello.
16:50
Um
16:50
>> [clears throat]
16:50
>> there's so much to say. So, I guess
16:52
first I didn't make any slides. Um I
16:54
feel like if we can get Once we get in
16:56
the conversation, obviously everybody
16:57
needs their turn um to to really get
17:00
into some of the the contacts with you.
17:02
I will say, especially for people online
17:04
or if you're in the audience, or please
17:05
ask me afterwards. Um my organization,
17:07
if you Google it, AFOSR, Air Force
17:10
Office of Scientific Research, we have a
17:12
lot of opportunities to engage with us.
17:14
Whether you're a researcher or a
17:16
student, please feel free to look it up
17:18
and if you're looking for specific
17:19
competition information, that is on a
17:21
website called grants.gov. So I want to
17:23
make sure that you know that because
17:25
we're going to get into the
17:25
conversation. Um, I I think really
17:29
Yeah, so there there is a lot to say
17:31
about the African context and the
17:33
importance of paying attention to it in
17:34
terms of science. So I made a bunch of
17:36
notes. I'm just going to go over them
17:38
really quickly and let us have some more
17:39
time in the in the conversation. But
17:42
just a couple things to point out. So
17:44
one, it is actually very difficult for
17:46
from here what's really happening in
17:48
many of those scientific areas. And I
17:51
say that um
17:53
I don't want to be too undiplomatic, but
17:56
the tools are not really designed to
17:58
look at specific languages and specific
18:00
context and the type of research that
18:01
people are producing. Yet at the same
18:04
time, over the past few years there have
18:06
been some universities in Africa that
18:08
are kind of bubbling up in the news for
18:09
their work in robotics, which is not
18:11
something many people here are looking
18:13
at. There also some really large AI
18:16
organizations that cover the continent
18:18
and the continent is is vast and broad
18:21
and I am using it at a very high level.
18:23
So yes, all 54 countries.
18:26
Organizations like Indaba, which bring
18:27
people together for data science and for
18:29
AI and there are many of them.
18:32
At least a few years ago there were over
18:33
600 centers of innovation or innovation
18:36
centers all in different parts of the
18:38
continent, all sponsored by different
18:40
people for different reasons.
18:41
Um, there is AIMS, the African Institute
18:44
of Mathematical Sciences, which has five
18:46
offices in different countries and they
18:48
are doing incredible work in AI and
18:50
quantum and starting to really have that
18:53
bubble up to the top as well. They also
18:55
have
18:55
I believe it's by the
18:58
I've forgotten who's designated them,
18:59
but at the national international level
19:01
they have been designated centers of
19:03
excellence for their work in mathematics
19:04
and AI.
19:06
Um, let's see. I can't read my writing,
19:08
but there also university networks. So
19:11
so one right now called Afritech, which
19:13
MasterCard and other US-based companies
19:15
in this particular
19:17
organization, it is MasterCard, has
19:19
invested millions of dollars to bring, I
19:21
think right now it's 12, and they're
19:23
still going to add some more to the
19:24
network, universities together to
19:26
specifically develop AI and other
19:28
technologies. It's really incredible
19:30
what's happening, and there are many
19:32
other networks like that. Um
19:34
the other thing to to consider is that
19:36
we're starting to see at really low
19:38
levels if you are watching certain
19:40
researchers, some of them are going
19:41
abroad to study to the US, the UK, other
19:44
parts of Europe, and going home to
19:46
become scientists again.
19:48
Um we actually have before this panel
19:49
had a conversation that sometimes if
19:51
you're educated abroad, you come back
19:53
and you become a dean or you become
19:55
a rector or you become a minister or or
19:57
one of those things, and that's still
19:58
happening. But you're starting to see
20:00
researchers come back and bring their
20:01
science. In fact, um recently had the
20:04
opportunity to meet somebody who's doing
20:06
just mind-blowing work in bioinformatics
20:08
uh who's from the Gambia. I also will
20:10
say that um my the program I manage a
20:12
portfolio uh is primarily US-based but
20:15
has an international component, and one
20:18
of the best uh responsible AI
20:19
technologies I have ever seen came from
20:22
an NGO in Ghana who is working with an
20:25
entire community. It was medical from
20:27
the patients all the way up to the
20:28
doctors in the ministry, and every step
20:30
of the way there was considerations for
20:33
privacy and data sharing, and everybody
20:35
in that entire pipeline agreed that the
20:37
system worked, and so the doctors
20:38
started using it.
20:40
Um so I think there's a lot of things
20:42
happening on the continent that again,
20:44
very broad level,
20:45
um that we need to be paying attention
20:47
to. And so again, thank you for spending
20:50
some of your afternoon with us, and
20:51
thank you for the invitation.
20:54
>> Thank you, Laura.
20:56
And then our next, but not least, final
20:58
um panelist is Dr. Melissa Edwards.
21:00
She's the former executive director at
21:02
PCAST. Um Dr. Edwards is recognized as a
21:05
leader in science education strategy,
21:07
she provides insight into connected
21:08
ecosystems and national decision-making
21:11
process. Um I also used to work with her
21:14
at the Department of War, where um she
21:16
was uh we worked together on different
21:18
initiatives on identifying strategic
21:21
collaborations in Africa, and also um we
21:24
also worked on initiatives on
21:26
understanding how to elevate HBCUs to
21:29
different R1 status.
21:32
Hello everyone. Good afternoon.
21:35
Um really excited to be here for this
21:37
conversation today, and um for the sake
21:40
of it, and I think Dr. Steckman touched
21:42
on this, uh just some kind of blanket
21:45
prefaces, uh
21:47
we we recognize that um
21:50
you know, the 54 countries that
21:52
constitute Africa, the African
21:53
continent, are are not monoliths. And we
21:56
recognize that
21:58
um the 107 HBCUs
22:01
uh that uh that make up the, you know,
22:05
colleges and universities, are also not
22:07
monoliths. And
22:10
personally, and I I hope as we go
22:12
forward, we recognize that AI is a tool.
22:15
It is something that we will wield to
22:17
our
22:18
well, to our benefit or our demise. Um
22:20
but it is not It is not a conscious
22:23
entity
22:24
yet.
22:25
Um and so, really to focus on uh we're
22:28
we're using these terms broadly.
22:31
Um and like you said, at a high level,
22:33
uh but know that we recognize that there
22:35
is a lot of nuance that is in the middle
22:38
of this conversation as well. But we
22:40
want to talk about the the capabilities,
22:43
and I also want to acknowledge that we
22:45
recognize that the tool of AI also has a
22:49
lot of
22:50
uh well, a a lot of challenges that are
22:52
present, whether it's industry or uh
22:55
sorry, whether it's infrastructure, uh
22:57
whether it's income, um whether it's
22:59
power. There's a a lot of challenges
23:01
that AI presents as well and we're
23:04
really here to talk about
23:07
really the capabilities and the nexus of
23:09
when these all intersect, what is
23:10
possible beyond. And so just really
23:12
happy to be here for this discussion.
23:14
Thank you.
23:15
>> Thank you, Melissa. Yeah, that's very
23:17
important that
23:19
very important that you bring up how
23:22
HBCUs are very are very different
23:26
institutions and all African countries
23:28
are very different institutions and I
23:31
really like that parallelism that you
23:32
drew. So now we're
23:35
going to go into a couple of the
23:37
question answer section.
23:38
I only want to ask our panelists one
23:42
or two questions each
23:44
and then I want to
23:46
turn it over to you guys because this is
23:47
mostly for you guys to ask questions and
23:50
to use these panelists as a resource to
23:53
to answer your questions and help you
23:54
understand if any of these ideas that we
23:57
brought up today sparks your interest
23:59
and have have you wanting to think about
24:02
how to spark these different foster
24:04
these different collaborations and how
24:05
we can be a resource to help you do
24:07
that. So
24:09
the first question I want to ask goes to
24:15
Dr. Carter.
24:16
So Dr. Carter, as a former senior
24:19
advisor for the USDA and the White
24:22
House, you have a deep understanding of
24:24
America's agriculture infrastructure.
24:27
Many HBCUs, particularly the 1980 land
24:30
grant universities, have historical
24:31
strengths in this area. How can the
24:34
Department of War specifically leverage
24:35
these institutions as a premier
24:37
institutions for agricultural AI
24:38
partnerships
24:40
it seeks to build in Africa.
24:42
>> Thank you so much for this awesome
24:45
question. I love talking about
24:48
HBCUs, particularly 1890 universities,
24:52
because
24:53
if we think about it, those are the
24:55
original impact accelerators. Why are
24:58
they designated as 1890 universities?
25:00
Because they weren't fully realized or
25:02
acknowledged as public and land grant
25:04
institutions until almost 30 years after
25:07
predominantly white institutions in 1865
25:10
were acknowledged as such. So, we have
25:11
the 1865, which are public and land
25:15
grant universities that are
25:16
predominantly white institutions, and
25:18
then we have the 1890 that are not and
25:22
or were not acknowledged until 1890. And
25:26
we see a history or have seen a history
25:28
of discrimination as it receives as it
25:30
relates to the allocation of funds from
25:33
USDA that funds these universities as it
25:35
relates to the extension services that
25:37
they provide. And many people are not
25:39
aware
25:41
that public and land grant institutions,
25:43
why are they designated as such? The
25:45
reason why I call them or refer to them
25:47
as impact accelerators is because they
25:50
are probably the original example, the
25:53
OG, right? If you will, uh
25:56
doing more with less. So, they were
25:59
providing
26:01
um services not only to the local
26:03
communities in terms of education, food,
26:07
food education,
26:09
um
26:09
health care. People would know they fund
26:11
clinics. They do a lot of things.
26:13
Um and so, when we think about how the
26:17
Department of War can utilize that, they
26:19
can use 1890s as a premier example of
26:22
how impact and innovation can be
26:24
accelerated if you have the right model.
26:27
So, when we think about how the
26:29
Department of War can specifically
26:32
leverage the uh power that is 1890
26:36
universities specifically, we can think
26:39
about how we can build trust
26:41
partnerships, right? So, one of the
26:43
functionalities or reasons why public
26:46
and land grant institutions are a vital
26:47
part of the American economy is because
26:50
of what they do for the communities that
26:52
they serve, the communities in which
26:53
they're housed. And when we when it
26:56
comes to AI, right, and what I also
27:00
think is a benefit
27:02
um
27:03
and a asset for 1890 universities or
27:06
public and land grant institutions in
27:07
general is data. And so we know for
27:11
AI, like
27:14
um data is the fuel, but trust is the
27:17
currency. And so if we use that model
27:19
and think about how we can leverage the
27:21
power of 1890 universities or HBCUs when
27:24
it comes to Africa and partnerships,
27:27
specifically for AI, we can think about
27:30
the fact and use very concrete and
27:32
specific examples. The very first
27:35
president of Ghana when it became an
27:38
independent nation or helped drive it to
27:39
an independent nation
27:41
was from Kwame Nkrumah, the first
27:44
Ghanaian president, who was trained
27:46
where? At an HBCU, Lincoln University
27:48
right here, right? And he was very much
27:53
embedded, so there's a shared cultural
27:54
history there. He was very much
27:56
embedded. He pledged and was Divine
27:59
Nine, was a Sigma. And but who trained
28:02
him and how to
28:05
bring Ghana to be an independent nation?
28:07
Pan-Africanists, African-Americans. So
28:10
leveraging and utilizing that shared
28:13
cultural history and knowledge is an
28:16
example of how you can build AI trust
28:19
networks or how the Department of
28:21
Defense and the Department of War can
28:23
use such already rich examples of shared
28:26
history and shared trust to then also
28:30
develop partnerships on the continent
28:33
and countries where there are
28:35
synergistic priorities. Um
28:38
I talked a little bit about extension,
28:41
which is I feel like probably one of the
28:43
most powerful assets of public and land
28:45
grant universities, 1865s and 1890's.
28:48
And so, if we think about the extension
28:50
model in the digital age,
28:53
when we talk about extension services, I
28:55
mentioned that they provide um they can
28:58
provide food food education
29:01
um clinic
29:03
health care access
29:05
all types of things. We can also think
29:07
about extending that model where we will
29:09
have an extension of digital services.
29:12
So, one specific poignant example that I
29:14
want to point out is you all are aware
29:17
of the defense technology company
29:19
Palantir, right?
29:21
With the cookie CEO, you know, who's a
29:23
friend of the president. Um
29:26
what you all may not know is that the
29:29
co-founder is a young Nigerian.
29:32
And he bought out his portion of the
29:34
company to do what? To go back home and
29:37
build defense infrastructure there where
29:41
the data sharing in terms of personal
29:44
government data is not shared on a cloud
29:48
from digital products that are provided
29:50
from other countries in the West. No, he
29:52
wanted to do everything in-house. So,
29:54
when we think about the opportunity for
29:56
the Department of War as it relates to
29:58
the use of AI for African partnerships,
30:01
1890's are a perfect
30:04
uh segway or a perfect avenue for
30:08
partnership because we can use the
30:11
shared history, the shared cultural
30:13
relevance to provide, if you will,
30:15
extension digital services where we can
30:19
the Department of War or the Department
30:21
of Defense. I hate saying Department of
30:22
War because that intrinsically already
30:24
feels predatory. For the sake of this
30:25
talk, I'm going to refer to it as the
30:27
Department of Defense, okay? And so, the
30:29
Department of Defense can leverage that
30:32
to then be able to say we can support
30:34
your own autonomous uh
30:37
digital
30:39
privacy services, if you will, of
30:42
private government information, which is
30:44
essentially what the co-founder of
30:46
Palantir went back home to do.
30:48
Um and so
30:50
I'll stop there.
30:51
>> Thank you. That was excellent.
30:53
>> [laughter]
30:54
>> Yeah,
30:55
we Yeah, understanding this bridge and
30:57
this connection is very important. We We
30:59
don't want it to be forced, but I know
31:03
being a HBCU grad, I feel most com- and
31:07
being a first-generation African
31:10
um an African-American, I feel more
31:13
comfortable and I feel really excited
31:15
about how partnerships with HBCUs
31:18
um could really be a great connector.
31:21
Like as I mentioned before,
31:23
building trusted partnerships with
31:25
trusted people and uh and ecosystems
31:27
that have already been able to show
31:30
to be very fruitful. So, I my um
31:33
leaning back on that, but also um
31:37
wanting to get a per- perspective as of
31:39
a program officer at the at the
31:42
Department of War. Um
31:44
uh this question's for you, Laura. So,
31:46
um
31:47
can you also expand on on your on from
31:50
your bomb from your opinion,
31:52
what specific roles do you see HBCUs in
31:55
fostering these international research
31:56
and development partnerships between the
31:58
US and African nations? But also um and
32:02
also the the second part of the question
32:04
is also asking for the architects, the
32:06
researchers, the the um the deans, the
32:09
provost, whoever's in the audience, um
32:12
the innovators,
32:14
who who wants to help build these um
32:16
partnerships, what can what's your
32:18
single best advice you can give everyone
32:20
today that um help that will make them
32:23
um successful? Like essentially, what
32:26
separates a really good proposal from
32:30
one from a compelling one? Like um what
32:32
makes what makes you want to fund a
32:34
research proposal so that as they go on
32:37
and
32:38
submit white papers to you and form
32:41
these collaborations, what would you be
32:42
looking for?
32:44
>> Well, thank you. Thank you so much.
32:47
Okay, lots of questions. Can you guys
32:49
hear okay? All right.
32:51
I used to work with the Marines, so I
32:52
can be really loud if I have to be.
32:55
Okay, so there's kind of a three-part
32:56
question. So, I think I want to first
32:58
start talking about how we could engage
33:01
more with HBCUs. We have several
33:04
programs specifically for HBCUs within
33:06
the Department of Defense, Department of
33:08
War. One is for equipment. It's a
33:10
competition that has run every year for
33:12
I don't even know how many years where
33:14
research researcher can apply for the
33:17
equipment they need to expand their
33:18
laboratory or to run specific types of
33:21
experiments. So, I would highly
33:24
encourage anybody interested in that and
33:26
to look at that. There's also an HBCU
33:29
research competition where
33:31
um
33:32
I actually don't run that program. I
33:33
work with the person who runs that
33:35
program.
33:36
Uh what when he actually works with all
33:37
of the program officers and there is
33:40
time that we use submit a proposal and
33:42
it would go through an adjudication
33:43
process and I know I have one right now
33:45
a funded co-funded with him that is
33:47
doing some real amazing work and just
33:49
got featured in a bunch of national
33:50
media. So, I think first thing that
33:53
there are opportunities for for HBCUs
33:55
just in general.
33:57
Uh the second part of the question is as
33:59
kind of how to work with with African
34:00
countries. First of all, I believe it's
34:02
a choice. Um if you want to be that
34:04
person work with an African country,
34:06
African scientist, that is great. Do
34:08
that. That is your choice. We are never
34:10
going to come to you and say you need to
34:12
do this.
34:13
Um in fact
34:15
when we talk with international
34:16
researchers, we we tell them in working
34:18
with us you are not required to have a
34:20
US PI. That sometimes helps, sometimes
34:22
doesn't. Um but it's same on the other
34:25
side. If you are US-based researcher,
34:27
you're not required to have an
34:28
international partner. But for those who
34:30
who want to and are willing to to work
34:32
around some of the challenges, there are
34:33
challenges working and I I can give you
34:35
a story, but I'll try to go fast. So, I
34:38
had had a researcher it was a grant that
34:40
was at the University of Southern
34:41
California and one of the PhD students
34:43
was of Liberian heritage and he really
34:46
wanted to take their research and run
34:48
some some different studies in Liberia
34:50
at three different universities. Um
34:52
there are lots of that that requires a
34:54
lot of paperwork. Uh in this case um the
34:57
paperwork just it would it ended up
34:58
being too much more because nobody
35:01
really knew on the Liberian side what
35:04
the process was, but to get the
35:06
paperwork on the US side, you had to get
35:08
through the institutional review board
35:10
process on the Liberian side.
35:12
And three universities, all of which
35:14
having different opinions and then there
35:16
being a national law about how you go
35:18
about doing your institutional review
35:20
board, that just never came to fruition.
35:22
They tried very hard for several years
35:24
and after the student graduated and
35:26
became a professor, that was no longer
35:27
an option. So, there but there are
35:30
success stories as well. I just wanted
35:31
to say that sometimes you'll have to
35:33
work around challenges, but challenges
35:34
are also sometimes opportunities to to
35:37
really get access to people who have
35:39
this great training and perspective that
35:41
might not be otherwise represented in
35:43
some of the research that that is is
35:45
coming out. So,
35:47
I I do think that if you chose to as a
35:50
HBCU researcher, scientist or even
35:53
potentially or maybe opportunities for
35:55
students,
35:56
there is that opportunity to be that
35:58
bridge and I know there are some
35:59
universities that are already in
36:01
specific contexts.
36:03
As to in terms of research, like how how
36:05
do we work? So,
36:07
maybe I should have said this at at the
36:08
beginning, but so I work for one of the
36:10
basic research organizations in the
36:12
Department of Defense Department of War
36:14
for the Air Force. We call it the Air
36:15
Force Office of Scientific Research.
36:17
There is an equivalent in the Navy,
36:19
there is an equivalent in the Army and
36:21
there are others in other parts of of
36:23
the the US government. Um specifically,
36:27
what our mission is is to find and
36:30
invest in
36:31
There are some caveats, like there are
36:32
lots of processes. Everything we do is a
36:34
process. Um, but to find and invest in
36:37
the most innovative research that we
36:39
can. So, we use words like revolutionary
36:42
science or transformative science. And
36:44
if I can
36:46
borrow a an example that Dr. Carter
36:48
gave, this idea of fintech, this idea of
36:50
this Kenyan uh there was two gentlemen
36:52
in Kenya who decided, "Well, the
36:54
financial situation is not working.
36:56
People in the rural areas" There's
36:57
actually some really good books on this.
36:59
Um, rural areas have a real hard time
37:01
spending days coming to Nairobi to put
37:03
their money in a bank to go back and
37:05
there's crime and and all kinds of
37:07
things can happen. Uh, so how do we fix
37:09
this? And they came up with M-Pesa. Uh,
37:12
that essentially leapfrogged the the
37:14
actually it's and it's many parts of
37:16
Africa. At one point I know it was used
37:17
in Afghanistan and India, but they have
37:19
different financial laws, so I don't
37:20
know if that is still the case. So, it
37:22
just this new technology that
37:24
leapfrogged over everything that existed
37:26
and met the needs of the people to do
37:28
what they needed. So, there is a lot of
37:31
of really innovative uh research and
37:33
ideas. So, it's finding one of those
37:35
ideas. So, that to me would be
37:37
revolutionary or transformative.
37:39
Something that's trying to invent new
37:41
science, that's trying to bring together
37:43
two areas that have never been brought
37:45
together. Asking questions that nobody
37:47
has asked or um
37:50
have one researcher that I actually um
37:52
invested in Botswana and he talks about
37:55
There's actually a webinar uh that the
37:57
he had with the National Academies of
37:59
Sciences, where he talks about how he
38:01
never misses an opportunity to send
38:03
somebody some funder his absolute
38:05
craziest idea and see what happens.
38:08
So, with that I think well, it would
38:10
have to be scientifically grounded,
38:12
based on science. So, right now if you
38:14
want to do research on Mars, that's
38:16
probably not going to be taken very
38:17
seriously, just because that's not
38:19
happening. Um, but if it's
38:20
scientifically grounded and you're
38:22
really looking to push scientific
38:23
boundaries, we are the people that want
38:25
to talk to you. So, so please keep that
38:27
in mind. With that, I think I hit all
38:29
three questions.
38:30
>> Yes, you did. Thank you.
38:33
Now, Melissa.
38:35
Um, the question I have for you is and
38:39
you're going to you're going to end the
38:40
question session because we're going to
38:41
start taking it from the audience. So,
38:43
please end it on a high note.
38:45
>> [laughter]
38:46
>> Yes. Um,
38:47
so when you um,
38:49
in your biography, you highlight a
38:51
powerful blend of expertise. You are
38:53
trained as a cancer immunologist and
38:56
your career has been defined by
38:57
leadership in both federal
38:59
um, uh, policy, higher education, and
39:01
scaling equity-centered programs. Work
39:04
that requires a deep understanding of
39:07
human and social dynamics.
39:09
Often, it is uh, and um, which is often
39:12
found in social sciences.
39:14
How is this interdisciplinary lens,
39:17
which goes beyond the lab bench, allowed
39:19
you to see challenges and opportunities
39:21
between the Department of War and HBCU
39:24
and Africa partnerships differently than
39:26
perhaps somebody that is like a pure
39:29
technologic technologists or a pure
39:32
public um, policy advisor might?
39:35
>> [clears throat]
39:36
>> Thank you for the question.
39:38
Um, I really appreciate that because um,
39:40
my my background started or my first of
39:43
three degrees
39:45
uh, is in anthropology, studying
39:47
cultures and how we how cultures are
39:50
built, how they're sustained, and the
39:52
identity that comes from them. And I've
39:54
I've really always seen all of my
39:56
scientific endeavors and degrees past
39:58
that uh, to be
40:01
really something that has allowed
40:03
because of the cultures that we build.
40:05
So, science is a construct of culture
40:07
and I all I've always looked at it like
40:09
that. So, I appreciate a a
40:10
human-centered question when we're
40:12
talking about uh, when we're talking
40:14
about people and the impact it will have
40:16
to them, whether it's a nation-sized
40:18
peoples or whether it is an
40:20
institution-sized peoples.
40:23
Um so, uh
40:25
the I think some of the
40:27
that interdisciplinary lens, kind of
40:29
blending those, and the the kind of
40:31
insights I see at this this nexus of um
40:35
Department of uh War {slash} DoD, uh
40:38
HBCUs, and African partnerships,
40:41
um when you look at
40:44
the
40:45
the personal element, the people,
40:47
we really have to acknowledge, to build
40:49
any partnership, we have to acknowledge
40:51
that trust has to be established
40:53
initially, and that it isn't there.
40:56
We're going to have We really have to
40:57
acknowledge the biases that exist. Uh
41:00
Dr. Carter spoke of the uh particularly
41:02
negative narratives and deficit-minded
41:04
narratives that are not just um
41:08
like perpetuated, but almost ingrained
41:09
in us. We're kind of We're really
41:11
cultured to have a deficit mindset of
41:14
the value how you use the resources of
41:16
what African countries
41:18
have or possess. Um and then we we also
41:21
are ingrained with that here uh with,
41:24
you know, what the Black American
41:25
workforce has uh in HBCUs as well. So,
41:28
we're We'd have to absolutely
41:31
address that. And that's not something
41:32
in a lab that you want to do. You want
41:34
like finite variables that you can
41:36
examine. You or if when you're in a
41:39
mission-driven agency, you want to say,
41:41
"This is our goal. These are the things
41:43
that we do to achieve our goal." And you
41:45
kind of You You weave around the people
41:47
without ever really kind of trying to
41:49
establish a common ground, common
41:52
values, or acknowledge the differences
41:54
that exist between yours and theirs. And
41:56
so, that really is going to have to be
41:59
something that we actually grapple with.
42:01
A- acknowledging um the that the
42:04
different [clears throat] fear that
42:05
exists, whether it is inherent or
42:07
perceived. Um and when I was uh at the
42:11
um when I was at a conference in Kenya
42:13
for the
42:14
first US-Africa Frontier Symposium, I
42:18
realized it was very interesting meeting
42:20
with some of the African scientific
42:22
societies. It's it was weird to interact
42:26
with a government agency, particularly
42:29
the defense agency,
42:31
for scientific endeavors. It was just
42:34
not a natural kind of thing. You're
42:35
like, "Why why not, you know, academics?
42:38
Why are there opportunities here? And is
42:42
there really
42:43
um are there really opportunities that
42:46
could be leveraged here?" And and so
42:48
that was an interesting thing.
42:50
We have to really recognize that there
42:52
are different motivators for each of
42:54
these kind of
42:56
different peoples and nations.
42:58
Again, mission-driven is going to really
43:01
kind of have a goal in mind.
43:04
HBCUs, they're both institutions, but
43:07
also they are
43:09
um
43:10
uh they're developing a workforce. There
43:12
is going to be just a whole bunch of
43:14
different motivators there. And then
43:16
when we're looking at something like a
43:17
tool that requires a lot of
43:19
infrastructure, where where, you know,
43:21
at the bottom dollar we're looking at or
43:23
bottom line we're looking at things that
43:24
may require monies. And so there has to
43:27
be a different sense of what risk is,
43:30
what reward is, and uh there has to be
43:33
willingness to kind of have some
43:34
vulnerabilities there. I I'd say that
43:36
the heart of any partnership or
43:39
[clears throat] exploring how we can
43:41
really leverage the nexus of HBCUs, um
43:45
uh
43:45
uh African nations and uh the Department
43:49
or our defense agencies,
43:51
um we're going to not be able to focus
43:54
on pure financial gain. We can't We
43:57
can't say that is our direction we're
43:59
going. It can't be solely focused on
44:02
we're going to solve this problem. There
44:04
has to be a shared goal between all of
44:06
these kind of different parties and
44:09
recognize that there's value everywhere
44:11
and you're going to have to give um and
44:15
not in order to get. And so there's
44:17
going to have to be some vulnerabilities
44:19
that are taken and I I really hope that
44:21
we look more at the people element,
44:24
who's at the table, what their interests
44:26
are, what their needs are um and as
44:29
opposed to our centered drive uh that
44:32
keeps us really
44:35
keeps these three things separate. Uh if
44:37
we want to find a common ground, we're
44:39
going to have to make one and be
44:41
intentional about it and recognize that
44:43
everyone's coming from very disparate
44:45
spaces.
44:47
>> Thank you, Melissa. You did end it on a
44:48
really amazing note.
44:51
Thank you for achieving that. So now I
44:53
would love for
44:55
the audience to ask different questions.
44:57
Um we have 10 minutes left, but I would
44:59
love you guys to ask any questions you
45:01
want to ask. Um this is the right
45:03
panelists to ask even your most like
45:07
simplest of questions that you
45:10
um
45:10
may want to ask. So anyone Yeah, go
45:12
ahead. Go ahead. Mhm.
45:14
Please tell us your name.
45:17
>> My name is My name is Greg Franklin.
45:19
>> Mhm.
45:19
>> Uh my question is we know the key to AI
45:22
is data. So do we know which African
45:25
nations have taken the the step to kind
45:28
of like digitize all of their data so we
45:30
can leverage AI?
45:33
>> I think that's a great question.
45:35
I wouldn't say that um
45:38
offhand any one of us I mean we may have
45:40
an idea, but we don't know like oh these
45:43
are the specific countries out of the 54
45:45
that have the data. Also, just wanting
45:48
to point back um to a statement that Dr.
45:52
Setman said earlier, which was
45:56
the lack of awareness that we have in
45:59
the West
46:00
regarding the level of digitalization
46:03
and the digital foundation that a lot of
46:05
African countries possess really kind of
46:07
preclude us from knowing fully what
46:09
countries are doing what or what
46:11
countries um have an advantage or have
46:14
made progress as it relates to even um
46:18
housing their data um having different
46:23
measures strategic governance-wise and
46:26
digitalization-wise
46:28
as it relates to the privacy of their
46:29
data what countries are doing that. So,
46:32
I can't answer your question
46:34
concretely and say these are the
46:36
specific countries that are doing it. I
46:38
just know that there are countries that
46:40
are. For example, Nigeria, Kenya,
46:43
Botswana, and Rwanda come to the top of
46:46
my list.
46:47
>> So, yeah. So, since um I would say
46:49
before 2021 and I would say so Dr. Laura
46:53
Stapleton at the Department of War has
46:55
been working has been helping to lead
46:56
this effort on us looking into African
46:59
countries and identify which
47:01
um which specific institutions are doing
47:04
a lot of this work. And from me working
47:06
at the Basic Research Office I kind of
47:09
done a little bit of that work by
47:10
looking at bibliometric data, but what
47:12
we found is that we actually have to go
47:14
and travel to the country to meet the
47:16
researchers to identify them. So, are
47:18
you asking this question because you're
47:20
looking for researchers to connect with?
47:22
Because if you if that's what you're
47:23
asking we do have like a list of um
47:25
projects that we funded that actually
47:27
that have like AI projects
47:29
that are there. And if you're looking to
47:31
connect with them you can send uh either
47:33
Laura and I an email and we can connect
47:35
you with researchers in specific area
47:38
that you may be interested in connecting
47:40
with. But there are there are definitely
47:42
um different projects that come to mind.
47:44
Um Dr. Stapleton is about to kick off or
47:46
just kicked off the project in one that
47:49
Did you want to talk about that one?
47:51
>> I I can.
47:51
>> Yeah. Okay.
47:52
>> So, uh really quick, there's a couple
47:53
more things. So, one thing I would do to
47:55
find out, um there is there are lists
47:57
all over the internet of countries that
47:59
have national AI strategies. Actually,
48:01
there are many different strategies. Um,
48:03
I know there are some I don't know if
48:04
they've all been signed, but there are a
48:05
number in Africa. So, so that's where I
48:07
would start or I would look at the
48:09
African Union website uh because they've
48:11
been very um
48:13
forward-thinking about what they're
48:14
trying to do with science. Um, that but
48:17
so this project that we have uh I don't
48:19
even know where to start. It's pretty
48:20
awesome. Um, so it it's a researcher in
48:23
Botswana um who I got connected to
48:25
because the army I don't know if they
48:27
met him in person or got connected to
48:28
him, but they said, "You need to look at
48:30
this paper." So, we all we often co-fund
48:32
among each other and they're like, "Do
48:33
you want to co-fund?" And I said, "Well,
48:35
no." So, we have uh small different uh
48:38
small differences between us. They can
48:39
fund things that I can't. And I said,
48:41
"But there's one sentence in this paper
48:43
that has a lot of potential and I want
48:44
to make that into an entire project." It
48:47
took us 2 years to do that. It just
48:49
kicked off uh officially in January and
48:52
um
48:53
well, I know the research so we
48:54
researchers in in our world, they keep
48:56
their IP. So, I know what the researcher
48:58
wants to do with his work uh but I think
49:00
his work has the potential to help us
49:02
better measure uh levels of
49:04
decision-making expertise from a
49:06
three-dimensional or or more dimensional
49:08
perspective uh than some of the current
49:10
efforts right now among the other things
49:12
it might be able to do. That's not his
49:14
goal. He he wants to stop uh poaching
49:16
and he wants to provide his defense or
49:18
not his, but the defense force of the
49:20
country that that he's in uh better ways
49:22
to understand people who are doing
49:25
illegal trafficking, illegal deals, and
49:27
things like that. Um, so that is
49:30
something that he is allowed to do.
49:31
Um, and he's going to develop entirely
49:33
new algorithms and measurements. And so,
49:35
it was just really excited exciting to
49:37
take that literally Every project has
49:39
its own story. So, like this is not to
49:41
This is the first one I've ever had that
49:43
started from like I don't know an
49:44
eight-word sentence and became a big
49:46
project. And in that case, he uh he
49:48
added some more researchers to get the
49:49
right expertise. In his case, he has
49:52
uh
49:52
a US NGO, a US university, a US company,
49:56
and an Indian researcher on his team
49:59
because that's the the expertise he
50:01
needed to do what he was trying to do in
50:03
terms of all the different disciplines.
50:06
>> Thank you.
50:06
>> Just lots of information.
50:10
Yeah, and so and I'm not I'm sure you
50:12
probably know this. Department yeah, of
50:13
war is one of the few US institutions
50:16
that are able to fund international
50:18
research. So, um
50:20
um compared to other other institutions.
50:23
Go ahead, um Dr. Bonicle.
50:24
>> good afternoon, everyone. Joe Bonicle
50:26
here. I am uh US DRNE. Um my question
50:30
doesn't fall necessarily
50:32
directly into the Department of War, but
50:33
more so uh at the end of your talk and I
50:35
can't see your name here, so I'm sorry.
50:37
At the end, Dr. What's the name of us? I
50:39
can only see the end. Yes.
50:41
>> Edwards.
50:41
>> At Edwards, thank you. Um
50:44
at right at the end of what you were
50:45
saying, you were saying that, you know,
50:47
essentially that we were going to need
50:48
to reach out and have these alternate
50:50
degrees to be able to to be able to work
50:52
with these countries in Africa that and
50:54
a lot of what's being driven right now
50:56
there is uh innovation from the industry
50:58
side of things and they're looking to
51:00
get that data and to be able to use that
51:02
data, get them on Facebook, get them on
51:05
get them on metal and then be able to
51:06
make uh inferences about buying power
51:09
and things as they move forward. Um and
51:11
one of the things I really focus on in
51:13
some research that I did on my side is
51:14
the kind of the data divide and the
51:16
bridging that data divide, trying to
51:17
understand, you know, are we truly
51:20
making sure that people are
51:21
understanding what they're giving up
51:23
when they're getting on the internet and
51:25
providing them with these high-speed
51:26
internet and these tools. Um do you guys
51:28
see a framework outside of you know,
51:30
I've looked at the African Union and
51:31
I've looked at kind of these frameworks
51:34
for these AI strategies, but do you see
51:36
a governing body that's protecting these
51:39
folks that are now just now getting on
51:41
the internet. I worked with Google for
51:43
when I first moved to DC and providing
51:45
that high-speed infrastructure um in
51:47
Western Africa, but then it was just
51:48
like everybody just jumped onto the
51:50
internet and didn't know what they were
51:52
clicking through as they said, "I Yes, I
51:54
do. I do. I do. I just want to be on the
51:55
internet." And so, I just wanted to get
51:56
your your thoughts on it.
52:00
>> No, I I I I appreciate that. I can't I I
52:02
don't know immediately of a a governing
52:04
body that is that is looking at that and
52:07
and protecting people in their, you
52:10
know, cyber footprint, if you will, in
52:12
that dimension of it. But that really
52:15
tap tugs on um tugs on the ethical
52:18
element of it, right? And and how are we
52:20
storing the data? How are we protecting
52:22
the individuals?
52:23
Um
52:24
assuming that there is not a known
52:26
knowledge of what one is doing or what
52:28
they are uh what doors they're opening,
52:31
per se, once you're in this digital
52:32
space, which is very amorphous and and
52:34
ambiguous. Um there is there is a lot
52:38
going on um in AI ethics. I mean, there
52:43
we have to. We really we we have to do
52:45
this. And um I mean,
52:49
there there's a lot in that space. I
52:51
don't know of of a governing body at the
52:52
moment, though, that is
52:54
>> No, there is
52:56
um
52:56
there is a structure being stood up and
53:00
it's by um
53:03
she's a recent grad PhD from Harvard.
53:06
And I was trying to look her up as you
53:09
were asking your question, even for the
53:10
first question we had.
53:12
Um
53:13
And I
53:15
I mean, she's Igbo based on her name. I
53:17
don't know if it's Shimway, it's Chun
53:19
something, but I'm going to find it and
53:20
give it to you, but she first got
53:23
appointed to like one of these um UN AI
53:28
kind of governance structures that was
53:30
focused on Africa, but then um a select
53:33
group of African countries that were
53:37
comprised of the highest performing
53:39
economies got together and they were
53:42
developing their own group and she was
53:44
on it and I can't remember the name
53:47
offhand, but that gave me hope in terms
53:50
of the ability for countries on the
53:53
continent to be able to own
53:55
and um control and protect their
53:59
citizens as it relates to data. So, I
54:01
feel optimistic about that regard, but I
54:03
will find her name. She's on my
54:06
>> There's also the Pan-African
54:09
um
54:10
um bioethics initiative, so what that's
54:12
mostly focused on bioethics um
54:15
regulations. There's another one um it's
54:17
called the um
54:19
the regional ethics associations. Uh uh
54:22
uh
54:23
So, they're they're they're more
54:24
regional, so it's not I don't think it
54:27
um focuses um on um
54:30
as continent whole, but it looks at
54:32
different regional areas. So, I can um
54:35
tag it with you later and and talk I'll
54:37
think more about that cuz I think that
54:39
what you're doing would be really
54:41
relevant to them.
54:43
>> research like Laura said, you do not
54:45
it's not by force you have to connect
54:46
with Africa. We just wanted um
54:49
um to talk about and start this
54:51
conversation and look at this
54:53
opportunity and see how we could expand
54:55
on on on us working together and for the
54:59
um
55:00
throughout the whole diaspora.
55:02
Um we are very passionate about this
55:05
effort and we're really excited to see
55:07
how we can work to um build this bridge
55:10
between HBCUs, between Africa and how
55:13
and in advancing this um the national
55:15
security um efforts. So, yeah. Um thank
55:19
you guys and thank you to our phenomenal
55:22
panelists. I hope that you
55:26
>> [applause]
55:27
>> Yeah. Hope that you learned something
55:29
new. Um if if you didn't learn anything
55:32
else, please learn that it's very
55:33
important for us um and HBCUs and
55:36
African institutions to work together.
55:38
It's very important, especially in a
55:40
time like this. So, thank you all.
55:42
>> [laughter]
55:43
>> Thank you for watching this presentation
55:45
of HBCUs,
55:47
Africa as a national security partner
55:50
for AI. Presented by Career
55:52
Communications Group and the BEYA STEM
55:54
Conference.