Google Experts Answer Nigeria’s Most Searched Questions About AI
New search trends released by Google show that search interest in AI has reached an all-time high in Nigeria.
The trends show that people have searched for AI more than ever in 2023 so far, with interest rising 310% since last year, and by 1,660% in the last five years.
Google’s research also revealed the top trending questions being asked about AI across Nigeria. Here, Google West Africa Director, Olumide Balogun answers some of the most frequently asked questions.
- What is Artificial Intelligence and how does it work?
AI is a type of technology that can learn from its environment, experiences and people, and that can understand patterns and make projections better than any previous technology before it.
AI models are trained and created by human engineers, who input data into the AI system to train it.
2. When did AI start?
AI can be traced back to the early 1950s when Alan Turing – a British mathematician – published a paper on “Computing Machinery and intelligence”. That kick-started the principles behind AI – but the first time anyone used the term was likely in 1956 when John McCarthy hosted a conference at Dartmouth College called the Dartmouth Summer Research Project in Artificial Intelligence.
3. Where is AI used?
AI has always been integral to many daily tools, from Google Translate to antilock braking in cars. Its transformative power, however, is being harnessed more profoundly now. In the heart of this evolution is the Google AI Centre in Accra, laser-focused on Africa’s unique challenges and aspirations.
4. What can AI do and how can I use it?
Think of AI as a tool that’s really good at understanding patterns and making projections – better than any computer has been before – and that’s been taught to learn from its environment, experiences and people. When you put that ability to good use, you can use AI to do all sorts of amazing things: like helping doctors to screen for and identify cancer, predicting and monitoring natural disasters, or helping businesses to identify and reduce their carbon emissions.
5. Is AI dangerous?
AI is like any other technology in that it can be used for good or bad, depending on the user. On the one hand, it has incredible potential to be used in ways that are beneficial for society – whether it’s protecting people from spam and fraud, translating hundreds more languages, or forecasting floods up to seven days in advance. But it can also be used to amplify current societal issues – like misinformation and discrimination.
6. Will AI take my job?
AI will become a partner to many of us, helping us not just to make the repetitive tasks of our work more efficient, but sparking creativity and enabling us to spend more time on the bits of our jobs that we love and that challenge