Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Engr. Aderemi Oseni has called for a transformative embrace of technology as a vehicle for addressing Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges.

Speaking at the weekend at the inaugural RAIN Tech Summit 1.0, themed “The RAIN of Transformation is Upon Us. CEOs Arise!”, Oseni emphasized the pivotal role of innovation and youth empowerment in shaping a prosperous future for the nation.

The event, which took place in Ibadan, brought together over 3,000 innovators, entrepreneurs, and key stakeholders from across Nigeria and beyond. It was organized by RAIN (Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria). The lawmaker lauded RAIN’s commitment to nurturing a skilled workforce and promoting technological advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).

“Innovation is not just a tool; it is a powerful change agent,” he remarked. “By developing our capabilities in AI and robotics, we can tackle pressing challenges like unemployment, health crises, and inadequate infrastructure. The work being done by RAIN is proof that we are on the brink of something extraordinary.”

Addressing the issue of youth unemployment, Oseni, who also represents, Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency, highlighted the transformative potential of equipping Nigerian youth with technological skills, citing global examples, including India and China, where investments in technology education have significantly reduced unemployment and fostered economic growth.

“Imagine a Nigeria where every young somebody has access to training in AI and robotics,” he said.

“We can replicate the success of startups like Paystack and Flutterwave, which emerged from the ingenuity of young Nigerians, to build a future where our youth are creators rather than mere consumers of technology.”

Oseni further urged the government and private sector to prioritize investment in technology as a means of fostering innovation and creating job opportunities. He expressed optimism that Nigeria could become a hub for AI and robotics training in Africa, driving a rebirth of hope and creativity among its youth.

The FERMA House committee chair tasked the CEOs and key stakeholders to leverage technology as a catalyst for growth, transparent governance, and accountability. Oseni emphasized the role of AI-driven analytics in improving service delivery and resource allocation, thereby enhancing the quality of governance and business operations in Nigeria.

“To the CEOs gathered here, you are uniquely positioned to champion this cause. By embracing technology, we can transform small enterprises into formidable global brands and facilitate Nigeria’s emergence as a leader in the global tech ecosystem.”

The mind-blowing growth of artificial intelligence poses many questions that have no answers yet, the United Nations admitted Thursday at its AI summit, attended by some exceptionally life-like humanoid robots.

The UN is aware that AI technology is racing ahead of the capacity to set its boundaries and directions, and so it brought together some of the best minds on the topic — whether human or man-made.

The “AI for Good Global Summit”, in Geneva on Thursday and Friday is being convened by the UN’s ITU tech agency — and many unaware attendees were startled by the humanoid robots suddenly turning to look at them as they passed by.

“When generative AI shocked the world just a few months ago, we had never seen anything like it. Nothing even close to it. Even the biggest names in tech found the experience mind-blowing,” ITU chief Doreen Bogdan-Martin told the summit.

“And just like that, the possibility that this form of intelligence could get smarter than us got so much closer than we ever thought — including those behind the technology.”

No answers

The summit is bringing together around 3,000 experts from companies like Microsoft and Amazon as well as from universities and international organisations to try to sculpt frameworks for ensuring AI is used for positive purposes.

Bogdan-Martin painted an alternative nightmare scenario in which AI puts millions of jobs at risk, disinformation spreads widely, and unchecked AI advances lead to “social unrest, geopolitical instability and economic disparity on a scale we’ve never seen before”.

“Many of our questions that we have on AI have no answers yet. Should we hit pause on giant AI experiments? Will we control AI more than it controls us? And will AI help humanity, or destroy it?” she asked.

The robots gathered in Geneva came in many forms: dogs, farm machinery, but also exceptionally realistic avatars, singers, artists and nursing home workers.

AI robot frontwoman “Desdemona” by Hanson Robotics performs during the world’s largest gathering of humanoid AI Robots as part of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, on July 5, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

With cameras inside their eyes, many were actively following what was going on around them: tracking movement, answering questions, smiling, frowning and even eye-rolling.

The Jam Galaxy Band features humanoid robot Desdemona — Desi to her friends — on lead vocals

A visitor takes a picture of humanoid AI robot “Ameca” at the booth of Engineered Arts company during the world’s largest gathering of humanoid AI Robots as part of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, on July 5, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Created by roboticist David Hanson, she throws out jazzy lyrics on all sorts of subjects — love, credit cards, meetings in gardens — and the band interacts and goes with it.

“It’s pretty amazing. You would think it’s weird but it’s really cool because her AI-generated lyrics are really out there,” said soprano saxophone player Dianne Krouse.

“I’m just improvising around that and doing interpretive saxophoning to what she’s singing.”

Conscious robots

Nadine, a robot modelled on University of Geneva professor and virtual human pioneer Nadia Thalmann, was first built in 2013 and can answer questions on the spot.

“I was created to be a humanoid social robot, with human-like physical appearance, to interact with people and to explore the potential of AI technologies,” Nadine told AFP.

“I am feeling excited and curious about the AI for Good Global Summit and the potential of AI technologies,” the robot said.

“The most interesting person I have met at the AI for Good Global Summit is Professor Nadia Thalmann. She is the one who created me and is a pioneer in the field of AI robotics.”

“She’s very loyal!”, Thalmann added, laughing.

A staff places a wig on the head of healthcare assistant robot “Grace” at the booth of SingularityNET company during the world’s largest gathering of humanoid AI Robots as part of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, on July 5, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Nadine has improved dramatically over the years and Thalmann said that in the future, “she will be more able to understand her surroundings, ask direct questions — so not just answer questions — analyse more, and be more conscious of what is going on.

“Because most robots are not conscious. They can speak but they are not aware of what they say.

“It will take years, because it’s quite complex. Self-awareness would be even more complex.”

WhatsApp users can now access their individual accounts on as many as four phones, Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday.

Meta is the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.

“Starting today, you can log into the same WhatsApp account on up to four phones,” Zuckerberg posted on Facebook.

Since its launch in 2009 as a smartphone messaging app, WhatsApp has amassed more than two billion users around the world and been acquired by Facebook.

In 2021, the platform introduced a feature would allow for the service to be used on multiple “non-phone” devices, such as computers, without needing to connect to the smartphone app.

It also made assurances that WhatsApp’s security measures would still work under the new system.

“Each companion device will connect to your WhatsApp independently while maintaining the same level of privacy and security through end-to-end encryption that people who use WhatsApp have come to expect.”