The Founder of Hyperscale, the company behind Neural AI, Dr. Oluseyi Akindeinde has highlighted the high cost of training data as a significant obstacle to AI development in Nigeria.
This was disclosed by Akindeinde at the Nigerian Information Technology Reporters Association ICT Growth Conference 4.0 in Lagos, according to Nairametrics.
Akindeinde noted that many Nigerian companies with AI innovations struggle to train their own data due to its prohibitive expense.
“To train AI data, you need huge servers and these servers are costly. NVIDIA is the biggest company in AI today because they sell these servers that are used to train AI data and one of them is about $500,000 and you need about two to three racks of about 10-10 of them. So, we’re talking about millions of dollars,” he said.
He emphasized the need for increased AI education in Nigeria to advance the technology, adding that a lack of understanding of AI among stakeholders is hindering progress.
He noted that obtaining AI patents in Nigeria is challenging because those involved, particularly lawyers and other non-technical professionals, lack familiarity with the technology.
Akindeinde called for targeted education to address this gap and facilitate the patenting process.
“We need to educate lawyers, judges, and others about blockchain, generative AI, and other technologies, so they can make informed decisions.
‘’We need to address this education gap to move forward and leverage AI effectively. It’s a technical issue, but also a matter of education and awareness,” he said.
Meanwhile, the President of Nigeria Internet Registration Association, Mr Adesola Akinsanya, said that AI is rapidly transforming industries and economies across the globe, and Nigeria should not be an exception.
He also emphasized that realizing the benefits of AI requires careful consideration of its prospects, the development of sound policies, and addressing the associated challenges.
“No single entity can address the complex challenges we face alone. It is through partnerships, shared knowledge and collective action that we can drive the kind of growth that is inclusive, sustainable, and transformative,’’ he said.
Akinsanya called on all stakeholders, industry leaders, policymakers, academia and civil society to join hands with NITRA, even as NiRA was committed to the cause of building a robust digital ecosystem.
He stressed the need for collaborative efforts to create policies that support innovation and to develop infrastructure capable of meeting future demands.
He added that it was also necessary to cultivate a workforce that was skilled and ready to lead in a digital world.
A recent report by Stanford University revealed that the high cost of training AI models is restricting the participation of non-industry actors in the technology revolution.
