At confab in Y’de: MTN Cameroon showcases Artificial Intelligence know-how.

The conference was held in Yaounde from June 25-26.The two-day inclusive dialogue held under the theme: “Which governmental approaches for a better appropriation of Artificial Intelligence in Cameroon”.

The confab was presided over by the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng.

Also present at the conference were representatives of public and private institutions, researchers, academics, entrepreneurs, start-ups and members of Civil Society Organisation, CSOs.

Speaking at the end of the confab, Minister Libom Li Likeng hailed participants for the brilliant exchange which she noted have, “considerably advanced our thinking on issues of AI and its integration in our society”.

According to the member of government, AI represents an unprecedented opportunity which could be used for the transformation of the economy; improve the education and health sectors in the country.

She equally underscored the need for all stakeholders in the domain to form a synergy for a common vision. The minister insisted on the need on them to come together for a more efficient and a competitive telecoms sector. 

She told the stakeholders that: “By adopting a collaborative approach and fully exploiting the potential of Artificial Intelligence, it is possible not only to modernise the sector, but also to create a dynamic and resilient digital ecosystem, capable of meeting future demands and contributing to our country’s economic growth and social well-being”.

Enter MTN Cameroon official 

Speaking to newsmen during the confab, the Executive Sale Accountant at MTN Cameroon, Marc Ngiamba, explained that Artificial Intelligence “is human intelligence fed by what we call Big Data, and at MTN, they have been able for over two years now signed a contract with Microsoft, which is one of the world's leading software solution providers and today offers artificial intelligence solutions to businesses and the public”.

According to Ngiamba, the solution provided to them by Microsoft is called Copilot.

He said “it makes life a lot easier for companies and organisations in sectors such as education, health, work and transport as it leverages the power of AI to boost productivity, unlock creativity and help them understand information better with a simple chat”.

“One of MTN's missions is leading digital solution for Africa’s progress, so today we want to implement digital solutions for Africa, because MTN is first and foremost African,” Ngiamba explained further. 

He said MTN, today sells Microsoft solutions. He explained that Microsoft solutions allow individuals to hold meetings with hundreds of people.

“With Microsoft team today, if one happens to use the Copilot, at the end of the meeting, if a member was absent, for example, the AI will give him a summary of the meeting, the actions that were taken and also the points to put forward for the next meeting,” Ngiamba cited.

He explained further that with the said AI solution “whether you are there or not, you will have a clear summary of what happened at the meeting”. The same solution, he said applies in the domain of education. 

“Today, we are talking about e-learning. If a student is not here because he is sick, the course can be done online and then he will receive a summary of the course, the questions that were asked, who asked the questions, so he will be aware of everything as if he was present,” he concluded.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No: 3156 of Tuesday July 02, 2024