Janet Sawari was immersed in the world of artificial intelligence long before the rest of us stumbled on it.
Janet Sawari is the founder and CEO of the AI review and Tair labs. The former is a media project that aims to inform and explain the role of emerging technology solutions in solving societal problems.
The latter is an AI lab, based in Johannesburg, that builds AI prototypes and research projects for businesses who need to assess their AI ideas on a small scale before scaling up. Through these ventures, she hopes to make Al innovation and education more accessible on the African continent. We asked about her work, the industry and her entrepreneurship journey.
What about the recent hype around AI?
While there are a lot of opportunities that come with generative AI, that is just one small part of what we can do with this technology. There are so many other AI solutions that can be more impactful.
Unfortunately, much of the attention is on how large language models like ChatGPT will take everyone’s jobs and that it threatens creativity. But I wish that conversations around AI focused more on how it can raise efficiency and improve areas like research and development, for example.
What is the potential for AI in Africa?
Spending time in South Africa, I realised that the broader business community didn’t know much about AI. There was this huge gap in adoption and understanding of the technology and what it can do.
“I wish that ai conversations focused more on how it can raise efficiency”
Today, there are a number of new players coming out of the weeds, but it is very much still an emerging market. Most of the AI companies in Africa, at least 40%, were founded within the last five years. In saying this, new things are happening and new developments are coming up within the space every day, so it’s a very interesting industry to be in right now.
What AI work have you done so far?
Unfortunately, much of the work we have done with TAIR Labs is still under wraps, so I can’t talk about that too much, but I can share a bit about my personal work in the AI space.
My first project in South Africa was to create a computer-vision system that leverages AI to prevent mine workers from going down the shaft if they aren’t wearing the necessary safety equipment. We trained a model to identify safety equipment so that workers would be granted or denied access to the shaft, based on whether or not the equipment was present.
Will AI deliver social and economic benefits in Africa?
From a purely logical and strategic perspective, there is a huge commercial opportunity here and this can deliver real, sustainable impact.
This kind of technology is more relevant now than it ever has been before because we have a young population who are eager to learn and more governments across the continent are realising that investing in new technologies that can help them actually solve societal problems is a good idea.
Were you always interested in tech?
My personality, my parents and my family meant that I never doubted the different options and opportunities that lay in front of me when I was growing up.
I remember having a conversation with my dad and when I mentioned to him that I wanted to be a pilot, he immediately challenged me to think bigger – why not aim to be the one who builds planes or owns one? This mentality always drove me to think big.
Your advice for technopreneurs starting out?
Firstly, I would strongly encourage more African entrepreneurs to have the biggest, boldest, brightest, most audacious dreams. Dream really, really big. Dream boldly. But also watch your step and be mindful along your journey.
What I have noticed as an entrepreneur is that fundraising is not just about getting money; it’s about the relationship you have with the person or the people giving you this money. I think the key lesson behind this is establishing who you are, what you stand for, what you want and what you’re not willing to compromise on.
Once you’ve settled on this, sometimes you might have to say no to a funding opportunity because it demands that you compromise on your values. This can be hard to do, but it’s definitely the right move.
Words by: Joanne Carew
