ChatGPT has become rapidly popular worldwide since its release in November 2022. This revolutionary AI chatbot can understand natural language prompts and generate human-like responses on any topic imaginable. But there’s a catch: it’s quite annoying that the artificial intelligence tool struggles with cultural nuances.
The current ChatGPT offers answers that are too generalized for specific questions that cater to certain communities, as its training appears Eurocentric and Western in its bias. This is not unique — most AI models are not built with people of color in mind. However, many Black founders are adamant about not being left behind.
Numerous Black-owned chatbots and ChatGPT versions have popped up in the past year to cater specifically to Black and brown communities, as Black founders like Arnold Agure-Dam seek to indigenize solutions to the information quests of Nigerians.
“Most of the data-driven and AI systems out there are primarily trained on data from North America. This leaves a significant loophole for cultural bias in data gathering, and we are stepping in to fill that void so we can provide information about Nigeria to Nigerians by Nigerians,” Arnold said at the debut of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Lagos, Nigeria, the African hub of innovation.”
Arnold and his team launched NiGPT, an artificial intelligence language model designed to give answers tailored to reflect the experiences of Nigerians. This will be effectively incorporated into sectors including healthcare, finance, education, and agriculture, among others. The main objective is to develop advanced technologies that solve intricate challenges while improving the effectiveness and productivity of companies and institutions. By utilizing AI, NiGPT is focused on driving notable advancements in industry practices, ultimately enhancing daily living and business functions.
Julius Oyekanmi, one of the co-founders, said this Nigeria-centric ChatGPT will revolutionize the use of AI across all sectors in Nigeria, providing instant, succinct, and comprehensive answers to information queries.
“AI has come of age in Nigeria. So, with a small team, we came together to debut this first AI system in Nigeria. We are trying to move from the normal way we use technology to using artificial intelligence in different sectors: health, education, agriculture, government, finance, among others. This language model is tailored to Nigeria’s own content. Just as you know ChatGPT, you can think of it as the ChatGPT for Nigeria.”
Undoubtedly, Nigeria is experiencing significant innovation, and some improvements are happening. Shittu Joseph, one of the co-founders, also sees a brighter future ahead, saying that Nigerians don’t need to take a back seat. It’s high time we lead and show the world that we are proficient in something positive and can rub shoulders with the “big boys.“
NiGPT could be accessed via www.nigpt.ai