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AI Safety workshop at IndabaX 2023

We hosted a workshop on AI Safety and Governance at the IndabaX 2023. The IndabaX is the local South African version of the Deep Learning Indaba, the annual meeting of the African machine learning and AI community with the mission to Strengthen African AI.

Donovan Will and ProVeg South Africa

Donovan Will is an NGO director in the South African Plant-Based Food Sector and Vegan Movement.

AI Safety & Alignment Talk at the Deep Learning Indaba 2022

The Deep Learning Indaba is the annual meeting of the African machine learning community with the mission to Strengthen African Machine Learning. EA UCT helped organise for Fazl Barez to give a introductory talk on AI Safety and Alignment at the 2022 edition of the conference.

Consulting Case Competition with the UCT Consulting Club

We collaborated with the UCT Consulting Club for the 2022 Case Competition. Entering this competition gave prospective/aspiring consultants the chance to work in teams on a realistic case under the mentorship of consultants. The case theme is based on one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The case for cash

Stella Luk, the North and West Africa Regional Director for GiveDirectly, gave a talk to EA UCT titled “The Case for Cash - why direct giving is an efficient, proven and empowering way to help end poverty.” GiveDirectly is an organisation that sends money directly to people living in poverty. You can visit their website by clicking the button below.

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Using research and data to make progress against the world's largest problems.

Max Roser, the founder and CEO of Our World in Data, gave an in-person talk to EA UCT on how we can use research and data to drive progress towards solving the world’s largest problems. Our World in Data is a non-profit with the goal to make the knowledge on the world’s big problems accessible and understandable. You can visit...

Collaboration with Muslim Students Association

We collaborated with the UCT Muslim Students Association as part of an International Charity Week. We hosted a discussion on “Doing Good Better”. The goal was to discuss some ideas around effective giving and the EA approach to philanthropy.

What will AI mean for Africa?

This event was hosted on the 15th of September 2021. It was a panel discussion about AI safety and alignment with a focus on the African context.

An overview of the brain mechanisms of emotion

We hosted this event on the 17th of May 2021.

AI Risk in Africa

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a collection of technologies that enable computer programs to act with higher levels of intelligence. From the recommender algorithm on YouTube to self-driving cars, AI can encompass any computer program which exhibits intelligent behavior.

Vacation Program

We ran a very successful condensed 4-Week Intro Fellowship that we opened up to students from universities all across South Africa. There was a lot of interest, and we managed to accept ~40 of the ~50 students that applied.

EA UCT's first ever introductory fellowship!

This fellowship was run over 7 weeks and introduced fellows to the philosophy, past successes, and resources that inform EA and its work. The program included weekly readings and a discussion with 3-5 other fellows, facilitated by one of our experienced members. Fellows gained up-to-date insight into the global priorities and focus areas of the EA community, and an impressive...