Research Publications

Explore our contributions to the global AI research community, focusing on inclusive technology and African language processing.

15+
Publications
300+
Citations
8
Research Areas
12+
Languages Covered

Browse by Research Area

Published Research

Foundation ModelsPublished2024

Deep Ubuntu: Foundation Models for African Languages

Dr. Amara Okafor,Prof. Kwame Asante,Dr. Fatima Al-Rashid
NeurIPS 2024Conference Paper45 citations

We present Deep Ubuntu, a family of foundation models specifically designed for African languages, addressing the linguistic diversity and cultural nuances of the continent.

InfrastructurePublished2024

Offline-First AI Infrastructure for Emerging Markets

Dr. Fatima Al-Rashid,Dr. Thabo Mthembu
ICLR 2024Conference Paper23 citations

A comprehensive framework for deploying AI systems in low-connectivity environments, enabling reliable AI applications across Africa's diverse infrastructure landscape.

Ethics & BiasPublished2024

Cultural Bias in Large Language Models: An African Perspective

Prof. Kwame Asante,Dr. Amara Okafor
FAccT 2024Conference Paper67 citations

An empirical study of cultural bias in existing large language models and proposed methods for creating more culturally inclusive AI systems.

Computer VisionPublished2024

Computer Vision for African Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities

Dr. Thabo Mthembu,Dr. Amara Okafor
Computer Vision and Image UnderstandingJournal Article34 citations

A comprehensive survey of computer vision applications in African agriculture, highlighting unique challenges and proposing novel solutions.

NLPPublished2024

Low-Resource Language Processing: Advances in African Language NLP

Prof. Kwame Asante,Dr. Fatima Al-Rashid
ACL 2024Conference Paper56 citations

Novel approaches to natural language processing for low-resource African languages, including transfer learning and multilingual techniques.

AI PhilosophyPublished2023

Democratizing AI: Lessons from the Ubuntu Philosophy

Dr. Amara Okafor,Deep Ubuntu Research Team
AI & SocietyJournal Article78 citations

Exploring how the African philosophy of Ubuntu can inform the development of more inclusive and human-centered artificial intelligence systems.

Recent Preprints

Foundation ModelsPreprint2024

Scaling Foundation Models for African Languages: A Multi-Domain Approach

Dr. Amara Okafor,Prof. Kwame Asante,Dr. Fatima Al-Rashid,Dr. Thabo Mthembu

We present advances in scaling foundation models across multiple African languages and domains, demonstrating improved performance on downstream tasks.

Machine LearningPreprint2024

Federated Learning in Resource-Constrained Environments

Dr. Fatima Al-Rashid,Dr. Thabo Mthembu

A novel federated learning framework designed for environments with limited computational resources and intermittent connectivity.

Collaborate with Our Research

Interested in collaborating on research or accessing our datasets? We welcome partnerships with academic institutions and research organizations.