In some parts of the world, access to education remains difficult due to a lack of internet or even smartphones. To address this, students Happy Niyorurema and Mame Niang from Texas Christian University created a solution that delivers educational content via mobile phone, without requiring a smartphone, and received the Global Best M-Gov Award in Dubai.
"When we talk about AI, we assume that people have access to the internet to use this AI. But 2.9 billion people, most of whom live in the Global South, do not have access to the internet. This represents just over a third of the world's population. So we worked on creating our own AI, artificial intelligence, large language model, but we did not deploy it on the web. We deployed it on a telephone system ," explained Happy Niyorurema.
The solution works via simple calls, allowing everyone to access these educational resources, whether they live in the city or in remote areas.
"It's extremely easy to use. You don't need a smartphone. That's why I think this solution is truly innovative, because we always assume that people have access to a smartphone and the internet. But with this solution, you can have the most basic phone possible and you can use it. We've also launched our pilot program in Rwanda. But we're going to expand it throughout Africa, starting with Senegal, Zambia, and all African countries," said Mame Niang.
The summit brought together representatives from governments around the world to discuss innovation, technology, and improving public services. It concluded on Thursday.
