Abideen Olasupo, the global director of BBYDI, said ‘MyAIFactChecker’ can help Nigerians from all walks of life to fact-check any information of their choice in three major Nigerian languages with the space of 30 Seconds.
The three languages are; Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, the new innovation also provide access for Africans to fact-check in formation in Swahili, Arabic and French.
He disclosed this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Thursday.
According to him, the solution provided is not fixated on checking information alone, but also keen on democratizing avenue for people to fact check information.
‘MyAIFactChecker’ Africa’s first artificial intelligence, AI-powered fact-checking platform, to counter the spread of misinformation and disinformation on the continent is a “brainchild” of FactCheckAfrica.
Speaking further, Abidden said, what has now become a ground breaking innovation, started off two years, when his organization spotted challenges associated with disinformation in all it varieties in Nigeria and by extension Africa and decided to provide solution in that respect.
“Precisely two years ago, we started the FactCheck Africa, due to burgeoning burden to tackle all attendants challenges with disinformation in all it varieties. We realized that we have a older generation, who does not really know much about all these things because they are not online.
“So we went to the grassroots to educate people about information, fake news and all that. As a result of our grassroots experience and pilot study, we discover that AI a veritable tool to enable people to learn.
“Thus, over the last one year we worked on the AI chat button to make things easier for Nigeria within 30 seconds to factcheck any information. We are not fixated on checking information alone, but we are keen on democratizing avenue for people to fact check information.
He noted that, “even if you are not able to type, there is a voice message that makes it easier for you to fact check, it comprises major languages in Nigeria; Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, then in Africa Swahili, Arabic and French.
“Aside from the fact that you can fact check any information of your choice on it, there is chat-box that makes it interactive, giving it a human face. there is also a feedback mechanisms to rate if you are satisfy or if you are not satisfy, that gives us an idea that when we are launching the second version of the the App, it would have been updated with lot of feedback gleaned from people who have interacted with the first phase.
“MyAIFactChecker is a demonstration of our organisation’s unwavering commitment to combating the scourge of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news, thereby safeguarding the integrity of information. This platform leverages cutting-edge AI technology, is user-friendly, and allows you to verify the authenticity of news, social media posts, and other online content quickly and conveniently.”
The innovative platform would provide users with a range of functionalities, including a chatbot interface, feedback mechanism, and voice search capability that is available in English, Swahili, French, Arabic, and several popular local languages in Nigeria.
Earlier in the week, and specifically in the course of the launching of MyAIFactChecker, Abideen said it comes at a critical time, as the proliferation of disinformation and harmful content continues to pose significant threats to the integrity of elections, democracy, public health, and stability in African nations.
The BBDYI global director, who said the impact of fake news and disinformation on elections could not be waived, expressed optimism that his organisation’s newly introduced AI fact-checking would help combat the spread of disinformation in African nations preparing to hold elections this year.
Olasupo, who was a key note speaker at the 2024 United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum held in New York last week, where he spoke on ‘The ethical use of AI and its implications for education in Africa’, said his organisation would continue to push for policies around ethical use of AI in Nigeria and Africa as a whole to maximise its benefits and mitigate its risks.
He however, lauded Dr. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, for spearheading the initiative to deliver a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the country, stressing that such endeavour was crucial in positioning Nigeria to effectively leverage AI for national development.
“In recognition of the immense potential of AI in addressing societal challenges, BBYDI will continue to advocate for policies and ethical frameworks to guide the deployment of AI technologies across Africa. It is imperative that we harness the power of AI for the collective good of our society,” he said, about MyAIFactChecker.
