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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 revealed this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Thursday. According to him, the solution provided doesn’t only focus on fact-checking but also aims to democratize the avenue for people to fact-check information.
“MyAIFactChecker,” Africa’s first artificial intelligence-powered fact-checking platform, created to counter the spread of misinformation and disinformation on the continent, is a brainchild of FactCheckAfrica.
Abidden further explained that what has now become a groundbreaking innovation started two years ago. His organization identified the challenges associated with disinformation in Nigeria and Africa and decided to provide a solution.
“Exactly two years ago, we launched FactCheck Africa due to the increasing burden of tackling the challenges of disinformation in all its varieties. We realized that there’s an older generation that isn’t very knowledgeable about these things because they’re not online.
“So, we went to the grassroots to educate people about information, fake news, and all that. Through our grassroots experience and pilot study, we discovered that AI is a valuable tool for enabling people to learn.
“Over the last year, we developed the AI chat button to make it easier for Nigerians to fact-check any information within 30 seconds. We aren’t just focused on checking information but also on democratizing the avenue for people to fact-check information.
“Even if you’re not able to type, there’s a voice message feature that makes it easier for you to fact-check. It supports major languages in Nigeria: Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and in Africa: Swahili, Arabic, and French.
“In addition to fact-checking any information of your choice, there’s a chatbox that makes it interactive, giving it a human touch. There’s also a feedback mechanism to rate your satisfaction level. This feedback helps us improve the app.
“MyAIFactChecker is a demonstration of our organization’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 offers users various functionalities, including a chatbot interface, feedback mechanism, and voice search capability available in English, Swahili, French, Arabic, and several popular local languages in Nigeria.
During the launch of MyAIFactChecker earlier this week, Abideen emphasized its importance, especially at a time when the proliferation of disinformation and harmful content poses significant threats to the integrity of elections, democracy, public health, and stability in African nations.
As a keynote speaker at the 2024 United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum held in New York last week, Olasupo spoke on ‘The Ethical Use of AI and Its Implications for Education in Africa.’ He expressed his organization’s commitment to advocating for policies around the ethical use of AI in Nigeria and Africa as a whole to maximize its benefits and mitigate its risks.
He commended 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. He stressed that such efforts were 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.
