Sophia, the social humanoid robot modeled after actress Audrey Hepburn, has been confirmed to participate in the Trescon World AI Show in Nairobi from March 21-22, 2019. The event will take place at the Villa Rosa Kempinski hotel.
Journalist Larry Madowo revealed that Sophia personally requested an invitation to Kenya during their collaboration at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 in Barcelona. Madowo shared a social media post stating, "The world’s most famous robot knows my name! Sophia even asked me to invite her to Kenya. We’re presenting one of the #GLOMOAwards categories together tomorrow at #MWC19."
The World AI Show aims to advance AI adoption across Africa, with participation from government officials and industry leaders. Dr. Bitange Ndemo, chairman of Kenya’s Blockchain and AI Task Force, and Hon. Michael Onyango, member of the Distributed Ledgers and Artificial Intelligence Task Force, will attend.
Onyango highlighted the task force’s efforts to integrate AI into Kenya’s education system, stating, "The AI and Blockchain Task Force of Kenya is implementing radial changes in the education sector to boost national learning capabilities." He added that the group has completed initial research and plans to release a public report.
Organizers emphasized Africa’s potential to benefit from AI technologies. Trescon CEO Mohammed Saleem noted, "Countries in Africa that suffer from extreme poverty and business mismanagement will benefit the most from these futuristic technologies." The summit will include panel discussions, tech talks, and keynote presentations on AI, machine learning, and robotics.
