Computer Science

Futbol: The Beautiful Game

Posted on by in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Education, Ethiopia, iCog Makers, Robotics | 1 Comment

By Heldana Michael

Futbol! The prince of sports! A brain sport in this case. Where students sweat their brains to enable robots to play this great game.

The fourth RoboSoccer Cup was held between the days of August 16th and 17th at Kana Studio alongside Solve IT 2019. Although only three of the expected four teams showed up to the tournament, each of these teams was phenomenal in their respective games and gave the other team a run for their money. Our newest addition to the team was Bahir Dar University and the team proved to be an equally tough team to beat. Moreover, the members of this team were high school students coming from the university’s (Bahir Dar) STEM center.
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The Youngest Tech Pioneer in Ethiopia

Posted on by in African Youth, Computer Science, Education, Ethiopia, Journals | Leave a comment

Betelhem Dessie’s initiatives have taught 20,000 children how to code, launching Ethiopia’s next generation toward a successful future in tech, writes Thomas Lewton

Ethiopia, despite nearly 20 years of steady economic growth, still has one of the lowest GDPs per capita in the world. While the majority of the country contributes to its agriculture-based economy, growing sectors of tech-savvy youths are forging a new path.

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Ethiopia’s Long March

Posted on by in Business and Investment, Development, Economy, Education, Ethiopia, Innovation, Opinion | Leave a comment

By Hruy Tsegaye

Towards Sustainable Tech Markets

In Ethiopia, it is customary to confuse technology as a by-product of development. Unfortunately, it is not only the average Joe or Jane who holds this erroneous belief, but most government officials and policymakers along with administrators in the public universities. Yet, technology is a tool for development.

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Optimism amid challenges for IT innovators in Ethiopia

Posted on by in Africa, Business and Investment, Education, Environment and Ecosysytem | Leave a comment

By Brook Abdu

They are in their early twenties and passionate about technology. They say they would love to invent from day in, day out; a dream they crave to live. Rediet Berhanu, Yonas Woldegebriel, and Nebiyu Ahmed were competing in ‘Solve It!’ IT competition challenge organized by the US Embassy in Addis Ababa in partnership with iCog Labs and Humanity Plus.

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In Artificial Intelligence, Young Ethiopians Eye a Fertile Future

Posted on by in Africa, African Youth, Artificial Intelligence, Development, Economy, Education, The Future | Leave a comment

By: Thomas Lewton and Alice McCool

“I DON’T think Homo sapiens-type people will exist in 10 or 20 years’ time,” Getnet Assefa, 31, speculates as he gazes into the reconstructed eye sockets of Lucy, one of the oldest and most famous hominid skeletons known, at the National Museum of Ethiopia. “Slowly the biological species will disappear and then we will become a fully synthetic species,” Assefa says.

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Ethiopia: U.S. Embassy Announces Solve IT! – A Nationwide Innovation Competition

Posted on by in African Youth, Development, Economy, Education, Innovation | Leave a comment

The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa is sponsoring a nationwide innovation competition, “Solve IT!” for Ethiopian youth. “Solve IT!” promotes STEM, entrepreneurship and encourages a new generation of young Ethiopians to solve problems in their communities using technology, software and hardware. The competition is implemented by the U.S. Embassy in collaboration with partners iCog Labs and Humanity+.

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AI and Ethiopia

Posted on by in Artificial Intelligence, Education, Opinion | Leave a comment

By: Yoseph Berhanu

One can easily argue humanity’s primary mission on earth is to learn, discover what is hidden, and make life a little bit easier than it was before. Moreover, sharing of what
one has learned has been at the heart of this learning endeavor.

The advent of electronic computer and the Internet has helped in both the discovery and sharing efforts significantly. It has also changed the way people acquire, analyze and disseminate information. Starting from the use of search-engines to fully automated class rooms experiences and even artificial intelligence tutors; the teaching learning world has changed considerably.

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The Future of Chatbots: Will they break the ‘illusion approach’?

Posted on by in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, The Future | 2 Comments

By: Eskender Tamerat

At first, it was all about creating illusions. Asking questions endlessly was the golden trick back when a computer parody by the name of Eliza kick-started the era of computers conversing with human beings in the 1960s. With a restricted set of scripted rules, the bot had no clues to grasp the user input, let alone being a good friend of a human.

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March 3, 2017

Posted on by in Artificial Intelligence, Education, iCog Makers, Robotics | Leave a comment

By: Taika Alemu

The long awaited grand event for the Makers Initiative was underway at the premises of Ministry of Science and Technology on March 3, 2017. While I was watching the little cute toys on the pitch, it occurred to me that they never get tired; lifeless expressions! Then I saw the competing students and ah and I saw the familiar signs, weary, worried, but determined. How did we get here?

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Journal from Nairobi: Boda Bodas, iCog Makers and Terrorism

Posted on by in Africa, Education, iCog Makers, Journals | Leave a comment

by: Hruy Tsegaye

From where shall I begin? My six hour jail time in Juja Police station, my dramatic door to door salesman experience with Kenyan Universities, or how the Ethiopian Government officially advises its travelling citizens to buy dollar from the black market instead of providing it through its commercial banks? Though it’s customary to follow the chronological order, I think I will start from the middle.

Nairobi, adorned with the dying sun’s reddish light, looked a little less scary this time. On my first visit in 2016, I was so startled at the site of the city’s monstrous traffic jam; the entire freeway from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the city centre, with hundreds of cars stuffed, looked like a graveyard built for cars in the middle of a swamp.

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