DataDotOrg 278d ago

The inaugural session of CANversation spotlighted the bold vision and growing global community fuelling the Capacity Accelerated Network (CAN) powered by data.org. Dr. Danil Mikhailov, CEO of data.org, shared how CAN has grown into a global network of networks — connecting like-minded partners across the US, India, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific. With a mission to train 1 million data and AI practitioners, CAN is building a global community — convened through CANversation. Dr. Tsosheletso Chidi, Lecturer at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and CAN Africa Fellow, brought forward a powerful call to action: elevating indigenous African languages in AI systems. She highlighted how these languages are often considered low-resource due to limited data and digital presence. She also spoke about her work that centers on building a playbook for language digitization to increase the representation and relevance of African languages in data and AI systems. Participants connected directly with peers across regions—sharing ideas, exchanging contacts, and finding synergies in their mission. “An hour hardly feels sufficient for such a rich CANversation. Thank you for organizing this!” - Abhishek Sood, CAN India Fellow Join us as we explore how the CAN community is at the core of transforming data and AI ecosystems.