The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (Mind) Institute has been awarded core funding of $1-million by Internet services firm charity and philanthropy programme Google.org.

This investment will bolster the institute's research and help drive next-generation breakthroughs in natural and artificial intelligence, says Wits Mind Institute director Professor Benjamin Rosman.

Importantly, this strategic support will boost the institute’s targeted capacity-development and networking-building programmes, which centre around outcomes-driven collaboration across disciplines, and dialogue among academia, industry, policymakers and others.

The Wits Mind Institute is home to fundamental AI researchers and the partnership aligns with Google.org’s mission to accelerate scientific discovery through external collaborations that enable real-world impact, he notes.

“The Wits Mind Institute was conceived to place African researchers at the forefront of the understanding and study of intelligence, both natural and artificial.

“Google.org’s support cements our capacity to train talent, incubate disruptive ideas and ensure our discoveries translate into societal benefit,” says Rosman.

The Africa-based interdisciplinary AI research hub aims to advance the scientific understanding of both natural and artificial intelligence, foster breakthrough research and technological innovation, invest in developing a crucial mass of African AI expertise and establish responsible policies for systemic, sustained impact both locally and globally.

The institute's core programmatic activity focuses on three strategic workstreams, namely the fundamental science of AI, application in society and industry and African AI governance and leadership.

It also develops research capacity and talent across sectors.

The institute was launched in November 2024 with an inaugural cohort of 34 Mind Fellows, including various research Chairs and National Research Foundation-rated researchers from all faculties and core departments at the university, forming a cross-functional group for trans-disciplinary engagement and research.

The institute builds on more than a decade of Wits’s investment in postgraduate education, capacity building and pan-African AI initiatives and has rapidly become a hub for research and thought leadership.

Specifically, Mind Fellows and Chairs are already collaborating on more than 25 projects in domains from reinforcement learning to digital humanities, says Rosman.

Additionally, the MindFund provides targeted capacity and seed funding to novel research, and is currently supporting five projects, he notes.

By developing and deploying AI models and dictating policies that consider the culture and diversity of more than one-billion people on the continent, the Wits Mind Institute will ensure that Africa has a seat at the global AI table, says Wits Vice-Chancellor Professor Zeblon Vilakazi.

Researchers and stakeholders are invited to engage with the Mind Institute’s growing ecosystem, learn about the institute’s events and opportunities and apply for the next Mind Fellows cohort in September.