Going digital & using artificial intelligence is the next revolution! Lelapa AI is at the forefront of making it accessible and more than just for the select few, starting from the ground up.
Lelapa AI is about building localised customer-facing products and services with AI expertise and also being a research hub solely to solve African problems by Africans. Founded in 2022 the company is a conglomerate of highly qualified researchers, scientists and engineers; who are socially grounded in using AI to create a real impact.
“Lelapa AI was born to be a conduit for positive change through technology by addressing the specific needs of the continent and combating African brain drain,” says the CEO Pelonomi Moiloa.
The team addresses how AI isn’t serving Africa and how most solutions and applications are from the West, not from an African lens. Language is the main barrier. South Africa alone has 11 official languages, and they’re looking at creating applications and technologies that are beneficial to all. This a considerable task seeing there isn’t much data in local languages which is why a local research hub is crucial in ensuring all South Africans are served.
Lelapa AI is launching products such as Vulavula, an NLP-as-a-service, focusing on under-represented languages. This will enable clients to connect with their next million customers in their own language within their own context.
The team hopes to make a change in the country using artificial intelligence to improve sectors such as agriculture, education, healthcare and energy.
