{"id":853645,"date":"2026-03-12T09:03:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=853645"},"modified":"2026-03-12T09:03:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:03:11","slug":"ups-prof-vukosi-marivate-appointed-to-un-independent-international-scientific-panel-on-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/industry-news\/853645\/ups-prof-vukosi-marivate-appointed-to-un-independent-international-scientific-panel-on-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"UP\u2019s Prof Vukosi Marivate appointed to UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.up.ac.za\/computer-science\/staff-profiles\/vukosi-marivate?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=March+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Professor Vukosi Marivate<\/strong><\/a>, Director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.up.ac.za\/afridsai?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=March+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>African Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence<\/strong><\/a> (AfriDSAI) based at the University of Pretoria (UP) and ABSA-UP Chair of Data Science at the University, has been appointed as a member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/independent-international-scientific-panel-ai\/en?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=March+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>United Nations Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His appointment places UP at the centre of a new global mechanism designed to strengthen scientific evidence in the governance of artificial intelligence (AI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.up.ac.za\/afridsai?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=March+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Click here to learn more about the African Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AfriDSAI)<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Appointed by the United Nations General Assembly in February 2026, the panel is the first global scientific body dedicated entirely to AI and was created to produce evidence-based scientific assessments on its opportunities, risks and impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 40-member panel comprises experts drawn from more than 2,600 applicants from over 140 countries, with a wide range of specialities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m honoured to have been selected to serve on this panel,\u201d Prof Marivate said. \u201cI look forward to continuing to share experiences and perspectives from across the African continent, and to learning from the rich insights and expertise of my fellow panellists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At UP, Prof Marivate\u2019s work focuses on building AI systems rooted in African contexts, including the development of African language models capable of processing underrepresented languages and delivering locally relevant data insights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He is a co-founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/lelapa.ai\/?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=March+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Lelapa AI<\/strong><\/a>, an African start-up advancing AI for Africans by Africans and a chief investigator at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gatesfoundation.org\/about\/committed-grants\/2025\/09\/inv-088221?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=March+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Masakhane Research Foundation<\/strong><\/a>, which develops natural language processing technologies for African languages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also co-founded <a href=\"https:\/\/deeplearningindaba.com\/?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=March+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Deep Learning Indaba<\/strong><\/a>, a grassroots machine-learning and AI conference on the continent that supports and empowers African researchers and practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.up.ac.za\/vice-chancellor-and-principal?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=March+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>UP Vice-Chancellor<\/strong><\/a> and Principal Prof Francis Petersen said Prof Marivate\u2019s appointment reinforces the university\u2019s position as a leader in AI research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis appointment is a significant recognition not only of Prof Marivate\u2019s expertise, but of the University of Pretoria\u2019s sustained leadership in AI and data science. His work reflects our commitment to advancing responsible, inclusive and contextually relevant AI research that contributes to both global knowledge and Africa\u2019s development. We are proud to see one of our scholars shaping international conversations on the governance of this critical technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The South African government has also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.za\/news\/media-statements\/government-congratulates-professor-vukosi-marivate-05-feb-2026?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=March+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>welcomed Prof Marivate\u2019s appointment<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a panel member, Prof Marivate will be contributing to global early-warning systems and evidence that will assist countries in distinguishing between hype and reality and ensure that international debates are grounded in rigorous analysis rather than speculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His appointment comes at a time when countries are grappling with how to govern a technology that transcends borders and traditional regulatory frameworks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rapid advances in machine-learning and generative AI are transforming economies, labour markets and education systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prof Marivate\u2019s presence on the panel ensures that African perspectives, languages and developmental priorities are part of the global evidence base informing AI governance. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The panel is expected to present its inaugural annual report at the first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/global-dialogue-ai-governance\/en?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=March+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Global Dialogue on AI Governance<\/strong><\/a> in July 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.up.ac.za\/afridsai?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=March+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Click here to learn more about the African Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AfriDSAI)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Business Talk \u2013 Prof Vukosi Marivate on building AI in Africa and shaping global governance\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YuPbJJFSAp4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Professor Vukosi Marivate, Director of the African Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AfriDSAI) based at the University of Pretoria (UP) and ABSA-UP Chair of Data Science at the University, has been appointed as a member of the United Nations Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":853656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10459],"tags":[24982,8393],"class_list":["post-853645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","tag-prof-vukosi-marivate","tag-university-of-pretoria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=853645"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":853710,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853645\/revisions\/853710"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/853656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=853645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=853645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=853645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}