Established in 1968, the HSRC is the largest dedicated research institute to the social sciences and humanities in the African region. The HSRC holds an Africa-wide mandate to inform the effective formulation and monitoring of government policy; to evaluate policy implementation; to stimulate public debate through the effective dissemination of research-based data and fact-based research results; to foster research collaboration; and to help build research capacity and infrastructure for the human sciences. More recently, the HSRC has developed an internal strategy to research, and build research capacity on, issues concerning the social impact and local understandings of AI. 

Meta was founded in 2004 and has as its mission the aim of giving people the power to build community and to bring the world closer together. It’s products empower more than 3 billion people around the world to share ideas, offer support and make a difference. More information on Meta’s culture, guiding principles, leadership team, offices and history can be found here. Part of Meta’s research interests include advancing the state-of-the-art in artificial intelligence through fundamental and applied research in open collaboration with the community. More information on research as well as links to publications can be found here.

To help support the need for rigorous and ground-breaking academic research, Meta is supporting independent research in Africa in the field of AI that takes into account interdisciplinary perspectives. This research initiative complements Meta’s existing efforts to bolster independent research being undertaken in these areas, including those Meta is supporting in the Asia Pacific, India, and Latin America, and at the TUM Institute for Ethics in AI.