This is a brief write-up on how the KAI Lab started. This is now written from my perspective as a founder (“my”” refers to Amelia Taylor). But I do hope that at some point others will write something too about this group.

After several years lecturing at MUBAS and engaging in research, the time came to set up a more formal group. So these are some contributing events.

2015 - I start teaching at the Malawi Polytechnic (now renamed to MUBAS) focussing on developing modules on algorithm analysis and design and AI.

2018 - I start organising IndabaX Malawi and actively participating in Deep Learning Indaba.

2019 - I win a grant from AI4D to work on information extraction from legal text.

2020 - I win a competition on AI4D Language fellowship small grant to develop a dataset for Chichewa.

2020 - The Chichewa dataset becomes the basis of a News Classification competition on Zindi.africa.

2020 - I also start cooperating and work with Masakhane on POE and NE for African Languages.

2021 - I join the INSPIRE Network at APHRC and together we win a grant under AI4COVID.

2022 - We get another grant from the Wellcome Trust to work witin the INSPIRE Network on data science and health informatics.

Dec 2022 - KAI lab is formed.