AI News – Africa

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An AI tutor in Sierra Leone reportedly helped students gain a year of schooling in eight weeks, a claim even Google DeepMind cautions us to take with a grain of salt.

In this episode:

• Google DeepMind’s AI tutor education trial in Sierra Leone estimated students gained a year’s learning in eight weeks, using a re-engineered Gemini model.
• The AI learning tool, Guided Learning, was designed not to give direct answers, fostering productive struggle crucial for learning outcomes.
• Early findings suggest AI in classrooms might initially widen the gap for already proficient students, prompting Google DeepMind to investigate different pedagogies to support struggling learners.
• Teachers in the Sierra Leone trial adapted quickly to AI learning tools, discovering new teaching strategies and increasing one-on-one student interaction after just one day of training.
• Transparent research practices from Google DeepMind, including a public playbook and training materials, aim to allow wider adoption and scrutiny of AI for learning outcomes.

Chapters:

• 00:00 — Cold open & welcome
• 00:45 — Irina Jurenka’s shift to social impact at Google DeepMind
• 01:45 — The core tension: AI as assistant vs. AI for learning
• 02:45 — How Guided Learning became a true AI tutor education tool
• 03:45 — Overcoming the AI’s tendency to give answers
• 04:45 — The ‘take with a grain of salt’ claim on learning gains
• 05:45 — Addressing equity and the ‘widening gap’ concern in AI for learning outcomes
• 06:45 — Google DeepMind’s transparency and research integrity
• 07:45 — Transforming teaching practices with AI learning tools
• 08:45 — The future evolution of AI in classrooms

How did Google DeepMind’s AI tutor impact learning in Sierra Leone?
The AI tutor education trial in Sierra Leone estimated students gained approximately one year of schooling in just eight weeks, though this figure comes with a scientific caveat from the researchers.

Can teachers trust AI learning tools not to give students answers directly?
The Guided Learning tool, designed by Google DeepMind for AI in classrooms, was specifically engineered not to give direct answers, forcing students into productive struggle, unlike many public AI models.

Do AI learning tools widen the learning gap, or help all students?
Initial findings from the Sierra Leone trial showed that stronger math students benefited most, but Google DeepMind is actively researching different pedagogical approaches for AI to ensure it helps raise the floor for struggling students too.

Featuring: Dan Fitzpatrick, Irina Jurenka, Google DeepMind, Sierra Leone, Guided Learning, Gemini, World Bank, Stanford, Nigeria.

Follow AI in Education with Dan Fitzpatrick for more on AI in education.

What does it actually take to stay relevant, earn more, and stay valuable in an AI-powered world?

In this episode of Living Boldly, I sit down with Fisayo Fosudo — Nigerian tech and finance creator with over 700K YouTube subscribers and 100 million views — to unpack the real skills, habits, and mindset shifts that will matter in the years ahead.

From spending four years creating before seeing meaningful results, to building one of Africa’s most respected tech channels, Fisayo shares hard-earned lessons on attention, money, content creation, AI, and what it takes to stay ahead when the rules keep changing.

Whether you’re a creator, entrepreneur, professional, or student, this conversation will challenge how you think about work, relevance, and success in the AI era.

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⏱ Timestamps / Chapters
0:00 – Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your Job for Content Creation
1:16 – “Content Is Attention”: How Creators Really Make Money
1:52 – Is AI Coming for Your Job?
2:19 – 17-Year-Old Fisayo and the Wired Magazine Obsession
3:37 – Learning Visual Storytelling & Social Media
4:21 – Nothing Works in the First 6 Months (and Why You Should Still Start)
5:52 – First Brand Deals: Tecno, Samsung & the First ₦150k Check
6:30 – Pivoting into Finance Content & the 100k Subscribers in 1 Year
7:06 – The Math of YouTube: Views, CPMs & Brand Deals
8:58 – The One Video That Made $1,500 and Changed Everything
10:33 – Rethinking Wealth: What You Don’t See vs. Flashy Cars
12:30 – Investing, Fixed Deposits & Seeing “Real Money” for the First Time
13:27 – Treat Your Channel Like a TV Show (Programming & Verticals)
14:16 – Starting a New Finance Channel from Scratch (Feeling Small Again)
16:36 – Fail Fast vs. Stay Consistent: Finding the Balance
16:41 – Don’t Quit Your Job: Why Being a Broke Creative Is Dangerous
19:03 – If AI Knows Everything, Why Go to School?
21:39 – The Reality of AI Disruption
23:35 – The “Scary” Side of AI Speed & Autonomy
26:03 – What the Future of Creators Looks Like in an AI World
27:16 – Brands Using AI Instead of Creators
29:10 – The Creator Business Model
29:46 – Fisayo’s 50 Creator Calls: What Struggling Creators Have in Common
30:03 – Camera Shyness, No Niche & the Real Barriers to Starting
31:25 – Fisayo’s Full Content Creation Course & Cohort Model
32:17 – AI Literacy for High Achievers: Must‑Know Tools by 2026
35:33 – How to Monetize AI: Being the “AI Accelerator” in Any Team
36:08 – Using AI to Kill Repetitive Tasks & Buy Back Time
38:34 – Where to Use AI in Your Life (and What to Keep Private)
39:40 – Rising Scams, Fake Brand Deals & Being More Security Conscious
41:11 – Why You Must Show Your Work (LinkedIn, Proof & Storytelling)
41:55 – Taking Stock of Your Career & Redesigning Your Path
45:08 – When the CBN Deputy Governor Watched His Video
45:26 – Being Taken Seriously by Institutions Through Consistent Quality
46:28 – From E‑Naira to U.S. Secretary of State: The Power of a Personal Brand
46:41 – What Consistency Really Means (Not Just Posting Daily)
47:05 – The One Video That Changed His Life
47:52 – Rapid Fire Questions
48:31 – Closing: Using AI with Intention to Earn More & Stay Human

Most African startups end up doing one thing: financial services.

Ismael Belkhayat built Chari by starting in 2020 delivering groceries to small corner shops in Morocco.

Today it runs a banking-as-a-service platform, agency banking for independent retailers, and a retail operating system, and it became the first VC-backed startup to receive a payment institution license from Morocco’s central bank.

We get into why he believes nearly every African startup eventually becomes a fintech, how he killed his original e-commerce business so gradually that customers never noticed, why the grocery delivery model was a “necessary evil” that unlocked the license, and the one founder trait he bets on above all else when he invests his own money.

This is essential listening for any founder navigating a pivot, any investor trying to understand the Moroccan and North African ecosystem, and anyone curious how a delivery app turned into financial infrastructure.

Follow Ismael: https://bit.ly/4ahp1AT

Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/4n3Bsp6
Listen on Apple podcasts: https://bit.ly/3OrD8Mk
Term Sheet Tapes: https://bit.ly/4cLi9fq

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
00:54 What is Chari
02:34 African startups becoming banks
06:40 From Grocery Delivery to Fintech
10:15 Would he start with Fintech If he did It again?
12:40 Every SaaS business becomes a Fintech
14:55 Personal angel investments
15:30 Advice to founders
16:30 Most important trait in founders
19:30 Main constraint of Chari now
21:50 Importance of people
24:53 How fundraising changed over time
29:52 Morocco’s tech ecosystem
32:10 The role of his brother in his life
33:18 Outro