About the AI Initiative | UCT AI Initiative

The University of Cape Town (UCT) is leveraging its existing expertise in foundational and applied AI, as well as world-class research in areas which we believe will lead to a just future expertise to establish an AI Initiative. UCT has a rapidly growing community of researchers, who have already recognised the potential of AI, and are actively unlocking the value and impact within their disciplines, including Foundational AI, governance and ethics, health and wellbeing, climate and the environment, poverty and inequality and safety, ethics and governance.

The vision of the AI Initiative is a world where everybody benefits equitably from the transformative power of AI. Its mission is to provide an inspiring ecosystem for researchers and students to do excellent AI research, creating tools and opportunities to support the transition to a just society.

The key objectives of the Initiative are to:

Enable and drive strategic AI research aligned to the Institute’s vision.
Build capacity and skills for AI at different levels at UCT, and beyond.
Translate research into strategies, tools, and opportunities for a sustainable and just future.

Interim Director

Associate Professor Jonathan Shock serves as the director of UCT's new AI initiative and leads the Shocklab research group. Jonathan’s work focuses on leveraging machine learning to understand how organisms navigate complex environments and, conversely, how biological insights can enhance artificial intelligence systems.

Central to his research is reinforcement learning, particularly in areas such as multi-agent systems, offline learning, and meta-learning. Additionally, Jonathan collaborates with experts across many departments, including physics, statistics, computer science, psychiatry, and psychology, fostering an interdisciplinary approach to AI research.

Jonathan emphasizes the importance of global collaboration and the need for Africa to play a significant role in the AI revolution, advocating for the continent's rich intellectual and cultural contributions to be recognized and integrated into the global AI community.

‘There is massive potential to be unleashed with the right investment. We welcome your partnership as we work towards solving the world’s most important and complex challenge’

Strategic Leadership

The Initiative is guided by a team of multidisciplinary experts, across foundational AI, health and wellness, ethics, governance and justice, and climate and environment.