2023

2023

About

Ā  300+ attendees -

connect with other researchers and practitioners

Ā  50+ speakers

attend a showcase of cutting-edge research and applied AI

Ā  4+ tutorials

receive a practical introduction to machine learning for beginners

Ā  30+ posters

share your work and get feedback from experts

Ā  2+ hackathon problems

get your hands dirty and learn from the best with Zindi and Fruitpunch AI

Ā  Demographics


šŸŽ¤ AI FEST 2023 šŸ–¼ļø

AI Fest 2023

We cordially invite researchers, industry professionals, and students to celebrate the phenomenal achievements in Machine Learning within our vibrant South African Machine learning community.

šŸŽ‰ Event Highlights

  • Poster Sessions: Students are invited to showcase their ongoing projects. Even if your work is not yet complete, this is a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable insights and advice.

  • Company Exhibitions: Companies are encouraged to exhibit their state-of-the-art ML projects and achievements.

  • Research Showcases: We invite innovative labs and research groups to showcase their cutting-edge work in the field.

  • Student Bonus: Stand a chance to win exciting prizes šŸ† with your innovative projects! (Only for Students)

Showcasing the best of South African AI


Schedule

 08h00 - 13h00

Arrivals

 13h00 - 15h30

Registration

Kramer Building LT1-3 on Middle Campus, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

 08h00 - 08h30

ā˜• & Registration

Morning coffee/tea and late registration

 09h00 - 10h00
Keynote I 1 number of speakers

Opening talk

University of Cape Town
 10h00 - 10h25

ā˜•

Break

 10h30 - 12h00
Machine Learning - Foundations I 1 number of speakers
University of Pretoria
Research I 3 number of speakers
University of the Western Cape
University of Pretoria
Centre for AI Research, University of Cape Town
Embracing Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence: The rise of Augmented AI systems
Industry I 3 number of speakers
Machine Intelligence Institute of Africa (MIIA), Cortex Logic
IBM Quantum
IBM Quantum Research in Healthcare
Quantum Computing Healthcare
Mindjoy
 12h00 - 13h00

šŸ½ļø

Lunch Break

 13h00 - 14h00
Keynote II 1 number of speakers
University of Pretoria
 14h00 - 14h30

ā˜•

Break (coffee only) (Speaker intros start at 2:25pm)

 14h30 - 16h00
Transformers - Foundations II 1 number of speakers
ByteFuse
ML, GANs, Vision - Research II 3 number of speakers
University of Cape Town
Intro to Causality
Causal ML RL
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University
Industry II 3 number of speakers
Investec
Teraflow.ai
Data plumbing 101
Data Science
Vodacom Group
How a line graph can ruin your day
Explainable AI Data Science
 16h00 - 17h00

šŸ“· Group Photo and Speed 'Dating'

 17h00 - 20h30

šŸŽ‰ AI Fest / Poster Session / Opening Event

Kramer Quad

  • Poster session: Everyone is invited to showcase their ongoing projects. Even if your work is not yet complete, this is a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable insights and advice.
  • Company Exhibitions: Companies are encouraged to exhibit their state-of-the-art ML projects and achievements.
  • Research Showcases: We invite innovative labs and research groups to showcase their cutting-edge work in the field.
  • Student Bonus: Stand a chance to win exciting prizes šŸ† with your innovative projects! (Only for Students)

Sponsored by Lelapa AI and SAAIA.
Lelapa AI SAAIA

 08h00 - 09h00

ā˜•

Morning coffee/tea

 09h00 - 10h00
Keynote III 1 number of speakers
Ecosystem.Ai
 10h00 - 10h30

ā˜•

Break (Speaker Intros start at 10:25am)

 10h30 - 12h00
Computer Vision - Foundations III 1 number of speakers
Augmented Startups(Director) -| Advisory Board Member SAAIA
Language - Research III 3 number of speakers
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University
MLOps - Industry III 3 number of speakers
BMW Group South Africa
Spatialedge
Instadeep
 12h00 - 13h00

šŸ½ļø

Lunch Break

 13h00 - 14h00
Keynote IV 1 number of speakers
University of Pretoria and South African Centre for AI Research
AI and Agency
AI Ethics
 14h00 - 14h30

ā˜•

Break (coffee only) (Speaker Intros start at 2:25pm)

 14h30 - 16h00
Inference - Foundations IV 1 number of speakers
Stellenbosch University
Research IV 3 number of speakers
Centre for High Performance Computing
Stellenbosch University and AIMS South Africa
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Text-to-speech for African languages
Applied ML & Industry Language
ML Ops - Industry IV 3 number of speakers
Founder, Taurine Technology
Peralex Electronics
Sybrin
 16h00 - 16h30

ā˜•

Break (Speaker Intros start at 4:25pm)

 16h30 - 18h00
RL - Foundations V 1 number of speakers
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Lightning Talks 20 number of speakers

Multiple speakers

Hackathon Prep 1 number of speakers
University of the Western Cape
 18h00 - 23h59
Hackathon with Zindi & FruitPunch AI 3+ number of speakers

AI for Coral Reefs Hackathon with Fruitpunch.ai and Zindi (6 hours, end at midnight)

 08h00 - 09h00

Morning coffee ā˜•

 09h00 - 10h00
Keynote V 1 number of speakers
Adanian Labs & AAICE
 10h00 - 10h30

ā˜•

Break (Speaker Intros start at 10:25am)

 10h30 - 12h00
Diffusion Models - Foundations VI 1 number of speakers
InstaDeep
Reinforcement Learning - Research VI 3 number of speakers
Instadeep
InstaDeep and University of Cape Town
Instadeep
Industry VI 3 number of speakers
South African Human Rights Commission
University of Pretoria
DataProphet
 12h00 - 13h00

šŸ½ļø

Lunch Break

 13h00 - 15h30
Women in Tech Workshop 4 number of speakers
Knife Capital
InterCodex
Telkom

Panel discussion
AI Safety and Governance in Africa Workshop 4 number of speakers
Equiano Institute
Effective Altruism UCT/ University of Cape Town
UCT, EA UCT

Breakout sessions
Ml in Healthcare Workshop 7 number of speakers
Durban University of Technology
AI applications in healthcare
Applied ML & Industry Healthcare
IBM Research
Biomedical Text Insights Extraction
Applied ML & Industry Healthcare
PhD Candidate - University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Durban University of Technology
Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB)

Break (20 min)

Panel discussion
 15h30 - 16h00

ā˜•

Break

 16h00 - 17h00
Panel Discussion 4 number of speakers

Hosted by Callum Tilbury

Research ICT Africa
University of Cape Town
Botlhale AI
 17h00 - 17h30

Prize giving šŸ… and closing ceremony šŸ†šŸ

 17h30 - 18h00

Travel šŸŽ’

 18h00 - 20h30

Instadeep Movie Night šŸŽ¬ (Limited Tickets!)

The Labia Theatre
Instadeep Movie Night šŸŽ¬ (Limited Tickets!)
 20h30 - 23h00

AfterParty in Town

 23h00

Travel Back to Residence (Bus departs)


Organising committee

photo of Anna Bosman

Programme Chair | Director

Anna Bosman

University of Pretoria
photo of Christopher Currin

CEO | Director

Christopher Currin

Institute of Science and Technology Austria & IBRO-Simons Computational Neuroscience Imbizo
photo of Maria Schuld

Accounting | Director

Maria Schuld

Xanadu & Part-Time Researcher at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
photo of Thapelo Sindane

Fundraising

Thapelo Sindane

University of Pretoria
photo of Nandi Mwase

Logistics

Nandi Mwase

University of Pretoria
photo of Simbarashe Aldrin Ngorima

Marketing & Communications, Local organiser, Logistics

Simbarashe Aldrin Ngorima

photo of Dinorego Bauba Mphogo

Catering & Social Events, Fundraising

Dinorego Bauba Mphogo

Tshwane University of Technology
photo of Laing Lourens

Local organiser, Programme Chair, Fundraising, Catering & Social Events

Laing Lourens

CSIR
photo of Nompilo Mkhulisi

Marketing & Communications, Local organiser, Logistics

Nompilo Mkhulisi

Durban University of Technology
photo of Avashlin Moodley

Marketing & Communications

Avashlin Moodley

CSIR
photo of Leo Hyams

Local organiser

Leo Hyams

University of Cape Town
photo of Joel Leonard

Marketing & Communications

Joel Leonard

University of Pretoria
photo of Avashna Govender

Programme

Avashna Govender

CSIR
photo of Thapelo Maupa

Logistics

Thapelo Maupa

Independent researcher
photo of Maryam Mohamad Al Mahdi

Logistics

Maryam Mohamad Al Mahdi

University of Pretoria
photo of Nomonde Khalo

Local organiser, Marketing & Communications

Nomonde Khalo

IBM
photo of Yeshalen Naicker

Marketing & Communications

Yeshalen Naicker

CSIR
photo of Nilesh Jain

Marketing & Communications

Nilesh Jain

Unversity of Witwatersrand
photo of Matimba Shingange

Logistics, Marketing & Communications

Matimba Shingange

MTN
photo of Claude Formanek

Local organiser, Hackathon, Programme

Claude Formanek

University of Cape Town, InstaDeep
photo of Ruan de Kock

Local organiser, Logistics

Ruan de Kock

University of Cape Town, InstaDeep
photo of Callum Rhys Tilbury

Local organiser, Logistics

Callum Rhys Tilbury

InstaDeep
photo of Tharien Potgieter

Local organiser

Tharien Potgieter

Centre for AI Research, University of Cape Town

Sponsors

FAQ

General

Ā  I’m arriving late on Tuesday, can I still register on Wednesday?

Yes! Come early (8am) to register on the Wednesday morning.

Ā  I have a travel grant or have booked accommodation through the IndabaX to stay at UCT, where is it?

The accommodation is at Fuller Hall, which is a 5 minute walk from the venue.

Directions can be found here.

Check-in is 24/7. Please bring your IndabaX name badge, ID or passport to check-in.

Funding

Ā  How much does it cost to attend the Indabaš•?

The Indabaš• is free to attend if you applied and are accepted. There are paid registration options for academics and industry professionals.

Speakers have their fees waived.

Ā  How much does it cost the Indabaš• per person?

Each person we have at the event costs the Indabaš• ~R1700. Considering we have 300 people, this is a lot of money. We are very grateful to our partners for making this possible.

As a community-orientated event, we are committed to making the Indabaš• as accessible as possible. We have a number of travel grants available to help people attend the Indabaš•. These are allocated at application time. See /register/travel-grants/ for more.

Ā  Can I get funding to attend the Indabaš•?

We have a limited number of travel grants that have awarded to applicants. These are allocated at application time. See /register/travel-grants/ for more.

One of the hardest decisions we make is allocating finite resources to infinite passion. We wish we could fund everyone, but we can’t. We are very grateful to our partners for making any of this possible.

If you need funding to attend, but did not get one this year, the best thing you can do is to apply again next year. We will be around and rotating the event across our beautiful country, and we will be trying our best to make the Indabaš• as accessible as possible.

Ā  How can I support the Indabaš•?

If you are an organisation, consider partnering with us to gain more visiblity and support the Indabaš•. If you are an individual, attending through paid registration options is also beneficial. If you are feeling particularly benevolent, consider donating.

Additionally, consider helping organise the event, volunteering at the event, shouting about the event, or just being a good human being.

Food

Ā  Will there be coffee?

Yes, there will be coffee and tea available at certains times throughout the day!

Ā  Will there be food?

Yes, we will provide lunch on the 12th, 13th, and 14th July. We will also provide snacks and drinks throughout the day.

If you have an “Accommodation” travel grant (you will know this explicitly), we provide breakfast for you on the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th of July.

Each evening will have an activity with some food and drinks provided, but in limited quantities and not intended as a full dinner experience. We strongly encourage you to make friends and go explore the city for dinner.

Safety

Ā  Is Cape Town safe?

Cape Town is a beautiful city, but like any city, it has its problems. We recommend that you take the same precautions as you would in any other city.

The University of Cape Town has security guards on campus and in the residences.

In the city centre, there are security guards on every corner, making the city one of the safer places to be.

Time

Ā  When should I arrive/leave Cape Town for the Indabaš•?

We suggest arriving the day before the Indabaš• starts (i.e. the 11th July) and leaving the day after the Indabaš• ends (i.e. the 15th of July).

Ā  How packed is the schedule?

Very. We have an awesome selection of speakers and activities to fill up the time from ~8:30 am until 5pm and beyond each day. The evening activities are normally optional, but we highly recommend you attend them for the full experience. Remember to take time for yourself, and to explore Cape Town and surrounds.

See more on the schedule page (updated over time).

Location

Ā  Where is the Indabaš• exactly?

The 6th edition of Indabaš• will take place at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

We will be in the Kramer LT1-3 and the quad area of the Kramer Building on Middle Campus.

For more information, see also ABOUT

Ā  Is there parking on campus?

Yes, there is parking on campus. We will provide more information at registration.

Ā  How do I get to the venue from Cape Town International Airport?

The venue is a 30 minute drive from the airport. There are a number of options for getting to the venue from the airport:

  1. Taxi ~ R350 one way
  2. Drive (30 min)
  3. MyCiti bus to the City Centre and then a taxi to the venue

Ā  What are some things to do in Cape Town?

Explore Cape Town and surrounds, see UCT’s CMC Cape Town pageĀ for suggestions.

For on-campus activities,Ā you don’t have to venture far to explore these:

We know that your time is limited when attending a conference, but if you plan on travelling to Cape Town, we recommend visiting a few of our top attractions:

  • Table Mountain: The ride on the aerial cableway is a gentle one: the rotating state-of-the-art cable car takes visitors from the lower station to the top in around 5 minutes. You will be 1000 m above the city, and here in this unique location, you will find rock hyrax, lizards, butterflies and the odd porcupine. There is also a wide array of birdlife flying above great patches of fynbos, the Cape’s indigenous flora. Atop the mountain is a self-service buffet cafe while you can always pack a picnic and enjoy what still is part of a national park. Find out more on theĀ Table Mountain website
  • Robben Island is visited every year by thousands of people keen to understand and honour the important aspects of South Africa’s history that the island represents. Find out more on theĀ Robben IslandĀ website
  • V&A WaterfrontĀ is a precinct in the city centerĀ that offers a wide variety of attractions and activities to enjoy. From arts and culture, such as the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) to more leisurely pursuits such as a sunset cruise on one of the chartered boats berthed here or restaurants and shopping. Do pay a visit to The Watershed with local products, arts and crafts. Find out more on theĀ V&A Waterfront website.
  • Kirstenbosch National Botanical GardenĀ is one of the great botanic gardens of the world. Few gardens can match the sheer grandeur of the setting of Kirstenbosch with the slopes of Table Mountain as a backdrop. In summer, the gardens host open-air concerts and tickets usually sell fast. Find out more on theĀ Kirstenbosch Botanical GardensĀ website
  • Cape Winelands are for wine tasting, and a trip here is one of the best ways to spend a day in Cape Town. Combine the delicious wines with some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth, century-old architecture, and awe-inspiring food, and it’s no surprise that it’s one of Cape Town’s most beloved activities for visitors and locals alike. Find out more on theĀ Cape Winelands website
  • Cape Point is the scenic outlook where rugged rocks and sheer cliffs tower more than 200 metres above the sea and cut deep into the ocean, providing a spectacular background for the park’s rich biodiversity. Cape Point falls within the southern section of Table Mountain National Park.Ā The natural vegetation of the areas ā€“ fynbos ā€“ comprises the smallest but most diverse of the world’s six floral kingdoms. Find out more on theĀ Cape PointĀ ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹ā€‹website

Accommodation

Ā  Can I stay at UCT?

The University regularly hosts visitors and has a variety of accommodation available on and off campus:

Ā  Other places to stay?

All accommodation options in this list are within 10km of UCT and have a rating of more than 3.5 stars on Google reviews or higher than 7.5 on booking.com. We cannot vouch for any of these accommodation options, but they should give a good idea of where to start looking. AirBnb listings and University Res accommodation are not included here.

Under R500 per night

Between R500-R1000 per night

Over R1000 per night

  • To accessĀ UCT locations and a route map of theĀ UCT bus (called “Jammie Shuttle”), seeĀ UCT campus maps
  • To viewĀ directions to UCT locationsĀ and routes, seeĀ UCT route maps
  • To find out what’s happening at UCT, seeĀ UCT News