Artificial Intelligence and International Development according to Grégory Depasse, Chief AI Officer at CGI
Roundtable Series: AI and International Development – Perspectives from Belgium and Québec
Episode 2/6 🌍
“Africa is not a testing ground for our ready-made AI solutions. What if, instead of imposing models, Europe became a true technological bridge?”
🎙️ “You can’t do plug and play with Africa.”
🎙️ “AI is already here—how do we prepare rather than react? Anticipating now means avoiding the higher cost of joining the train too late.”
🎙️ “AI is not a technological revolution—it’s a human one.”
🎙️ “How do we align vision, mission, and training to ensure sustainable AI transformation within our organizations?”
— Grégory Depasse, Chief AI Officer, CGI
This first quote and excerpt shed light on a recurring issue: too often, AI projects replicate models built in Europe or North America without accounting for local realities. The result? A technological debt that hinders innovation and fosters dependence—benefiting no one.
In this segment, Grégory Depasse calls for a paradigm shift:
✅ Build bridges, not imposed models
✅ Co-create AI that is local, lean, inclusive, and tailored to existing infrastructures
✅ Use the European legal framework (AI Act) as a starting point, not an endpoint
✅ Position Europe as a partner, not a prescriber
💡 “Africa’s growth potential is enormous. But to realize it, we must build this technological bridge together.”
📌 This video is part of our mini-series “AI and International Development – Perspectives from Belgium and Québec”, stemming from the roundtable hosted by YULCOM Technologies in Brussels, in partnership with FARI – AI for the Common Good Institute.
