Artificial Intelligence and International Development — Insights from Olivier Moisse, CEO of Riaktr
Roundtable YULCOM Technologies x FARI – AI for the Common Good Institute: AI & International Development — Episode 4/6
🧠 “AI is not an end in itself. It is a powerful lever… provided the problem is well defined.”
🎙️ In this episode, Olivier Moisse, CEO of Riaktr, shares a sharp perspective: AI only creates value when it is aligned with real needs and supported by solid data.
📌 Following Jean Van Wetter on data as a lever for action, Grégory Depasse on technological co-creation, and Danny Van Roijen on the European regulatory framework,
Olivier Moisse takes the reflection further:
-
How can we create AI that is truly useful?
🟰 For him, it all starts with a common mistake:
Many organizations launch AI projects without clearly defining the problem they aim to solve.
AI is often confused with ChatGPT, while its true value lies in targeted applications—AI has existed for decades, and it is not about the hype, but about solving specific challenges.
🔍 Where general-purpose models bring only marginal gains, specialized AI, embedded in sectors like telecommunications or industry, creates real performance levers.
📡 Example: optimizing 5G technologies already relies heavily on such applied AI.
📊 But none of this works without reliable data. Olivier emphasizes:
➡️ No effective model without properly collected data.
➡️ This crucial step is too often underestimated.
🛡️ And what about GDPR?
➡️ Sometimes too vague, making it easy to bypass.
➡️ Sometimes too rigid, slowing down innovation, particularly in healthcare.
Europe is advancing cautiously, while elsewhere the absence of rules accelerates innovation—often at greater risk. Hence the urgent need for a balanced yet enforceable framework.
💬 “Is what’s good for humanity always good for the human being?”
Olivier ends his intervention with this essential question, highlighting the potential risks of an all-knowing, interconnected AI deployed without safeguards in unstable political contexts.
📌 This video is part of our mini-series “AI & International Development – Perspectives from Belgium and Québec”, organized by YULCOM Technologies in Brussels, in partnership with FARI.
🎥 In this excerpt, Olivier reflects on the concrete conditions needed for an AI that is responsible, rigorous, and truly adapted to the challenges of development.
📲 Watch Olivier Moisse’s intervention
