US technology giant Andela has announced that it will start using artificial intelligence (AI) to sieve its own employees and those it will recommend for employment to other technology developers in Africa.
Andela CEO Jeremy Johnson is quoted by VentureBeat, a technology website, as saying that the process of setting up the AI system is underway.
“We’re working on the algorithms now and I expect it to be an active part of how we operate by the end of this year,” Johnson is quoted as saying by VentureBeat.
“We have 60 different assessments that are part of the application process, and so there’s a tonne of data — psychographic, as well as behavioral — on who people are, what they’re able to do, what they like doing, and different personality types,” Jeremy Johnson adds. “[These are] going to drive not just where people are placed, but also who’s accepted into Andela.”
The development is seen as a move to revolutionize the technology sector in Africa by Andela which recently secured $100 million in funding courtesy of Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management, becoming one of the largest venture-funded rounds ever for a startup operating in Africa.
Andela will incorporate AI into how it decides to hire and assign its developers, but AI expertise is also beginning to become part of what Andela clients want.
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Machine learning isn’t part of the tech stack offering from Andela today, but Jeremy Johnson is quoted by VentureBeat as saying he has seen growth in interest from companies who want to hire Andela developers for machine learning projects.
Since all Andela developers work remotely, a special focus is put on skills that will allow the team to function smoothly.
Soft skills training has become a growing part of the curriculum to ensure developers mesh well with remote teams, Andela president Christina Sass is quoted as saying.
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