Why Are Foundation Models Different? Emergence and Homogenisation
Emergence and homogenisation explain why governing foundation models differs from governing conventional software, and what that means for regulators.
Almanac Africa Editor 8 min read
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19 articles
How Did We Get Here? From Machine Learning to Foundation Models
Foundation models did not arrive with a single invention. They came from three key shifts, each one moving more of what a system does out of code written by people and into what it learns from data during training.
Almanac Africa Editor 7 min read
Foundation Models, LLMs, Generative AI, Frontier Models: What is the difference?
Foundation model, LLM, generative AI, frontier model: four terms, four different questions and why the difference decides what AI law actually regulates.
Almanac Africa Editor 14 min read
Introducing the Grounding Series: Understanding Foundation Models
In August 2021, Stanford researchers named a shift already under way in AI. What a foundation model is, why the name was contested, and why the argument reached the statute
Almanac Africa Editor 9 min read
Introducing Africa's AI Almanac (Previously Liminal AI)
Welcome to the inaugural edition of Africa's AI Almanac. We are launching this monthly briefing at a pivotal moment. As AI transitions from a technical curiosity to a foundational pillar of African economies, the rules of the game are being written in real time.
Almanac Africa Editor 6 min read
Introducing the “Powering AI Series”
Powering AI in Africa: exploring AI’s growing demand for electricity, data centres, power infrastructure, energy policy, and what this means for African governments and policymakers.
Almanac Africa Editor 3 min read
Introducing the Africa Foundation Model Project
The Africa Foundation Model Project examines the AI models increasingly shaping Africa’s digital future. It tracks foundation models, their data, capabilities, access, safety disclosures and deployment, with a focus on what these developments mean for African governance, businesses, researchers and society.
Almanac Africa Editor 2 min read