40: Rafiki Cai | How to Empower the World Through Emerging Technology

Rafiki Cai is a veteran technologist of over 25 years with a proven commitment to the empowerment of communities through the democratization of technology; particularly through comprehension, cultural affinity, and access. His tech career has spanned from being a journalist covering the nascent World Wide Web for national media to being the co-founder of a Washington D.C. based technology 501(c)3 organization. He has been a sought-out and trusted technology architect from Capitol Hill to Hollywood to Silicon Valley. He currently serves as CTO of the NGO Friends of The Congo. In that capacity, it is his charge to serve as a technology ambassador; accessing resources and building relationships on behalf of everyday people in the Democratic Republic of The Congo. In this week’s episode of The Artificial Podcast, Nick chats with Rafiki Cai of Friends of The Congo. Rafiki shares his journey through the last few decades of technology being at the forefront of technologies like the internet and mobile, and how he was able to work with notable congressional leaders in Washington D.C. and social movement leaders like Rev. Jesse Jackson. Rafiki dives into why he thinks voice assistant technology will be the next massive shift for technology as we know it, and why it is important to make sure Voice remains accessible to people around the world. Rafiki also talks about his work with Friends of The Congo and how he is trying to give an opportunity to women and children in the DRC to learn to build voice apps.