Google at Deep Learning Indaba 2026
Google at Deep Learning Indaba 2026
Google Research and Google DeepMind are proud to be Mawenzi level sponsors of the Deep Learning Indaba 2026 meeting, which is being held at Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos, Nigeria from August 2nd through August 7th. Deep Learning Indaba aims to strengthen and unite the African Machine Learning and AI community through various events from hackathons and workshops to networking opportunities. As a leader in machine learning research, Google researchers are leading several tutorials and workshops.
Attending @DeepIndaba in person? Be sure to drop by the Google booth to learn more about how we’re actively leveraging ML and AI techniques to develop sustainable solutions, helping address some of Africa's most pressing challenges.
Visit the @GoogleResearch X and LinkedIn accounts for announcements about Google booth activities (e.g., demos and Q&A sessions, which are also listed below).
Continue below to learn more about how Google researchers are engaged at Deep Learning Indaba 2026 (Google affiliations highlighted in bold).
All session times are provided in local time, WAT.
*Date, time and session location may be subject to change.
Google booth demos
All booth demos are hosted in the Google booth located in the Exhibition Hall.
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Mon, Aug 3 | 2:30PM — 3:00PM & Wed, Aug 5 | 1:30PM — 2:00PM
Q&A: Sociotechnical Implications of AGI for the WorldPresenter: Alex Goldin
Join for a Q&A and discussion exploring the sociotechnical implications of AGI for the world. Alex will also share some recent work from the Post-AGI Research Team at Google DeepMind and ask: What do you think are research priorities as we prepare for AGI?
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Tue, Aug 4 | 1:30PM — 2:00PM & Wed, Aug 5 | 5:00PM — 5:30PM
Tokens, Transformers and Trivia: The AI Research Foundations QuizPresenters: Sebastian Bodenstein, Similoluwa Adetoyosi Okunowo, Yassir Aladdin, Ayman Saeed, Maharavosoaniaina Mari-Mar Rakotonirainy, Toky Iriana Rajaofera, Michael Alummootti
Think you know how language models work? Drawn from the Google DeepMind AI Research Foundations course, this fast-paced quiz will test your intuition on modern language models, from tokenization to fine-tuning. Prizes and bragging rights included!
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Tue, Aug 4 | 2:30PM — 3:00PM & Wed, Aug 5 | 2:30PM — 3:00PM
WeatherNext: Weather and Tropical Cyclone Forecasting with AIPresenter: Ilan Price
This demo showcases Google DeepMind's AI-based weather and tropical cyclone forecasting models. The models ran live over the past year, with predictions shared in real time with Met services around the world. We will talk about the underlying model and look at some case-study storms from last year's cyclone season to see how the model performed.
Sponsor sessions
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Mon, Aug 3 | 3:00PM — 5:00PM
Predicting the Next Token in Africa: From Training LLMs to Responsible Innovation on the ContinentPresenters: Avishkar Bhoopchand, Similoluwa Adetoyosi Okunowo, Yassir Aladdin, Ayman Saeed,
Maharavosoaniaina Mari-Mar Rakotonirainy, Toky Iriana Rajaofera, Michael Alummoottil -
Mon, Aug 3 | 6:00PM — 6:45PM
Research to Reality with Google DeepMindPresenter: Amit Vadi
Tutorials
Mon, Aug 3 | 3:00PM — 5:30PM
The AI Lab Partner: Agents for Biological Discovery
Presenters: Natasha Latysheva, Sebastian Bodenstein, Kyle Taylor, Adam Kosiorek
Abstract: As AI tools become integrated into the life sciences, the essential skill for the modern researcher is shifting from running static models to orchestrating "Agentic Workflows." This tutorial moves beyond basic prompting to demonstrate how researchers can use AI agents as collaborative "Lab Partners" to handle iterative, data-driven tasks that call specialised machine learning models. The session provides a hands-on Google Colab experience centred on a critical real-world problem: optimising protein thermal stability. Many life-saving biologicals, such as vaccines and insulin, are fragile and require a strict "cold chain" (2°C to 8°C) that is difficult to maintain in rural or high-temperature regions. By using agents to redesign these molecules for heat resistance, we can improve global health outcomes and industrial efficiency.
Workshops
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Fri, Aug 7 | 9:00AM — 12:00PM
4th TrustAI Workshop at the Deep Learning Indaba: How Trustworthy Are LLM-as-Judges? Implications for the African ContinentAdvisory: John Wamburu
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Fri, Aug 7 | 9:00AM — 12:00PM
GeoAI for a Climate-Resilient AfricaAdvisory: Sekou Remy, William Ogallo
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Fri, Aug 7 | 12:00PM — 1:30PM
Whose Intelligence? Building Agentic AI in Africa without Frontier-Model DependencyOrganizer: Prince Mireku
Advisory: Rosanne Liu
Board & organizing committee
Sponsorship Chair: James Allingham
Communication: Avishkar Bhoopchand
Ideathon: Amal Rannen-Triki, Claudia van der Salm, Ndidi Elue
Trustees: Shakir Mohamed, Ulrich Paquet
Awards Chair: Sekou Remy
Indaba Operations Committee: Avishkar Bhoopchand, Amal Rannen-Triki