“The world doesn’t just need smarter machines, but wiser communities too.” This was the sentiment expressed by Professor Tankiso Moloi, speaking at the launch of the Centre for Wellbeing, Artificial Intelligence and Social Impact (C.WAIS).
C.WAIS is the College of Business and Economics (CBE)’s newest research centre where Wellbeing Economics is given a home. The proceedings were guided by head of the School of Economics, Professor Thando Vilakazi.
Prof Moloi, who was speaking in his capacity as the CBE executive dean highlighted C.WAIS comes at a crucial time where society grapples with locating humanness at the centre of using AI.
“AI is changing how we work, how we learn, how we govern, and how we live. The pace [at which AI is developing] is just breathtaking. But for me, the pace is not the real question. The real question is the direction. Technology does not arrive with a conscience. People give it one. Every system is built on choices: what to optimise, who to include, who bears the risk, and who shares the reward. That is why C.WAIS matters. It insists that well-being and social impact are not afterthoughts to AI conversations, they themselves are conversations. Technology should not simply make organisations more efficient; it should make societies better,” he said.
He added that the centre would be the College’s expression of measuring the impact of machines, through the value that it brings to communities. Prof Moloi said the centre, from CBE’s perspective, would additionally be vital in achieving three things, namely; upskilling UJ students, creating pathways for participation in multidisciplinary research and solving societies’ pressing question- how to adopt AI and benefit meaningfully from it.
Founding director of C.WAIS, Professor Talita Greyling, a B-rated researcher and one of the pioneering wellbeing economists on the continent, shared that the centre goes beyond being a job for her, it is now a passion.
“At the heart, of what I do is passion. Many of the pioneers in the field are in their 90s. And I have often asked them, what it is that keeps them going. Their answer is simple. Passion. I have come to learn this, for myself. I am driven by a passion to give a voice to the experiences of people in our country and continent.”
She added while pursuing this novel (to the continent) multidisciplinary research field, she hopes to not only elevate the lived experiences of Africans on the global stage, but to create tangible opportunities for young researchers from the continent, coming up in the field.
Professor Martijn Burger, Director of the Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organisation (EHERO) at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, said he is pleased that the centre has now been formally established at UJ.
A log-time collaborator of Prof Greylings’, Prof Burger said there are many more opportunities for partnerships with EHERO and other global institutions, as well as C.WAIS.
“It’s a very natural connection between the work that we do at EHERO and the ambitions of the new C.WAIS. C.WAIS is at the frontier of AI and big data well-being measurements and the real-time wellbeing and emotion data and the Africa-focused research. And there are many shared opportunities that we can work on and learn from each other. There is the opportunity to study many policy-related questions across cities and regions. Not only to learn on Africa, but also that we can get the knowledge that we have on Africa and take that back to Europe and learn from the continent and also develop a lot of the new decision tools, evaluation, and professional training,” he said.
Giving a message of support from UJ’s point of view was the Deputy Vice- Chancellor Professor Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya who emphasised the importance of research centres in the University ecosystem.
“High-quality research ventures are critical infrastructure for germination of research and researchers and meaningful contribution to our society,” she said.
Professor Phaswana-Mafuya added that the University is particularly proud of the impact the centre will have on the continent.
“UJ is very proud of this centre. We celebrate the establishment of a centre that brings together economics, artificial intelligence, big data, and the social sciences to address a fundamental question: How can research, technology, and innovation improve people’s lives? What a packaged centre that we need in the society we live in today. C.WAIS aims to advance the understanding of human well-being, translate the technology into meaningful societal impact, and highlights the important role of Africa in its advancement,” she said.
C.WAIS hits the ground running with the centre at present being the leading producer of happiness economics research in Africa. Based on Scopus-indexed research output, the UJ ranks 8th worldwide, 1st in Africa and 1st in South Africa in happiness economics research.
This achievement builds on UJ’s impressive rise in the QS World University Rankings, where the University has climbed to 292nd globally, 2nd in Africa and 2nd in South Africa, further strengthening its reputation as a leading institution for research excellence.
