Valuing human capital not only serves to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills to respond to systematic shifts, it also empowers them to take part in creating a more, equal and sustainable world. Education is and will remain critical for promoting inclusive economic growth and providing a future of opportunity for all. It is in line with this, that Coven Works' has partnered with The Deutsche Gesekkschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to successfully train 100 youths from underserved communities in Nigeria on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Coven Works', the leading Data Science and Artificial Intelligence education organization in Nigeria, schooled and mentored these 100 participants for a period of twelve weeks and secured placements for each trainee in a three months internship, where they will work in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence related job functions. While speaking at the Project Demonstration day of the Beneficiaries, Coven Works' Country Director, Mr. Dunsin Fatuase said that "Coven Works through Coven Labs will continue to focus on upskilling youths in underserved communities, by providing cutting edge knowledge in data science and Artificial Intelligence for Africans, and other working professionals to the point where we can say that Africa has a refined workforce fully ready for the future of work."

A new WIPO flagship study has documented a massive recent surge in artificial intelligence-based inventions, with U.S.-based companies IBM and Microsoft leading the pack as AI has moved from the theoretical realm toward the global marketplace in recent years. The first publication in the "WIPO Technology Trends" series defines and measures innovations in artificial intelligence (AI), uncovering more than 340,000 AI-related patent applications and 1.6 million scientific papers published since AI first emerged in the 1950s, with the majority of all AI-related patent filings published since 2013. This inaugural Technology Trends report provides a common information base on AI for policy and decision makers in government and business, as well as concerned citizens across the globe, who are grappling with the ramifications of a new technology that promises to upend many areas of economic, social and cultural activity. "Patenting activity in the artificial intelligence realm is rising at a rapid pace, meaning we can expect a very significant number of new AI-based products, applications and techniques that will alter our daily lives – and also shape future human interaction with the machines we created," said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. "AI's ramifications for the future of human development are profound. The first step in maximizing the widespread benefit of AI, while addressing ethical, legal and regulatory challenges, is to create a common factual basis for understanding of artificial intelligence. In unveiling the first in our "WIPO Technology Trends" series, WIPO is pleased to contribute evidence-based projections, thereby informing global policymaking on the future of AI, its governance and the IP framework that supports it," said Mr. Gurry.