Singularity Summit 2024 brings mind-bending exponential technologies to Africa

Shayne Mann and Arturo Elizondo

The Singularity South Africa Summit 2024, which took place in Johannesburg last month, in collaboration with Old Mutual, saw business titans and thought leaders congregate to learn how global innovations can help solve the global challenges, and help take Africa forward. With over 1,300 delegates, over 50 prolific speakers, robotic displays, interactive experiences, many of which were a South African first, and a metaverse track, the event brought numerous mind-bending innovations to the stage.

Some of the key highlights included the following:

Vegan, animal-free egg whites - the future of food

Four attendees at the annual SingularityU South Africa Summit 2024 were the first in Africa to taste vegan, animal-free egg whites created through precision fermentation by a Silicon Valley food-tech company.

Arturo Elizondo, founder and CEO of The Every Company, has finally settled the age-old question, “which came first, the chicken of the egg?” when he created the world’s first egg whites without a chicken last year – after nine years in development and over $150m worth of investment.

The Silicon Valley food-tech company leverages a process known as precision fermentation to brew real animal proteins without the use of a single animal in an attempt to create a more sustainable and equitable food system by using cutting-edge technologies.

“The way we make animal protein today is the number one cause of extinction on Earth. It is the number one cause of habitat destruction, ocean dead zones and water pollution,” he said citing the destructive nature of our food systems, the rise of factory farms and the industrialisation of animal feeding operations. “The demand for animal protein is expected to double by 2050,” added Elizondo.

The Every Company, which has launched three sustainable food products to date alongside the world's biggest food companies, chose to experiment with making egg proteins because it is such a common ingredient in many foods. Every egg proteins can also be used to make digestive enzymes, animal-free egg white smoothie protein, meringues and macaroons, as well as various other baked goods.

“Our eggs have zero cholesterol, zero saturated fat, zero risk of salmonella, zero risk of avian 'flu, zero hormones and antibiotics. All because there were zero chickens involved,” beamed Elizondo.

Mic Mann and Evan Luthra

David Roberts

Converging biotechnologies in an artificially intelligent age

Dr Divya Chander discussed the potential of biotechnology, synthetic biology, nanotechnology and neurotechnology to revolutionise medicine, enhance human capabilities, and create new forms of life. The biological singularity, she explained, is a point at which biological systems and artificial systems merge seamlessly, ushering in a new era of biological innovation. She highlighted the exponential progress in genome sequencing, with the cost of a human genome plummeting from $100m in 2002 to under $1,000 today.

This genomic revolution has paved the way for Crispr, a revolutionary gene-editing tool that has been used to treat sickle cell anaemia. But Crispr's potential can also be used for human augmentation – modifying genes to enhance radiation resistance for long-duration space missions or improving the nutritional value, taste and resilience of crops.

Similarly, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming drug discovery and development. Scientists are using AI to predict how proteins fold, create new proteins, and accelerate the process of designing new drugs. "In the future, all drugs will be designed by artificial intelligence," she predicted.

Dr Chander addressed nanotechnology, the science of manipulating matter at the atomic and molecular scale. She described how scientists are using nanobots, microscopic machines, for drug delivery, to image hard-to-reach areas in the human body and deliver targeted therapies. Additionally, she delved into the realm of neurotechnology, exploring the remarkable advancements in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that are transforming the lives of those with physical disabilities. Neurotechnology is helping paralysed people regain movement and sensation. "We can now write to the neural circuits of your brain," Dr Chander explained.

The rise of the robots

“Within the next decade, most, if not all, of you are going to have a robot in your home and you're going to think that this is perfectly normal. You might see it as an appliance, a computer, a tool, or maybe as a friend,” said Prof. Benjamin Rosman, who is a professor of machine learning and robotics at the University of the Witwatersrand, as he addressed the audience. He made reference to the Roomba, the first robot vacuum cleaner of its kind from iRobot. Since the first commercial deployment of robots into homes around 2002, there are now more than 20 companies that manufacture autonomous vacuums globally.

With time, the technology has been advancing, the hardware and software of such robots has been upgraded significantly, and they’re becoming more capable, while their cost has decreased. And so, a new generation of robots is being created. Prof. Rosman was joined on stage by the Go2 quadruped robot from Unitree, which the summit organisers have named Murphy. “It's predicted, that by 2030 there will be 1.3 million such dog robots produced annually,” he revealed.

The four-legged robot uses sensors like cameras and Lidar (light detection and ranging) to build a 3D map of its surroundings, allowing it to understand its environment and avoid obstacles safely. This advanced perception is coupled with improved interactive capabilities, allowing for more natural and engaging interactions between humans and robots.

With a battery life of two to four hours, and a top speed of approximately five metres/second, this robot is built for endurance and agility. It can perform a variety of dynamic movements, from jumping and stretching to shaking hands and even pouncing, as Prof. Rosman demonstrated on stage in front of summit delegates. In this way, Murphy can navigate human environments, climb over obstacles, and walk on different types of terrain. Such robots are being used around the world to monitor and inspect oil rigs and factories, as an example.

The robot’s onboard computing power maintains its balance and stability while performing these dynamic movements, without needing to rely on external computing hardware. This level of mobility, flexibility, and self-contained computing power represents an advancement in robotics hardware that enables robots to better adapt to and interact with human spaces and various tasks.

Benjamin Rosman and the robotic dog

Other topics covered at the summit included the potential that artificial intelligence (AI) has to help build economies, disruptive innovation, longevity mindset, scaling AI in the workplace, web3, metaverse, leadership, blockchain and the future of ESG and sustainability

"At Old Mutual, we are committed to leveraging these exponential technologies to drive sustainable growth across Africa. The insights and innovations presented at the summit align perfectly with our strategic objectives of empowering societies and bolstering economic stability across the continent," said Celiwe Ross, director for strategy, sustainability, people and public affairs at Old Mutual.

“The broad range of innovations showcased at this year’s Singularity South Africa Summit, and their rapid progress, shows just how many incredible exponential technologies there are available to help future proof Africa” said Mic Mann, co-CEO of SingularityU South Africa. “We were thrilled to host so many local and global thought leaders who are doing pioneering work in fields as diverse as the future of food, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, robotics and more.”

“We set out to empower African business leaders and delegates alike with the knowledge and tools to not only adapt, but to lead in this new era of exponential change, and we believe that we helped achieve exactly that,” added Shayne Mann, co-CEO of SingularityU South Africa. “It was wonderful to see over 1,300 people attend the Singularity South Africa Summit 2024 and how engaged delegates were over the two days,” he concluded.

Just having completed its sixth year, and known for delivering a world-class, immersive learning experience, the 2024 Singularity Summit, was the first on the continent to host a dedicated metaverse track enabling participants to join remotely and enjoy a web3 experience, via the Africarare metaverse.

Tickets for the 2025 Singularity South Africa Summit, taking place on 22 and 23 October, again in Johannesburg, are now available for a summit super-early bird special price. To book, join the Singularity community of changemakers, or learn more, visit https://singularityusouthafricasummit.org/.