Jacki O'Neill: Pioneering AI Research and Human-Computer Interaction in Africa

What's Your Story: Jacki O'Neill - A Journey in AI and Human-Computer Interaction

This article delves into the career path and insights of Jacki O'Neill, Director of Microsoft Research Africa, Nairobi. It explores her journey from growing up in a working-class town in England to becoming a leader in AI research on the African continent.

Early Life and Education

Jacki O'Neill grew up in Plymouth, England, a socially deprived working-class town. This environment provided her with a rich view of life. After a year as a cook in the Lake District, she pursued higher education. Initially, she studied social science, but a recession upon graduation led her to explore other fields. She eventually pursued a Master's in Computer Science and a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), merging her interests in psychology and technology.

Career Beginnings and Bold Moves

O'Neill's career began with a PhD in Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), a field highly relevant to modern collaborative technologies. She took a non-traditional path, working as a consultant and even living in a squat to manage her finances while studying. Her first industry job was at Xerox in Cambridge, but the lab closed within six months. This led to a move to France, working in Grenoble, and then a significant move to India to help open a Xerox research lab.

India: A Transformative Experience

Her time in India was transformative. She was struck by the richness of the culture and the opportunity to conduct research in diverse areas, including social enterprises and financial inclusion. She worked with auto-rickshaw drivers in Bangalore, designing technologies to help them understand loans. This experience highlighted the importance of building trusted relationships with communities to understand their needs and develop truly beneficial technologies. She also noted cultural nuances, such as people sometimes saying what they think you want to hear, and the need to navigate traffic safely by following others.

Joining Microsoft and Moving to Africa

Inspired by her work in India and her desire to focus on technology for emerging markets, O'Neill joined Microsoft in Bangalore. Later, seeing an opportunity to establish research in Africa, she pitched the idea for a research lab within the Africa Development Centers (ADCs). Her personal connection to the continent and her children's Cameroonian heritage further motivated this move. She chose Nairobi as the location for the new research center, timing her move just before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leading Microsoft Research Africa, Nairobi

As Director of Microsoft Research Africa, Nairobi, O'Neill leads a multidisciplinary team focused on foundational models, particularly in multilingual languages and AI equity. The team is working on benchmarking models for various languages, from high-resource to low-resource ones, and collaborating with product teams to integrate these advancements into Microsoft products like Copilot. They are also exploring the impact of AI on the digital divide, emphasizing the need for diverse data and worldviews in AI models.

The Future of AI and Work

O'Neill's team is also researching the future of work with AI, examining how enterprise and frontline workers can leverage large language models (LLMs) and vision models. They are introducing these technologies to small businesses in Kenya, enabling them to use AI for tasks like contract writing and sales. The focus is on mobile-first interfaces and conversational AI, recognizing that mobile phones are the primary computing device for many. She believes AI, especially through voice interfaces, can democratize access to powerful tools, acting as a virtual accountant or designer for small businesses.

Personal Philosophy and Advice

O'Neill's career is characterized by a proactive approach to seeking exciting opportunities and embracing change. She believes life is meant to be exciting and that diverse experiences foster creativity and better innovation. Her advice to others is to be passionate, verbalize their aspirations, and actively pursue them. Her personal motivation to move to Africa was also driven by her desire for her children to experience the continent and for her family to live there.

Key Takeaways:

Embrace the Journey: O'Neill's career highlights the value of non-linear paths and embracing unexpected turns.
Human-Centric AI: Her work emphasizes the importance of understanding user needs and cultural contexts in technology development.
Global Impact: She is passionate about creating AI solutions that benefit diverse populations and address global challenges.
Proactive Career Growth: Her success stems from actively seeking opportunities and advocating for her vision.
Diversity in AI: The need for diverse data and perspectives in AI models is crucial for equitable development.

Images:

A circle photo of Jacki O'Neill, director of the Microsoft Africa Research Institute (MARI), with a microphone in the corner on a blue and green gradient background.
Photos of Jacki O'Neill, director of the Microsoft Africa Research Institute (MARI), throughout her life.

Research Areas:

Artificial Intelligence
Human-computer interaction
Social sciences
Technology for emerging markets

Research Groups:

Interaction homme-ordinateur
Office of Applied Research

Related Labs:

Microsoft Research Lab - Africa, Nairobi