Department of English Encouraged to Leverage the Fourth Industrial Revolution Spinoffs
The Department of English in the Faculty of the Humanities has been encouraged to leverage spinoffs from the fourth Industrial Revolution especially Artificial Intelligence for language and literature development through designated policies and infrastructure.
This was highlighted at the opening ceremony of a three-day English Department 12th International Conference held at UB under the theme "The Role of Language and Literature in the 4th Industrial Revolution" recently. The conference was held both physically and virtually.
Keynote speaker, A senior research fellow at the University of Free State, South Africa, Professor Lillian Atanga, pointed out how scholars feared emerging technologies eroding the traditional development of literature and language. However, she observed that African linguists embrace the positives that Artificial Intelligence contributed to the development of African languages such as translations, voice to text and availability of literature online, among other benefits.
During the conference, participants from institutions across the globe discussed various topics in relation to Language and Literature in the 4IR era and its impact on institutions of higher learning such as the University of Botswana.