From AI classrooms to industry visits in Beijing, two weeks of learning have given me fresh ideas to bring back to Uganda.

From 12–23 October 2026, I participated in the second cohort of the Global AI Compute Faculty Development Initiative in Beijing, China, hosted by the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence(BAAI). It was a rewarding opportunity to deepen my knowledge, exchange experiences with fellow educators, and explore ways to strengthen AI teaching and research in our universities.

Through lectures, practical sessions and discussions, we explored large language models, inference and fine-tuning, heterogeneous computing, AI optimisation, and distributed training. A central question throughout was how to translate this knowledge into meaningful learning opportunities for our students.

I also attended the 2026 AI Open Computing Conference and CrowdWisdom FlagOS Community Technology Conference, held on 17–18 October at the Beijing Zhongguancun National Innovation Demonstration Zone Exhibition Center. Visits to the Xiaomi Technology Auto factory and Huawei’s Beijing campus offered valuable insights into how advanced computing connects with industrial innovation.

My sincere appreciation goes to the African Union and the African Scientific,Research and InnovationCouncil ASRIC for the nomination, and to Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence(BAAI) and UNDP for the sponsorship. I am equally grateful to all the professors, instructors and organisers who generously shared their expertise, and to fellow participants whose perspectives enriched the experience.

I return with a clear commitment: to share this knowledge with colleagues and students and help build AI capacity in Uganda through teaching, research, and collaboration.

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