Page 77 - SAMRC AnnualReport 2025-26

P E R FOR M A NC E I N FOR M A T I ON

NtobmiVimbela! and Vimbela uVikele! Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators with Department
of Higher Education and Training Director of Social Inclusion Ms Sesi Mahlobogoane.

AI in Medical and Health Research Copilot and other generative AI tools to develop
vector illustrations for manuals, training guides,
GHRU has made strategic investments in artificial
intelligence (AI) and data-driven technologies to presentations, and community workshops,
strengthen research quality, operational efficiency, enhancing visual storytelling and accessibility of
and accessibility of disability and GBV data. materials.
Research findings highlighted the complex The Disability Data Initiative further explored
role of technology in shaping young people’s strategic AI integration to enhance its regional
relationships, including technology-facilitated GBV, platform through automated summary generation,
digital coercive control, and online harassment. tailored data visualisation, natural-language search,
These insights informed adaptations to the Ntombi and simplified query tools. These innovations
Vimbela! and Vimbela uVikele! interventions, have the potential to democratise access to
strengthening online-risk awareness and digital disability data and strengthen evidence-informed
safety components. advocacy and inclusive planning for policymakers,
researchers, and civil society organisations.
The Unit continued implementing a Train automated
transcription software to improve qualitative Collectively, these efforts demonstrate the Unit’s
data processing and initiated development of commitment to leveraging AI and digital innovation
an isiZulu AI transcription model to strengthen to strengthen research, advance evidence-informed
multilingual research fidelity and accessibility. The decision-making, and improve outcomes in GBV
disability research portfolio also used Microsoft prevention and disability inclusion.

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