Professor Tommie Meyer, deputy-director of the Artificial Intelligence Research Unit (AIRU) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), has been awarded a prestigious South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair in Symbolic Artificial Intelligence. The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)/National Research Foundation (NRF), recognizes Professor Meyer’s contributions to the field of AI and supports continued innovation in transparent and explainable AI systems.
The focus of Professor Meyer’s chair, involves the development of systems that reason using high-level, human-readable logic. These systems offer an interpretable alternative to many contemporary “black box” machine learning models, aligning with AIRU’s commitment to advancing ethical and responsible AI.
“It’s important not to lose sight of the human aspects of AI,” Professor Meyer says. “Some of us in the AI research community are of the view that the field should be renamed to ‘Augmented Intelligence’ to emphasize that these technologies should support, rather than replace, human decision-making.”
An internationally recognised expert in Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KRR), Professor Meyer’s research includes work on Belief Revision, Non-Monotonic Reasoning, and their application to Description Logics. His expertise has significant implications for fields where explainability is essential, including healthcare and the legal system.
“Intelligence should not be conflated with consciousness,” Meyer adds. “It is possible to exhibit intelligent behavior without being conscious. It is also possible to be conscious without exhibiting intelligent behavior.”
The SARChI award will further enhance UCT’s standing as a continental hub for pioneering, ethical, and human-centric AI development. AIRU now hosts two SARChI Chairs: Professor Meyer’s in Symbolic AI and a second in Artificial Intelligence Systems, held by Associate Professor Deshen Moodley.
With this new recognition, Professor Meyer and the AIRU team are set to advance their mission of creating AI that is not only powerful but also trustworthy, transparent, and aligned with societal needs.
Original article written by Ayanda Mthethwa https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2025-05-15-uct-scholars-awarded-sarchi-chairs-in-ocean-modelling-and-symbolic-ai
https://sit.uct.ac.za/articles/2025-04-14-sarchi-chair-awarded-prof-tommie-meyer