What is AMLD? From EPFL Lausanne to five African editions
TL;DR
What is AMLD? Applied Machine Learning Days began at EPFL in 2017. Here is how AMLD Africa grew from it, edition by edition, up to Accra in 2027.
Type "AMLD" into a search engine and you will find two things: a summit in Lausanne and a conference that has travelled across Africa. They are related. AMLD stands for Applied Machine Learning Days, a conference created at EPFL in Switzerland in 2017. AMLD Africa grew out of it and has become a pan-African applied AI conference in its own right, with four editions held and a fifth coming to Accra, Ghana, from 22 to 25 March 2027.
Here is the story, and what each name means today.
AMLD at EPFL: where the name comes from
Applied Machine Learning Days started at EPFL, the Swiss federal institute of technology in Lausanne. The organisers tell the story themselves: by 2017, the implications of machine learning were "impossible to ignore", and a group at EPFL decided to create "a platform for open discussion and learning about AI's growing influence". That platform became AMLD.
“A platform for open discussion and learning about AI's growing influence.” The founding idea of AMLD at EPFL, in the organisers' own words.
The Lausanne event is organised by the EPFL AI Center. It is also changing its name. As its focus widens beyond machine learning, the organisers say they are "evolving AMLD into the AMLD Intelligence Summit", covering artificial intelligence, human intelligence and global challenges such as energy, health and robotics.
So when someone in Europe says "AMLD", they usually mean the EPFL summit in Lausanne.
AMLD Africa: same roots, a continent of its own
AMLD Africa took the idea of a conference where machine learning meets real problems and asked what it should look like on the African continent. The answer was a conference that moves from country to country, built around applied work in African contexts: local data, local languages, local institutions and local markets.
Attendees at the welcome desk on the first day of AMLD Africa 2026, at Wits University in Johannesburg.
It is now more than a conference. AMLD Africa is a pan-African organisation that runs:
- Flagship conferences that rotate between African cities.
- An ambassador program, where students and professionals run meetups, campus events and learning circles in their own towns and universities. See the ambassador program.
- Day 0, a day for startups and communities at the start of the conference.
- Partnerships with companies, universities, nonprofits and public institutions.
Our conviction has not changed since the first edition: Africa should lead the AI revolution, not wait for it.
Five editions, from a screen to Accra
Every edition has taken place somewhere different, with a different host.
| Edition | Dates | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2 to 6 September 2021 | Online, fully virtual |
| 2022 | 3 to 7 November 2022 | UM6P, Ben Guerir, Morocco |
| 2024 | 26 February to 1 March 2024 | USIU-Africa, Nairobi, Kenya |
| 2026 | 26 to 29 January 2026 | Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 2027 | 22 to 25 March 2027 | Accra, Ghana |
By our own count, these editions have brought together more than 10,000 attendees from more than 20 countries and more than 200 speakers. You can browse every one of them in the speaker directory.
What actually happens at AMLD Africa
An AMLD Africa conference mixes formats on purpose, so that a researcher, a founder and a civil servant can all find something worth their time.
A packed lecture hall during AMLD Africa 2026.
- Talks and keynotes from researchers, engineers and practitioners working on AI in Africa and beyond.
- Workshops and tutorials, where people learn by doing rather than by listening.
- Day 0, where African AI startups and communities present their work to the people who might fund, hire or partner with them.
- Open time to meet people. Many of the collaborations that come out of AMLD Africa start in the corridors, not on stage.
The audience is deliberately mixed: students, researchers, startups, companies, public institutions and policymakers.
What others have written about it
AMLD Africa has been covered by Forbes Africa in 2022, by African Business in 2024 and, around the 2026 edition, by Wits University and TechCabal. The full list is on our insights page.
AMLD, AMLD EPFL, AMLD Africa: which is which?
| Name | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| AMLD | Applied Machine Learning Days, the original name | Born at EPFL, Lausanne |
| AMLD EPFL / AMLD Intelligence Summit | The summit organised by the EPFL AI Center | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| AMLD Africa | The pan-African applied AI conference and organisation | A different African city each edition |
How to take part
There are four ways in, depending on who you are.
- Attend the next edition in Accra.
- Speak. Applications for AMLD Africa 2027 are open on the edition page.
- Build a local community through the ambassador program.
- Support it as a company, university or institution: see how to partner with us.
Frequently asked questions
What does AMLD stand for?
AMLD stands for Applied Machine Learning Days. The name comes from the conference created at EPFL in Lausanne in 2017.
Is AMLD Africa the same event as AMLD EPFL?
No. They share their roots and their name, but they are separate events. AMLD EPFL takes place in Lausanne. AMLD Africa is a pan-African conference that moves between African cities, and EPFL supports the 2027 edition.
When and where is the next AMLD Africa?
AMLD Africa 2027 takes place in Accra, Ghana, from 22 to 25 March 2027.
How many AMLD Africa editions have there been?
Four so far: 2021 (online), 2022 (Ben Guerir, Morocco), 2024 (Nairobi, Kenya) and 2026 (Johannesburg, South Africa). The fifth is AMLD Africa 2027 in Accra.
Next stop: Accra
From a fully virtual first edition to a fifth one in Ghana, AMLD Africa has kept the same promise: put applied AI in the hands of the people building it across the continent. Join us in Accra for AMLD Africa 2027, or read more about who we are.