US: Why Nigeria, Other Countries Must Be Equipped to Mitigate AI-related Risks
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The United States government has said that Nigeria and the world in general should be equipped with knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to be able to mitigate the risks its uses pose, especially during elections.
Speaking during a digital press briefing on the review of the: “Global Inclusivity and AI-Africa Conference” as well as its responsible use, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Joy Basu, stated that while it was great to grab the opportunities provided by the use of AI, the world must also learn to reduce its negative impact.
“Many of us know the risks that are both applicable in Africa but also in the United States. There’s a lot of humility we have about understanding that none of us can control these risks alone and that it will really be a global conversation.
“You also have a number of risks particularly around elections. This is a year where so many countries are voting, including our own, and we all have to be aware of those risks.
“Regardless of the ways in which the risks manifest, one key mitigating solution that was discussed is ensuring that our populations are AI-equipped and are AI-ready and that they have not only the skills to take advantage of an AI workforce, but they have the critical thinking skills to be able to assess truth from fiction and disinformation and understand what those risks are and the way that they interact with AI,” Basu said.
She added that there was also a robust conversation throughout the conference about these various concerns as well as about the lack of certain kinds of data and languages and making sure these AI models are built in ways that are inclusive.
However, the DAS argued that the best defence remain the ‘two ears of all our citizens’, explaining that the United States has invested so much over the last few decades and will continue to, in the future, invest in African people.
She highlighted that this will involve investing in access to education so that people will not only be protected against some of the harms that come, but also bring their brilliance and their innovation to make sure that AI is deployed in the most positive way.
Also speaking, the Acting Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology, Dr Seth Center, said the US was partnering Africa on an approach to global inclusivity and artificial intelligence to make sure that the new technology is developed in ways that are safe, secure, and trustworthy.
He explained that it was also important to ensure that the US and Africa mitigate the risks and seize the opportunities together that come with AI.
Center stated that the goal was to make sure to develop the AI governance frameworks necessary to enable access to its use and to continue to support initiatives that expand access to AI tools and education in Nigeria, the region, and across the continent.
He also spoke on the need to explore the kind of application of AI for the most relevant use cases in sectors like agriculture and health that can help drive economies and prosperity.
Describing AI as a unique global technology, he pointed out that the world was in the midst of an intense period of focus already being driven by innovators – the private sector start-ups and researchers.
“And we now have this question of, what are we going to do together to shape the AI future to benefit our societies and strengthen our respective democracies and increase prosperity? And I think all of us recognise that this inflection point has two pieces to it.
“The first is a recognition that fundamentally, whether at a regional level or a global level, we are not on track to achieve what all of us believe are the most important components of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and we have an opportunity to use this new technology to accelerate many of the goals – perhaps up to 80 per cent.
“And what was most striking in terms of the conversations that we had in this conference, and I think a real launchpad for action, is the excitement and optimism around the opportunity to use AI on top of a larger digital revolution to accelerate progress on all of these goals.
“So what we hope to do fundamentally in bringing together a regional conversation. Number two is to make sure that we’re connecting those start-ups and entrepreneurs to a larger ecosystem of private sector actors who can really provide launchpads.
“And then number three, I think, is to take the governance conversation to the next level. What’s significant is many of the countries in Africa are developing their own respective national AI strategies right now.
“There’s an intense focus at the continental level now that there’s an AU AI strategy to try and create interoperable frameworks, aligned governance frameworks that will allow us to innovate,” Center added.
