Author : Dr Rachel Adams
Site of publication : https://afripoli.org/
Type of publication : Report
Date of publication : 2022
Introduction
In 2017, Price Waterhouse Coopers published their seminal report, “Sizing the Prize”, which projected that, by 2030, AI would contribute US$15.7 trillion to the global economy. However, the distribution of the wealth and power afforded by AI technologies has been, to date, widely unequal. Despite the global reach of the AI supply chain, the benefits of these technologies have not been realised in the African region and are, instead, largely accrued by the Big Tech companies of the Global North and China and those that can afford the daily efficiencies offered byAI through smart speakers, such as Amazon’s Alexa, and smart cars.
On the other hand, the African continent boasts a unique context that is well-positioned to take advantage of AI technologies to advance local socio-economic growth, including through the potential ability to leapfrog technological infrastructure associated with the Third Industrial Revolution and a growing and dynamic youth ready to adapt to new forms of digital work and entrepreneurship. Policy responses to AI are emerging across the continent, with Egypt, Mauritius and Rwanda being the first African countries to publish national AI strategies. However, Africa remains dominated by foreign technology and AI firms that do not necessarily support the realisation of national developmental priorities. Or worse, they exacerbate exclusion and oppression for certain groups, particularly women.
AI in Africa: Emerging Technologies and Concerns
AI-driven systems and solutions are commonplace across the continent. In Kenya, locally designed AI solutions are being developed to assist farmers in procuring farming equipment or in making decisions about the optimal time to sow or yield certain crops.
AI challenges in Africa
Digital IDs and Biometrics
Increasingly, digital ID systems, often encompassing biometric technologies that read facial signatures, fingerprints or iris scans, are being adopted by both government bodies and private companies in Africa. In South Africa, a rather more problematic example of an AI-driven digital ID system was deployed in providing access to social grants for grant recipients.
Facial Recognition Systems
In South Africa, Vumacam, a company that uses a Danish-built facial recognition system, has been establishing a comprehensive network of surveillance cameras designed to profile suspicious behaviour. These technologies have been proven to misread African faces and severely limit human rights – such as freedom of movement, association and the right to equality and fair treatment. Their use in a racially divisive country such as South Africa is highly risky and at odds with the country’s democratic vision of a transformed and equal society.
Social Media and Content Takedown
The Big Tech foreign monopolies, which currently dominate in the African region, do not just threaten new entries to the market. The economic might of such companies, the foreign investment they bring and their evasion of domestic laws can also negatively impact a government’s capacity to protect the rights of their citizens and those living within their borders. Social media companies, which use AI to filter user content and detect and takedown inflammatory posts, are a good example of where domestic regulation across the world has not always been successful in holding such companies to account for harms caused as a result of their algorithmic decision making.
The Role of Foreign Companies and Governments on AI in Africa.
AI technologies also tend to be developed and offered by a small number of multinational monopolies, which undercut local businesses and domestic growth potential. Huawei is a clear example of a dominant market player. The establishment of highly technical cloud services and the massive data centres required to house and power these data-driven services require substantial resources – land, electricity, water and technical skill – which tend to be accessible only to Big Tech.
Regulating AI in Africa – Emerging Trends
Reviewing Africa’s Existing AI Policy Landscape
Mauritius
Mauritius was the first African country to publish an AI strategy document, publishing their Mauritius Artificial Intelligence Strategy in 2018 as a report of the national Working Group on AI.
SmartAfrica Blueprint
SMARTAfrica was established in 2013 by various African heads of state to advance information and communication technologies and digital development on the continent. The Blueprint sets out five pillars of a successful AI strategy for African countries:
- Human capital, including a technologically skilled workforce and AI talent;
- From lab to market and the design of AI solutions that can be scaled up and attract venture capital investment;
- Infrastructure necessary for developing AI locally, such as access to data and highpowered computing;
- Networking through an expanded ecosystem of public and private bodies and partnerships, including international organisations and industry bodies;
- Regulations to address emerging challenges and opportunities of AI at national and sectoral levels.
Similar to Mauritius’s AI Strategy, the Blueprint includes key use cases for AI across agriculture, healthcare, education, financial services, energy and transportation and climate change.
Developing AI-related Policy Areas in Africa
Data Governance
Data protection laws are impacting attitudes toward sharing data that may contain personal information. On the African continent, an emerging policy trend sees African countries establishing data protection laws or data policies that seek to keep data within their home territory. The rationale behind this trend is largely economic. The Kenyan Data ProtectionAct, 2019, for example, requires that a copy of all personal data transferred outside the country must also be kept and stored within the country.
Re-skilling
A particular issue that has not received adequate attention to date is the impact of automation on job-loss for African women, who occupy the majority of positions of low-skilled labour and repetitive tasks and can thus be more readily replaced by automation. It is not clear how far Rwanda’s new AI policy will address the structural challenges faced by women in the digital age. These issues are further exacerbated by what has been found to be a growing digital gender divide within the continent.
Key Policy Considerations for AI in Africa
Regional Co-Operation
Regional cooperation remains an important policy option for developing common regulatory responses for multinational and foreign tech companies operating in the region. This cooperation could also extend to developing taxation provisions for multinational social media platforms.
Building Local Capacity and Skills
The development of AI and related data and technology skills amongst policy-makers and workforces on the continent is a key pre-condition for developing and supporting the responsible use and development of AI. Holistic capacity development policies are needed to promote understanding around AI at all levels, with specific policy measures to advance women in STEM and AI-related decision-making positions.
Advancing African Value Systems and Principles in AI Ethics
Within the diverse social and cultural contexts found within the African region, ethical standards for AI should emphasise digital literacy and education, community beneficiation, holistic reskilling programs, access to basic digital infrastructure, protection of minority ethnic communities and promotion of diverse forms of knowledge in developing AI solutions.