2023-07-29 04:18:00
Artificial intelligence (AI) presents a plethora of challenges and opportunities in today’s world. Rapid advances in AI technologies are raising concerns regarding the potential displacement of human jobs, which would have economic and social repercussions. It is essential to ensure that the benefits of AI are distributed fairly and that the transition to an AI-driven workforce is managed responsibly.
Raja Bensaoud, jurist in business and digital law, and co-founder of the Think Tank Digital Act, answers questions from the Policy Center For The New South (PCNS) regarding AI.
To what extent is AI considered to be the engine of the fourth industrial revolution?
AI is at the heart of the economic revolution all over the world. In industry, it is in the process of reshaping the fundamentals of several sectors and sectors and it is difficult to imagine the scale, the progress and the disruptions to come. Industrial use cases are multiplying: predictive maintenance, quality control or environmental impact management.
Ultimately, we can expect the integration of generative AI into industrial processes with deeptech innovations applied to the design of manufacturing products, industrial design or supply chain management. Several large industrial groups are already deploying this generative AI in the test state.
To what extent can AI be seen as an opportunity for a continent experiencing major transitions like Africa?
AI, seen as a lever for innovation and growth, can help Africa meet several challenges. It can thus be used to deal with the lack of access to electricity. AI can help identify suitable energy efficiency solutions and develop renewable energy.
It can also be used to reduce the continent’s vulnerability in terms of food security, by optimizing water resource management processes or by accelerating the response to threats to crops. Real added value can also be brought by AI to develop intelligent transport systems in the face of urban congestion, improve traffic management and develop sustainable transport solutions. The same is true for other sectors such as healthcare, education and finance where AI has made rapid inroads.
What are the limits of AI?
Like other technologies, AI embodies human creative ambivalence. It generates often legitimate fears. Its use in certain areas can lead, consciously or not, to discrimination or infringement of individual or collective rights. Furthermore, AI can be subject to misuse, misuse or unethical use.
For example, it can make it possible to produce disinformation on a large scale, with the aim of sowing doubt regarding sovereign institutions and functions. Finally, the use of AI systems is not environmentally neutral, particularly because of the large volume of data necessary for their operation. Part of the scientific community calls, moreover, for the development of a frugal AI.
For all these reasons, the development of AI must be accompanied by specific national and international legal frameworks in order to protect people and societies from the potentially negative effects of this technology.
What can you tell us regarding the progress of AI in Morocco?
Like other countries, Morocco is trying to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by AI. Thus, this technology is already deployed in the operation of certain public services but also in several sectors such as banking, insurance, medicine or radiology.
In addition, clusters with high technological density have emerged such as MedTech, AgriTech or FinTech. Several initiatives have emerged with reinforced support and thanks to an entrepreneurial dynamic of a myriad of young Moroccans. “OCP Maintenance Solutions”, “Smart Factory By Pharma 5”, or the “Fez Smart Factory” project, are some examples of the ecosystem of actors.
At the level of the public authorities, the ADD (Digital Development Agency) has launched an ecosystem dedicated to AI and which favors support for R&D in various sectors. There is thus a general motivation of the various stakeholders and it is important, now, to move forward in the development and integration of AI, to intensify efforts to arrive at a dynamic and attractive ecosystem that promotes scalability. and growth.
1690622203
#heart #economic #revolution