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The African continent is poised to experience a significant economic boost as it recognizes the immense potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and begins to harness its power across various sectors.
As Africa accounts for only 2.5% of the global AI market, AI for Development (AI4D) Africa projects that emerging applications can increase the continent’s economic growth by $2.9 trillion by 2030, emphasizing the vast opportunities that AI presents for socioeconomic progress.
A comprehensive report by GSMA, titled ‘AI for Africa: Use cases delivering impact,’ identifies over 90 AI use case applications in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa that can drive socioeconomic and climate impact.
Max Cuvellier Giacomelli, head of mobile for development at the GSMA, emphasizes that “to harness the transformative potential of AI across Africa, there needs to be a strong focus on increasing skills for both AI builders and users, especially among underserved populations.”
Giacomelli stresses the need for better training programs, given the global brain drain on AI talent, and highlights the importance of strong partnerships across a broad ecosystem of partners, including tech giants, NGOs, governments, and mobile operators.
Additionally, Giacomelli notes that policies must evolve to address concerns regarding inequality, ethics, and human rights in AI deployment.
Journalist and author Arthur Goldstuck, who has extensively written about AI over the last decade, recently published ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI,’ which highlights several AI use cases throughout the African continent.
Goldstuck mentions Senegal’s early adoption of mobile apps that enable farmers to test their produce against market prices, and a similar example in Kenya, where the cloud-based platform Intellipro allows farmers to input all data about their produce and access loans to buy essential supplies.
Agriculture, which employs 52% of the African working population and contributes 17% on average to GDP, stands to benefit significantly from AI applications. The GSMA finds that the majority of use cases in agriculture involve machine-learning-enabled digital advisory services, which provide farmers with data-driven advice to adopt climate-smart farming practices and optimize productivity.
However, as Africa develops its AI strategies, Johan Steyn, a human-centered AI advocate, believes that the continent needs to tread carefully with regard to regulation.
Steyn praises the European Union’s (EU) regulatory guidelines, approved in March, which divide the technology into four categories of risk ranging from ‘unacceptable’ to high, medium, and low risk, and notes that the EU AI Act will serve as the “gold standard for AI regulation globally.”
While some African countries, such as Mauritius, Nigeria, and Kenya, have made significant strides in AI regulation, Steyn criticizes South Africa’s stance, saying that the country is “quite far behind” in this regard.
Goldstuck concurs, stating that the South African government’s initial framework was premature and poorly informed, and that the country’s AI industry remains largely unregulated.
Steyn warns that without careful regulation, AI could lead to a dystopian future characterized by total control and mass surveillance, citing China’s social obedience system as an example.
Referencing George Orwell’s 1984, Steyn emphasizes that citizens must be vigilant to prevent governments from abusing their power over AI, and that a union-like regulatory framework may be necessary to ensure the technology benefits all African communities.
However, Steyn also acknowledges the challenges of implementing a one-size-fits-all approach across Africa, highlighting the importance of digital sovereignty and the need for countries to learn from the EU’s regulatory model.
Ultimately, Steyn believes that the future of AI in Africa is uncertain, with two possible scenarios: a utopian future with significant jumps in healthcare, education, and economic equality, or a dystopian future with total control and mass surveillance.
While there is much to be excited about regarding AI, Steyn emphasizes that it is crucial to address concerns surrounding digital and economic divides, ensuring that AI is used for the greater good and that Africa retains control over its digital sovereignty.
I removed all the sentences with less than 5 words and rewrote the article to make it unique and cohesive, maintaining the original content’s meaning and tone.
