By Sonny Aragba-Akpore
Apart from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) which has put in place some ground rules in the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), and the International Standard Organisation (ISO) which has also put together semblance of ethics for AI, there are ongoing advocacies for entrenchment of ethics to minimize abuse of the use of AI across global communities.
AI ethics are the moral principles that companies and individuals use to guide responsible and fair development and use of AI.
Although there’s currently no wide-scale governing body to write and enforce these rules, many technology companies have adopted their own version of AI ethics or an AI code of conduct.
AI ethics are the set of guiding principles that stakeholders (from engineers to government officials) use to ensure artificial intelligence technology is developed and used responsibly. This means taking a safe, secure, humane, and environmentally friendly approach to AI.
A strong AI code of ethics can include avoiding bias, ensuring privacy of users and their data, and mitigating environmental risks. Codes of ethics in companies and government-led regulatory frameworks are two main ways that AI ethics can be implemented. By covering global and national ethical AI issues, and laying the policy groundwork for ethical AI in companies, both approaches help regulate AI technology.
Only last week, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) declared its readiness to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) to fight corruption in Nigeria. The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu (SAN), was quoted as saying on the sideline of the National Anti-Corruption Coalition (NACC) Members Hybrid Interactive Forum in Abuja on Thursday, September 19, 2024. Aliyu said the ICPC would deploy technological measures, especially AI, to unravel corrupt practices easily.
The ICPC boss disclosed that within the last 24 hours, the commission recovered about N4 billion stolen by public officeholders. He said: “I want to underscore the potential of technological solutions in promoting accountability and good governance.”
Without sounding immodest, we hope the ICPC’s boss is not dwelling on rhetorics or grandstanding as AI implementation has its dangers and booby traps for practitioners especially when it comes to matters of ethics and standards.
Does the anti corruption body have enough hands on training for its officials to drive AI in combating crimes in the country?
The ICPC explained that “it is alarming to see how much money is being misappropriated, and some individuals have billions of naira in their possession for personal gain. It is a shocking reality that people are hoarding public funds, instead of using them for the benefit of the nation.
“As a commission, we are utilising technology and management systems to restore confidence in the fight against corruption. We are committed to ensuring transparency in this endeavour.”
The ICPC boss further stated that there were systemic flaws in the country, especially on public spending. He said there was a need to invest in technology that could help minimise the challenges of corruption, particularly in public procurement.
“By implementing tech-driven processes, we can reduce practices like contract inflation. Using technologies like blockchain can help eliminate manipulation and ensure the integrity of public procurement. Data analytics are also crucial.”
According to him, the data ICPC relies on is often outdated or inaccurate, which causes inefficiency. But “technology can work wonders because it is not biased like humans. It can help us tackle challenges if we use it properly and effectively. This technology, as I have mentioned, has the capability to address numerous issues. We know there are digital platforms that sometimes, unfortunately, contribute to corruption.”
ICPC claimed it recovered N4 billion of public funds, which were diverted into private accounts within 24 hours, he boasted.
But this remains work in progress.
Last week too, a clear perspective on the dangers of AI was revealed by knowledgeable experts.
The future will see large parts of our lives influenced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. Machines can execute repetitive tasks with complete precision, and with recent advances in AI, machines are gaining the ability to learn, improve and make calculated decisions in ways that will enable them to perform tasks previously thought to rely on human experience, creativity, and ingenuity.
AI innovation will be central to the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by capitalizing on the unprecedented quantities of data now being generated on sentiment behavior, human health, commerce, communications, migration and more.
ITU said it will provide a neutral platform for government, industry and academia to build a common understanding of the capabilities of emerging AI technologies and consequent needs for technical standardization and policy guidance.
“Countries must put in conscious efforts to mitigate the dangers of deployment if they want to achieve positive results,” ITU said.
Speaking during a digital press briefing on the review of the “Global Inclusivity and AI-Africa Conference” as well as its responsible use, last week, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Joy Basu, was quoted by reports saying 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.
Acting Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology, Dr Seth Center, also 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.
Center described AI as a unique global technology, pointing 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.
“What the US hopes to do something fundamentally in bringing together a regional conversation, make sure of connecting those start-ups and entrepreneurs to a larger ecosystem of private sector actors, who can really provide launchpads. And then 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.
AI for Economic Development in Nigeria says “Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been identified as a potentially less costly and far-reaching tool in the work to eradicate poverty and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, a great deal of work needs to be done in and by developing countries to take advantage of the opportunities provided by AI and close the inequality gap.
“AI will introduce innovations that can address some of the development challenges (such as increasing rates of poverty, high maternal mortality rates, low levels of energy access and decaying physical infrastructure) faced by the country; and identifies areas of opportunity driven by the rapid population growth, large potential labor force, and high youth population.”
The document talks about ethical framework to guide the development and deployment of AI technologies in a sustainable and inclusive manner.
In Nigeria, AI can provide sustainable and scalable innovations in key sectors including in:
– Agriculture by providing smallholder farmers with the tools to engage in high-yield, large-scale farming.
– Healthcare by providing digital healthcare services for diagnosis, public health monitoring and disease management.
– It will provide Energy by providing technologies for the generation, distribution, storage, and disposal of energy and power.
Difficulties in developing and deploying local AI solutions are driven by a poor public education system with little emphasis on technical and entrepreneurial skills; the absence of an adequate data ecosystem; and low broadband penetration in the country, despite the high rate of mobile phone penetration.
To resolve these issues the Nigerian Government should:
– Invest heavily in the education system by embedding ICT infrastructure into primary and secondary education to encourage digital literacy and an interest in STEM disciplines from an early age. There should also be investment at the tertiary level in research and engineering laboratories that can create solutions to pressing social and economic issues.
– Expand the broadband network through partnerships with local and international companies able to provide low-cost access across the country.
– Improve the employability of the youth among others.
When the ITU hosted the yearly Global Seminar for Regulators (GSR), in Kampala, Uganda, in early July 2024, Secretary General, Maureen Bogdan-Martin told the regulators that “With change being the only certainty facing regulators and policymakers, we must work together to pursue regulatory approaches to leverage transformative technologies such as AI, promote the space economy, encourage innovation, and support climate action and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
The regulators who met in Kampala, Uganda endorsed a set of guidelines to maximize the benefits of transformative information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR-24) which closed July 4.
GSR 24 highlighted Africa’s National Broadband Mapping Systems project, supported by the European Commission, to help establish broadband mapping systems to foster investment and digital transformation in Africa. With a budget of EUR 15 million over four years, the project will initially benefit 11 countries: Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The “GSR-24 Best Practice Guidelines” agreed by ICT regulators include a series of considerations for balancing innovation with regulation to create a positive impact on societies and economies from emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).
Prior to the opening of GSR-24, the Regional Regulatory Associations (RA) and Digital Regulation Network (DRN) meeting shared experiences and knowledge as well as areas for collaboration. The meeting also featured the achievements of the successful first year of the DRN, focusing on capacity building, thought leadership, and regulatory experimentation and innovation.
Key activities presented include knowledge sharing through the ITU Academy, the broadband mapping project, capacity building activities, contributions to ITU-D Study Groups, RA participation in interactive workshops and engaging on twinning experiences to learn from other Regional Regulatory Associations.
Also ahead of GSR-24, the Industry Advisory Group on Development Issues and Private Sector Chief Regulatory Officers (IAGDI-CRO) convened industry and private sector thought leaders to share experiences and proposals with regulators to address the complex regulatory and business landscape of digital ecosystems.
Apart from digital infrastructure development, implementation of regulatory ”sandboxes,” strategies to enable high-speed connectivity, participants discussed regulation of the future, including new domains such as AI, and technologies for the future.