In September 2024, the High-level Advisory Body on AI issued its final report on Governing AI for Humanity at the UN, emphasizing the ethical and inclusive development of AI globally. The inclusive development of AI is critical for sub-Saharan Africa as most AI systems in the region are developed and hosted abroad (for instance, Nigeria is one of the most technologically advanced countries in Africa, but more than ninety percent of the technological software used in the country are imported). The UN General Assembly also adopted the Pact for the Future, including the final version of the Global Digital Compact, both of which could bridge the digital divide in Africa and support the region’s growth and resilience in the AI age. The Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology and the UNDP released the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework: A Guide to Building Safe and Inclusive DPI for Societies, vital for African nations to ensure their digital ecosystems are secure, transparent, and beneficial for all citizens.
This blog highlights the inherent challenges sub-Saharan Africa faces in meeting AI-related policy recommendations from the UN and why context-specific legal and policy interventions will be required to address potential harms from the use of AI. It also examines the impact the growing influence of AI has on democratic values, governance, political stability, the integrity of information and economic stability, should proper AI policy frameworks fail to be adopted in Africa.
AI technology: Opportunities and challenges
From the bustling streets of Nairobi in Kenya to the remote villages of the oil-rich Niger Delta of Nigeria, AI technologies are fast reshaping the sub-Sahara African landscape, offering unprecedented opportunities for innovation, progress, and prosperity, in areas such as fintech, access to healthcare, and agriculture. For instance, In Accra, Ghana, a group of young entrepreneurs is harnessing the potential of AI to tackle one of the continent’s most pressing challenges: access to healthcare. Their telemedicine platform connects rural patients with remote medical experts, aiding in diagnosis and consultation. This innovation closes some urban-rural healthcare gaps and enhances outcomes through early intervention.
While the benefits of such AI advancements are obvious, the sub-Saharan African region grapples with the inherent challenges that come with the growing influence of AI. To illustrate the scale and complexity of the disruptive impacts of this technological advancement, one needs only to observe the AI-facilitated extremist-fuelled misinformation and the proliferation of negative AI-generated content in Africa. Already, generative AI is contributing to the propagation of false narratives on social media platforms, from health misinformation leading to harmful practices to fabricated political propaganda sowing seeds of discord and disinformation, undermining public trust and threatening the foundations of democracy within Africa. In parallel, the unchecked spread of negative AI-generated content poses an additional challenge to Africa’s stability and cohesion. Deepfake videos manipulating political discourse and AI-generated hate speech targeting marginalized communities are additional examples of the nefarious application of AI technologies. These not only exacerbate existing social tensions but have the capacity to kindle the flames of conflict, further destabilizing fragile democratic institutions.
At its core, democracy relies on an informed citizenry actively participating in political processes. However, when misinformation distorts reality, and AI-generated content amplifies divisive narratives, the essence of democratic governance is undermined. Political participation becomes skewed, as individuals may base their decisions on false information or be put off from engaging altogether due to the toxic online environment. Moreover, the erosion of public trust in institutions fueled by misinformation and negative AI-generated content hampers the effectiveness of democratic governance. Without trust, governments struggle to garner support for policies and initiatives, hindering their ability to address pressing societal challenges effectively. This trust deficit also extends to electoral processes, casting doubt on the legitimacy of election outcomes and undermining faith in the democratic system.
In addition to AI’s potential impact on the democratic system, economic instability and reduced investment concerns arise. The existing low digital literacy of large segments of the African population, coupled with limited resources, could widen the digital divide, hampering the economic opportunities for those who lack digital skills. While sub-Saharan Africa is not alone in contending with the disruptive impacts of AI and its impact on socio-economic and socio-political conditions, the region’s unique situation amplifies the urgency of addressing these challenges. With lower levels of digital literacy and fewer economic resources dedicated to combating misinformation, African societies are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of false narratives and divisive content, which the unfettered use of AI may uniquely amplify. Moreover, the continent’s diverse cultural and linguistic landscape presents additional complexities in discerning between reliable and unreliable information, further exacerbating the spread of misinformation. This poses a significant risk of exacerbating social division. This is more so as the commercial interests behind these technological advancements are mostly abroad and relentlessly prioritize profit over the well-being of the subaltern societies where they are deployed.
Navigating Africa’s AI/digital storms
As is often the case with public policy and against Africa’s rich diversity, it’s clear that context-specific legal and policy interventions will be required to address online harms from the use of AI. Many of these solutions won’t be undemanding. They will require significant time, effort, and political will. Indeed, they will require economic investment. No region has yet unearthed the perfect solutions; even advanced jurisdictions are entangled in the ongoing mêlée to grapple the multifaceted challenges with the proliferation of AI in almost every field of industry. This is in addition to the frequently overlooked yet equally valid concern about the unintended impacts of regulation on innovation within markets facing numerous challenges, the complexities of which require solutions that AI technologies can facilitate.
Notwithstanding this complexity, perhaps sub-Saharan Africa can identify and prioritize a few universal (or relativist) applicable suggestions to minimize the adverse and possible impacts of deploying some of these AI technologies to Africa. After all, as the Nigerians say, no matter how small a pepper is, it is still hot. Tailored solutions are likely be more of effective than maintaining the status quo.Top of Form Comprehensive AI-specific legislation is often touted as the ideal policy intervention in navigating Africa’s AI Odyssey, but the journey to it demands more than mere rhetoric. As observed in other jurisdictions, crafting suitable AI-specific legislation is a formidable and drawn-out process, requiring unwavering political will and legislative finesse. Hence, a pragmatic approach would be to start with the modernization of general privacy and data protection laws, alongside consumer protection regulations and human rights laws, to better address online harms that the advancement of AI technologies pose. While these foundational frameworks may not fully meet the demands of AI regulation, they serve as a solid foundation from which to build.
Initiatives aimed at enhancing digital literacy and critical thinking skills are pivotal in empowering citizens to navigate the complexities of the digital age. African nations must gradually introduce technical interventions to bolster resilience against AI harms, misinformation and negative AI-generated content. This entails making strategic economic investments in AI-powered content moderation tools and fact-checking algorithms, which are instrumental in detecting and flagging false information, ultimately curtailing its dissemination and influence. To complement this, deliberate, creative, and forward-thinking systemic changes within the African AI ecosystem are required (especially the need for robust, culturally relevant awareness and sensitization). This multifaceted approach of legislative reform, technical measures, and educational empowerment can pivot the advancement of AI in Africa towards a more pro-humanistic and pro-development direction.
Author's bio
Jake Okechukwu Effoduh is an Assistant Professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada, where he teaches Technology Law and Critical Approaches to AI and Law. With expertise at the intersections of international law, human rights, and AI, Effoduh’s current research investigates how the governance of AI systems can effectively address algorithmic bias against Africans and people of African descent, as well as discrimination and unfair treatment based on protected characteristics such as race, gender, identity and ethnicity.
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