Business leaders are increasingly impatient to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) in their operations, with many having high expectations for what the technology can deliver.
Tech leaders are willing to spend to reap what they hope will be game-changing business improvements and streamlined operations, with a 61% rise in planned spending on AI in 2024, according to new research.
But business leaders should strike a balance between their excitement for AI with the needs of the business. For all the promise of this technology, many companies have already ended up with AI proof-of-concepts which have not delivered the results they hoped for.
Attaining tangible results from AI investment requires both careful thought, and attention to detail in execution.
There is a huge gap between exciting tech built in the laboratory and the day-to-day reality of business applications. It’s all too easy to take a short-sighted view and become over-excited by technology that has not yet crossed this gap. This is exactly how AI investment is wasted.
The Risks and Challenges
AI holds significant promise for positive impact in Africa, yet it also brings substantial risks. Unfortunately, these risks may disproportionately affect those least prepared to address them, particularly within the African continent.
Research indicates that AI can perpetuate biases, amplify injustices, and infringe on human rights. The technology has negative implications for transnational organized crime, with criminals exploiting AI to breach personal datasets, applications, and impersonate individuals for extortion or fraud.
In South Africa, impersonation fraud surged by 356% between April 2022 and April 2023.
Moreover, AI can manipulate public opinion through the spread of misinformation or disinformation, a form of soft power.
For instance, during Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, a widely circulated deepfake audio on WhatsApp, Facebook, and other social media platforms falsely portrayed a secret conversation among leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) planning to compromise the elections.
The advent of advanced deepfake technologies and expansive language models introduces complex socio-technical challenges to democratic processes.
As African countries strive to develop robust AI policies, proactive measures to address AI-related concerns are still in their infancy.
Despite this, many nations on the continent are likely to prioritize staying abreast of AI advancements and harnessing its potential benefits. This focus may obscure potential threats and postpone solutions to future challenges.
Strategic Approaches for AI Governance in Africa
African countries can design and adopt their own governance approaches to address the current and future roles of AI through several key strategies:
Develop comprehensive national AI strategies: While African countries can begin to implement AI strategies to capitalize on their potential immediately, they should prioritize the creation of comprehensive national AI strategies.
These strategies should encompass regulations, investment opportunities, and consideration of country-specific peculiarities while aligning with existing continental and global policies.
Integrate AI Policies with broader initiatives: AI-related policy activities and interventions should be woven into broader initiatives focused on privacy, security, data access, intellectual property protection, human rights, and cross-border data interchange.
A coordinated effort by diverse stakeholders is necessary to connect these policy areas and develop a coherent action plan for policymakers.
Foster partnerships and knowledge sharing: African governments should prioritize partnerships and knowledge-sharing opportunities to advance AI initiatives on the continent.
This involves collaborating with other governments, regional organizations, academic institutions, and industry players to exchange best practices, resources, and expertise in AI governance.
Identify and mitigate AI risks: Governments and partners should begin to identify, amplify, and mitigate potential AI risks. This can be achieved by prioritizing ethical AI education and increasing awareness of AI-related harms.
Integrating AI ethics and responsible AI principles into educational curricula and raising public awareness about the implications of AI technologies are essential steps.
Given the evolving nature of AI, continuous research is crucial to track emerging threats and provide early warning support.
AI Adoption and Innovation
African consumers, educational institutions, governments, and companies are rapidly adopting AI to aid in content creation, improve the delivery of public services, and streamline business processes.
Although there is limited information on consumer adoption of AI tools across the continent, usage has surged due to the introduction of ChatGPT, DALL-E, Midjourney, and other commercial AI tools.
According to the 2024 Stanford AI Index, 27% of Kenyans use ChatGPT daily, placing Kenya third behind India and Pakistan.
Google search trends also reveal rising consumer interest in AI across Africa, with searches related to AI increasing by 270% over the last year and 400% over the last five years in countries such as Kenya.
African educational institutions, such as the University of Pretoria in South Africa, Makerere University in Uganda, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, have developed prominent AI labs and published research focused on leveraging AI for social impact.
The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), launched in 2003 with educational centers in Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, and Rwanda, has established several Master’s and PhD programs in AI, machine learning, math, and data science, graduating over 3,000 students.
Additionally, large tech companies have established AI research labs in Africa. Microsoft set up the Microsoft Africa Research Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2020. Google launched an AI research lab in Accra, Ghana, in 2018, and IBM Research opened labs in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2013 and Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2016. These initiatives reflect a significant commitment to advancing AI research and application across the continent
Staying Agile in the Ever-Evolving Era of AI
Business leaders must stay strategic when dealing with AI and avoid getting caught up in the excitement surrounding the technology.
This requires taking a step back to focus on real, tangible problems and prioritizing which ones to address first.
A holistic approach is essential: AI integration should be seamlessly woven into the solution for a real-life business challenge, and the project should be something that multiple teams can actively engage with.
By adopting a measured, holistic approach, leaders can ensure that AI projects move beyond the planning stage and truly harness the benefits of this transformative technology.
