Despite the many advantages of AI, it is thought that the technology has a sizable potential for both risks and rewards. A number of states are recognizing the necessity to assess the degree to which AI can influence human processes as technology becomes more and more interwoven into modern life. Such laws are now possible because of the EU AI Regulation Act.
The AI Act is a proposed law on artificial intelligence (AI) for Europe; it is the first law on AI from a significant regulator anywhere. Applications of AI are categorized into three risk groups by law. The first step is the outlawing of programs and frameworks that pose an unacceptable risk, such as China’s government-run social score systems. Second, there are special regulatory criteria that apply to high-risk applications, such as a tool that scans CVs and ranks job applicants. Lastly, applications that are not expressly forbidden or marked as high-risk are mainly unregulated.
The EU AI Act may become a global standard, determining if AI affects your life positively or negatively, wherever you may be, similar to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018.
Understanding how artificial intelligence (AI) and other associated technological advancements can be used to meet Nigeria’s national goals and aid in the solution of a wide range of local issues, ranging from food security to healthcare, is necessary for the design of this AI policy.
Nigeria needs a strategy to minimize the risks of possible job displacements and, conversely, to direct ways in which young people can engage in the new AI economy because of its teeming youth population.
The proposed EU rule has a number of caveats and loopholes, according to the AI Act. These flaws restrict the Act’s capacity to guarantee that AI continues to improve your life. For instance, at the moment, police are not allowed to employ facial recognition software unless photographs are taken slowly or the technology is being used to locate missing children.
In addition, the law is inflexible. If, in two years’ time, a dangerous AI application is used in an unforeseen sector, the law provides no mechanism to label it as “high-risk”.
In any case, before any AI system is implemented in Nigeria, a human rights impact assessment must be performed.
Author
