The Artificial Intelligence (AI) landscape in South Africa is uneven and burdened with regulatory challenges which could, if not addressed, give more power to those who already control systems and lead to possible manipulation, a forum held this week heard.
At a virtual meeting on Wednesday, businesses, academia, civil societies, human rights activists, labour movements, non-profit organisations, and legal practitioners, among others, signed an 'Expression of Interest' to promote the responsible use of AI and establish an ethical framework with regulation and standards in mind.
The AI Dialogue South Africa was spearheaded by industry firms Convergence Partners and Accenture, the University of Johannesburg, Digital Council Africa as well as broadband infrastructure solutions company Sun & Shield Technologies.
“The past few weeks have shown how AI is at risk of being biased and manipulated,” Convergence Partners chairman Andile Ngcaba said.
"Facial recognition has come under fire recently for mass surveillance, racial profiling and violations of basic human rights. Large corporations have also pulled plugs off their facial recognition missions.”
“These inherent personal and environmental biases need discussion and options need to be considered. We need to build our own AI ontology and vocabulary that will take into consideration South Africa's Constitution, legacy, history, culture, diversity and languages,” he added.
Experts say the outbreak of Covid-19 and restrictions imposed by the government to try and slow down transmissions are forcing greater and more rapid digital adoption in South Africa, with artificial intelligence technology seeing higher demand.
Participants at Wednesday's AI Dialogue South Africa forum will make up the stakeholder-led AI Institute of South Africa which will be responsible for annual AI symposiums and will consult with the government on policy while representing South Africa in global forums and initiatives.
Involving young people in the development of technology will promote the advancement of skills and help create job opportunities, said Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, vice-chancellor of the University of Johannesburg and deputy to President Cyril Ramaphosa on South Africa's presidential commission on the fourth industrial revolution.
“Involving youth in the development of technology will promote the advancement of skills and creation of job opportunities," he said, adding that this was crucial given that recent data showed that the youth unemployment rate in South Africa reached an all-time high of 59% in the first quarter of 2020.
“Tech start-ups are leading the way in the development of technology and need to play a key role in the AI ecosystem," Marwala said.
He said the private sector and academia should work together and invest in research and development, as well as innovation institutes while at the same time practising responsible use of AI and safeguarding the rights and well-being of all South Africans.
"As we begin to ponder a post-coronavirus world, this dialogue will be an important first step," added the academic.
The consortium will also establish a private sector-led AI Research and Development Fund to provide grants for academia, start-ups, incubators and accelerators. - ANA