3rd AMC: Africans challenged  to develop their own AI

An Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Johannesburg, Prof. Admire Mare has questioned what is African about Artificial intelligence (AI) in the wake of its hype.

He observed that although the natural resources from Africa are powering these technologies, Africans are not part of the conversation as developers or change makers.

Prof. Admire was speaking at the opening of the 3rd African Media Convention held at the Labadi Beach Hotel yesterday.

The theme for the 3rd AMC is “Enhancing Freedom, Innovation, and Environmental Sustainability in a Dynamic Media Landscape”.

Speaking on AI, He said Africans are getting into the conversation as consumers, saying it is a very sick situation we find ourselves in.

Prof. Admire said Africans are finding themselves as downloaders of people’s products but not uploading things on the continent, saying that it is a major challenge that needs an address.

“As we move forward, we need to ask ourselves what we can do further so that we can begin to be part of that development ecosystem so that we don’t just deploy other people’s technologies and I think this is very important especially where we are right now,” he said.

Still, on asking what is African about AI, he said “As long as our languages and our cultures are not part of the development system, we are not talking about AI as Africans.”

Prof. Admire. again said,” AI is something that is being developed, pushed on to us and we have nothing to add to the value and one thing we need to ask ourselves, until when are we going to find ourselves in that ecosystem where African s have no voice but only run to say I want to use AI, what about us as Africans developing our own technologies,  where are we as part of Africans, where are we as Africans, in terms of developing our own systems that preserve out languages, promote our own cultures and also help us to move to the next level and I think that is the conversation we must be having.”

Meanwhile, Prof. Admire said it was unfortunate that there was a conversation on AI with Journalists who are not developers.

“We need to have AI developers in this room to chart a way forward to say what does

 the future of AI and African Media look like if we envision it together

and the power of collaboration becomes very important in that kind of conversation,” he stressed.

He observed that most of the companies behind AI were American Companies, asking where is that of Africans?

He therefore challenged Africans to develop their own AI systems that would serve their interest.

“We need to move away from this hype around AI and to set ourselves into this conversation to say what is it that Africans are going to do about making sure that they develop their own AI ecosystem that serves its interest,” he said.

Prof. Admire also noted that AI is not being designed with Africans in mind, adding that it is being for Africans as consumers and not contributors to its development.

He said if care is not taken, Africans are going to use AI, not on their terms but on other people’s terms, saying it means we do not have a say.

Ghana l Atinka online.com I Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori

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