IN contrast to the internet, authorities will not be as forgiving when it comes to granting nations unrestricted carte blanche in the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The rapid rise of AI brings with it a multitude of risks that must be addressed due to the magnitude of this endeavour. Regulation of AI is a critical issue that requires a global perspective, particularly in the context of developing nations like Zimbabwe.
Several important considerations emerge as central to this discussion:
Preparing Zimbabwe
AI has significant potential to drive productivity and growth across various sectors in Zimbabwe, but the country needs to be prepared to embrace this technology effectively.
This requires building public awareness, up-skilling the workforce, and developing necessary infrastructures concerning the availability of electricity and digital connectivity.
The impact of AI on jobs is a major concern, as it will lead to jobs being lost, modified, and created. Re- skilling and continuous learning are crucial for the workforce to adapt.
Zimbabwe needs to develop a regulatory framework to address ethical concerns, data privacy, algorithmic bias, and potential risks of AI.
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AU's vision for AI regulation
At the continental level, the African Union (AU) is preparing an ambitious AI policy that lays out a blueprint for AI regulations across Africa.
This includes recommendations for industry-specific codes, standards and certification bodies, regulatory testing environments, and national AI councils. Harmonising AI laws and regulations across the region is crucial.
In the MIT Technology Review, Abdullahi Tsanni writes: “The African Union — made up of 55 member nations — is preparing an ambitious AI policy that envisions an Africa-centric path for the development and regulation of this emerging technology. But debates on when AI regulation is warranted and concerns about stifling innovation could pose a bottleneck, while a lack of AI infrastructure could hold back the technology’s adoption.
“We’re seeing a growth of AI in the continent; it’s really important there be set rules in place to govern these technologies,” Tsanni quotes Chinasa T. Okolo, a fellow in the Centre for Technology Innovation at Brookings US, whose research focuses on AI governance and policy development in Africa.
Some African countries have already begun to formulate their own legal and policy frameworks for AI. Seven have developed national AI policies and strategies, which are currently at different stages of implementation, wrote Abdullahi Tsanni.
Developing Context-specific AI Regulations in Zimbabwe has not yet developed current AI regulations or laws that have been implemented.
The country needs to proactively develop an AI regulation framework to address ethical concerns, data privacy, algorithmic bias, and potential risks of AI.
The framework should be context-specific, pro-innovation, risk-based, adaptable, and focused on user safety and data privacy. Zimbabwe should collaborate with regional bodies like Sadc and the African Union to develop harmonised AI laws and regulations.
The regulation should be devoid of colonial principles and involve the participation of various stakeholders, including civil society, academia, and local communities.
Zimbabwe can learn from the regulatory approaches of other countries, such as the European Union (EU)'s AI Act, China's AI governance principles, and Canada's Directive on Automated Decision-Making.
Globally, major AI laws and policies are taking shape, such as the EU's AI Act and the United States executive order on AI.
AI Regulation: Outlook from Amnesty International
Amnesty International, in a paper entitled The Urgent but Difficult Task of Regulating Artificial Intelligence says, “The year 2023 marked a new era of “AI hype”, rapidly steering policy makers towards discussions on the safety and regulation of new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
“The feverish year in tech started with the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 and ended with a landmark agreement on the EU AI Act being reached. The use of artificial intelligence in the EU will be regulated by the AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive AI law.
“Early signs indicate the western world’s first “AI rulebook” goes someway to protecting people from the harms of AI but still falls short in a number of crucial areas, failing to ensure human rights protections, especially for the most marginalised.
“This came soon after the United Kingdom Government hosted an inaugural AI Safety Summit in November 2023, where global leaders, key industry players, and select civil society groups gathered to discuss the risks of AI.”
Building Zimbabwe's AI ecosystem
Developing the local AI ecosystem, including AI companies specialising in research, development, and application, is important for Zimbabwe to harness the benefits of AI and avoid being left behind.
This should be coupled with efforts to ensure AI systems are rights-respecting by design and that the communities that are impacted are meaningfully involved in decision-making.
Zimbabwe needs to proactively develop a comprehensive AI regulatory framework, in alignment with regional and global efforts, to address the ethical and societal implications of AI while also leveraging its potential for economic and social development.
Jennifer Bryant writes in International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Global Legislative Predictions 2024, “From local to national levels of government around the world, there was a slew of legislative activity in the privacy and data protection space in 2023. And 2024 shows no signs of slowing down.
“The legislative and regulatory landscape will be even more complex in 2024 as some countries work to implement laws finalised last year such as India's Personal Data Protection Law, while others launch or continue discussions around potential privacy legislation.”
Key focus areas for Zim
Addressing ethical concerns, data privacy, and algorithmic bias: Zimbabwe needs to develop a comprehensive regulatory framework to address ethical issues, data privacy, algorithmic bias, and potential risks of AI.
Workforce re-skilling and continuous learning: The impact of AI on jobs is a major concern, as it will lead to jobs being lost, modified, and created. Re-skilling and continuous learning are crucial for the Zimbabwean workforce to adapt to these changes.
Building public awareness and infrastructure: Zimbabwe needs to build public awareness about AI, up-skill the workforce, and develop the necessary infrastructure like reliable power and high-speed connectivity to effectively embrace this technology.
Aligning with regional and global AI regulations: Zimbabwe should collaborate with regional bodies like Sadc and the AU to develop harmonised AI laws and regulations that are context-specific, pro-innovation, and adaptable.
Developing the local AI ecosystem: Zimbabwe needs to create and grow AI companies specialising in research, development, and application of AI solutions to harness the benefits of AI and avoid being a mere consumer of the technology.
Ensuring rights-respecting AI systems: Zimbabwe's AI regulation should focus on ensuring AI systems are designed to be rights-respecting and that impacted communities are meaningfully involved in decision-making.
Linking AI readiness to regional industrialisation Plans: Zimbabwe's AI readiness efforts should be aligned with existing regional industrialisation plans to maximise the impact and benefits of AI.
Conclusion
The development of a sustainable AI regulation framework for Zimbabwe is essential to address ethical concerns, promote data privacy, mitigate algorithmic bias, and ensure the responsible use of AI technology.
By considering key aspects such as workforce re-skilling, public awareness, alignment with regional regulations, local ecosystem development, rights-respecting AI systems, and linkage to regional industrialisation plans, Zimbabwe can establish a comprehensive framework that fosters innovation while safeguarding user safety and privacy.
Collaboration with regional bodies, stakeholder engagement, and learning from global regulatory practices will be instrumental in shaping Zimbabwe's path towards effective AI regulation.
The EU AI Act is seen as a global standard-setter for AI regulation, with potential implications for other countries.
It is expected to come into effect by the end of the current European Parliament term in May 2024, with a phased implementation from 2025 onward.
- Bangure is a filmmaker with extensive experience in newspaper production technologies. He has considerable exposure to IT networks and Cloud. He is an AI enthusiast and scholar. — naison.bangure@hubedutec.com
