. Britain, others commit £80m to accelerate AI in SSA

A new and urgent global effort has been pledged by countries to stem any catastrophes from the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI).
Already, nations including the UK, the US and China agreed to establish a shared understanding of the risks posed by frontier AI, pledging to ensure the technology is developed and deployed safely.

Announced at a two-day UK government AI Safety Summit running this week, 28 countries also including Brazil, India, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, along with the European Union, signed the agreement dubbed the Bletchley Declaration on AI.

According to mobileworldlive.com, the UK government stated the declaration fulfils key objectives of the summit in establishing shared agreement and responsibility on the risks, opportunities and forward process for international collaboration on AI safety and research, particularly through greater scientific collaboration.

Countries involved in the pact agreed substantial risks may arise from potential intentional misuse, along with highlighting concerns around cybersecurity, biotechnology, disinformation, bias and privacy risks.

The declaration cites the “potential for serious, even catastrophic harm, either deliberate or intentional, stemming from the most significant capabilities” of AI models.

To that end, the countries involved have agreed to encourage transparency and accountability among frontier AI developers covering measuring, monitoring and mitigating harmful capabilities.

UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, described the accord as a landmark which “sees the world’s greatest powers agree on the urgency behind understanding the risks of AI.”

MEANWHILE, at the summit, the UK and other partners are leading efforts to accelerate development in the world’s poorest countries through the application of AI in a combined commitment of £80 million ($100 million).

This initiative involved the participation of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Canada, the USA, and African partners as they address inequality and promote prosperity in Africa.

The focus is on AI because of its potential to have a transformative impact on various challenges, including expediting drug discovery, providing educational access to individuals with hearing or vision impairments, and enhancing the availability of clean energy solutions.

Recall that Nigeria hopes to create about 50,000 jobs through Artificial Intelligence (AI) by 2030.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, revealed this last month when he released his Ministry’s draft Strategic Blueprint for the next four year.

In the 31-page document, titled: ‘Accelerating Our Collective Prosperity Through Technical Efficiency,’ obtained by The Guardian, Tijani, who made references to PwC Report, McKinsey Global Institute Analysis and Accenture Report, said AI will usher in a new era of technological and economic transformation over the next two decades.

He said as an emerging economy, it is imperative that the country formulate a far-reaching national strategy to harness the potential of AI in an inclusive and responsible manner.

To that effect, the minister said Nigeria is taking a unique approach to provide the expertise and perspectives needed to craft a forward-looking strategy.

“The implementation of the strategy amongst other things is expected to elevate Nigeria as a top 10 location for AI model training and talents globally. In addition, we will position Nigeria as a global leader in accelerating inclusivity in AI dataset,” he stated.

Tijani said the plan is also to achieve top 50 global ranking (currently 96) in AI readiness and adoption across metrics (Computing Power, Skills, Data Availability, Ethics and Governance) by 2030.