The African continent has been urged to harness the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence (AI) to drive economic growth and empower its abundant workforce.
ADDIS ABABA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The African continent has been urged to harness the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence (AI) to drive economic growth and empower its abundant workforce.
The call was made by the African Union Development Agency in a white paper titled "AI and the Future of Work in Africa," released on Tuesday. It said generative AI presents a powerful tool for shaping a dignified future of work in Africa.
It said by proactively addressing the challenges and harnessing the opportunities, Africa can leverage AI to drive economic growth, empower its youthful workforce, and become a leader in socially responsible AI development. Africa's young population and vibrant technology ecosystem provide significant opportunities to position the continent as a leader in technological innovation and sustainable development.
The continental development agency further underscored the need to invest in digital infrastructure and human capital, including education initiatives. It stressed the crucial imperative of ensuring that AI development is inclusive and tailored to the continent's unique needs and challenges.
Noting that the impact of AI on the emerging future will be a consequence of many factors, including technological and policy decisions, the agency said getting to a better future will require carefully designed policies and regulations that foster the development of AI while keeping the negative effects in check.
The white paper, among other things, recommended that Africa needs a strong infrastructure and a skilled workforce to maximize the benefits of AI. It called for the essential need to introduce national and regional AI policies focused on inclusive education, worker protection, and stakeholder involvement.
The agency further called for human-centered design, noting that AI should complement human skills, not replace them.
It added that training data and AI tools should be developed with African contexts in mind, underscoring that cooperation among stakeholders is key to responsible AI development that respects local knowledge and traditions. ■