UK unifies the globe to accelerate AI development in world’s poorest countries
The United Kingdom (UK) — along with Canada, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the USA and partners in Africa, is helping to fund a £80m ($100m) boost in artificial intelligence (AI) programming to combat inequality and boost prosperity on the African continent.
The goals of the UK Government’s AI for Development programme — at an investment of £38 million ($48 million) — include:
* Unlocking the benefits of AI to the 700 million people who speak 46 African languages;
* Making 5 or more African countries globally influential in the worldwide conversation on AI including in using AI to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals;
* Creating or scaling up at least 8 responsible AI research labs at African universities;
* Helping at least 10 countries create sound regulatory frameworks for responsible, equitable and safe AI; and
* Help bring down the barriers to entry for African AI innovators with the private sector.
A statement from Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) says the initiative will initially focus on sub-Saharan Africa ensuring that this ground-breaking technology will be accessible to all.
AI could have a transformative impact on a range of challenges, including speeding up drug discovery, helping people who are impaired in hearing or blind to access education, and improving access to clean energy.
Over the next five years, the UK’s collaboration with global partners is expected to fund post-graduate training and fellowships in AI in African universities and invest in innovators building models with data that accurately represents the African continent, using home-grown skills and computing power.
It is also to foster responsible AI governance to help African countries mitigate the risks of AI and adapt their economies to technological change as well as to help sub-Sahara African countries have a bigger voice in influencing how AI is used to further the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals — a series of targets to make the world a healthier, fairer and more prosperous place by 2030.
FCDO further says collaboration is part of a wider UK commitment to harness the opportunities of AI and ensure its use as a force for good, as the UK hosts the first-ever AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park, England this week.
UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly is quoted in the statement, saying: “The transformative power of AI should have a global benefit. AI can change lives for the better around the world, including helping to develop new treatments for diseases and to tackle food insecurity.
“The AI for Development programme, alongside the AI Safety Summit hosted in Britain this week, are a testament to how we and our partners will use cutting-edge technology to create a more equitable and prosperous future.”
Canada, through International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has contributed $25 million (£20.5 million) to partner with UK’s £38m over five-years through the ‘AI for Development: Responsible AI, Empowering People’ (AI4D).
Canada’s Minister of Science, Innovation & Industry, François-Philippe Champagne said: “International collaboration is essential to ensure AI is used safely and responsibly around the world.
“Our government makes a point of working with like-minded partners and innovators to harness the potential of AI for sustainable economic development, aligned with global efforts to develop and use AI safely and responsibly.”
On its part, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has invested $30 million (£24.7 million), which was announced at Grand Challenges annual meeting in Dakar, Senegal in October.
Its CEO Mark Suzman is quoted as saying: “From accelerating medical breakthroughs and expanding access to health care, to boosting learning outcomes and increasing agricultural production, AI has the potential to help solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
“But impact is only possible if the benefits of the technology are relevant, affordable, and accessible to everyone. The commitments announced today underscore the importance of supporting locally-led innovation to ensure AI can be used by communities around the world as a powerful and equitable tool for good.”
Another partner in the programme is USAID, whose chief digital development officer & director for technology, Christopher Burns said: “As development practitioners and donors, we have a moral obligation to ensure AI is designed and deployed in a responsible and ethical manner to the benefit of all, particularly underserved communities.
“USAID looks forward to working alongside our partners to advance this vision,” he said.
In supporting all aspects of AI ecosystems in Africa, the programme will include investment in post-graduate AI research skills and inclusive and locally focused datasets in Nigeria, and it will support innovation and scaling in Kenya to accelerate impact on the SDGs.
Eliud Owallo, Kenya’s cabinet secretary for information communications & digital economy, said “through this broad coalition of partners, AI potential benefits will open opportunities and the risks preparedness broadened”.
“This partnership will benefit all countries and ensure that developing countries are not left behind in the AI revolution.”
Also involved is Rwanda, whose minister of information, communication technology & innovation, Paula Ingabire said her country is fully committed to harnessing AI’s transformative power to drive their nation’s and continent’s social and economic development agenda “by becoming the proof of concept hub that Africans produce from, for the continent”.
“Africa has historically lagged behind in previous technological revolutions due to a lack of local production and value addition capacity.
“This collaborative initiative is of paramount importance as it empowers African countries to become producers, not just consumers, in the AI revolution, ensuring that we are at the forefront of shaping our own future and driving sustainable progress across the continent.”
Other partners are influential global technology experts, Google and Microsoft and on Google’s part, James Manyika, senior vice-president, research, technology & society said: “Getting AI right – that is, harnessing its potential to benefit society while addressing the complexities and risks – requires approaching it in a way that involves and benefits everyone.
“That means mobilising regional expertise, expanding infrastructure, supporting nonprofit innovators using AI, and making sure individuals can develop needed skills.
“Google has been supporting innovation and growth in Africa since 2005 when we made a big bet on the Seacom Cable, and we look forward to working with this consortium, the African Union, and other key stakeholders across the continent to unlock the promise of AI for all.”
Microsoft’s vice-president-Tech for Social Impact, Justin Spelhaug said: “We at Microsoft are proud to partner with the UK Government and other international development organisations in the launch of the joint AI for Development initiative.
“This initiative aligns with our own vision for digital development and our commitment to using technology to drive social impact. We look forward to being an active partner in this collaboration and to working with African countries to realise the opportunities of AI for development and social impact.
“By leveraging our Digital Development Program and working together, we can coordinate our efforts for maximum impact on the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Through AI for ‘Development: Responsible AI, Empowering People’ (AI4D) UK’s contribution will work in areas related to skills-building, the creation of relevant and inclusive datasets, support for policy design, and financing for innovation and scaling, starting with partners across sub-Saharan Africa.
This will unlock the creativity of innovators to develop solutions to pressing development challenges and mitigate the risks of AI increasing inequalities.
In supporting all aspects of AI ecosystems in Africa, the programme will include investment in post-graduate AI research skills and inclusive datasets in Nigeria, and it will support innovation and scaling in Kenya and Rwanda to accelerate the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals.
This new programme forms part of a broader collaboration and the group will coordinate with African partners to adapt to changing needs and partner with tech companies to align on a shared positive vision for AI for development.
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