The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Luminate, Mr Stephen King, has said that the organisation supported Nigeria’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Collective with $1.5m.
He said this yesterday in Abuja at the unveiling of AI Collective saying the money was going to last for three years.
The event tagged, ‘Shaping an Inclusive AI Ecosystem for Nigeria’ was organised in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, with support from Ford Foundation and MacArthur Foundation.
It was to foster collaboration among key government, private sector, academia, and civil society stakeholders to build a more inclusive and ethical AI landscape in Nigeria.
King said that AI in Nigeria would bring together expertise from civil society academia, tech innovations and many other sectors to work together for its advancement.
“We are so proud to support the Nigeria’s AI Collective with a 1.5 million dollars commitment over the next three years.
“This would drive innovation and ensure that AI was developed and deployed in a safe ethical inclusive and retrospective way,” King said.
Also,, President of MacArthur Foundation, Mr John Palfrey, said that it was imperative that governments regulate the technologies.
Palfrey, represented by the Vice President, Communication Fellows Partnership, MacArthur Foundation, Kristen Mack, said that it would regulate societies, and advance human endeavours.
He said that AI would prevent harm and eliminates the spread of myths and disinformation that threaten privacy and security of the people.
“AI is too consequential a technology for ethical frameworks to be left up to companies since companies ultimately answer to their stakeholders, their boards, and their investors.
“We at MacArthur have been supporting research and analysis that seek to foster greater consideration of the ethical and social implications of AI and other technologies.
“That includes supporting work that strengthens the ecosystem of people and networks, and advancing a vision for technology that is rooted in equity and justice.
“All these aim to ensure the AI is widely beneficial, harms are prevented, and that civil and human rights are central to the governance of technology,” he said.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, said that it was a critical step in taking advantage of future technologies.
Tijani said that it would help to develop homegrown innovations that address local challenges, accelerate economic growth, and contribute significantly to the development of the global technology ecosystem.
“By supporting our startups, we are not only investing in their success but also in the future of Nigeria’s digital economy.
“It is not a lot of money but it is a good source of funding to get us going. AI is a unique technology that offers the opportunity for us to solve problems the way we have not been able to before.
“At the same time it is the kind of technology that when government is not paying attention to there is a danger for society,” Tijani said.
He said the government must ensure that the country tales advantage of it by leveraging it to solve her problems as a country.
The Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, said that the advent of technology led to misinformation and disinformation that needed to be checked.
“So if we are going to safeguard the conversations to build democratic communities, then we really have to find how conversation between media and technology companies can come to the table.
“This is to ensure that they play a very important role for media literacy,” he said.
The National Director, National Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Dr Olubunmi Ajala, said that the government had a role to play when it comes regulating AI for effective use.
He said that there should be guidelines on the use of AI in terms of how to protect individual rights and privacy in setting the standards.
“When people are talking about the regulation, we need to develop the skills of the people in government, likewise Nigerians.
“This is for them to be ready for the AI revolution that is about to happen, and Nigeria is taking steps to meet up,” he said.
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