Microsoft Launches AI for Africa Whitepaper in Kenya

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a great potential to streamline processes in financial services, agriculture, healthcare services, and public services if the government comes up with suitable regulatory framework aided with excellent IT infrastructure and useful input from various multi-stakeholder, this formed part of a wider discussion during Microsoft’s launch of its AI for Good series.

In partnership with Strathmore University and Access partnership, Microsoft launched the series which is aimed at boosting awareness around the new frontier that AI will bring to Kenya

“We are thrilled to be working with Strathmore and Access partnership to create awareness in Kenya, showcasing Microsoft’s role as an ally for stakeholders within the Kenya corporate sphere and ensuring citizens can benefit from the full potential that AI technologies bring with it,” Ahmed El Sawwi, Government affairs manager, Microsoft Middle East, and Africa.”

Dr Isaac Rutenberg, Director for Intellectual property and information technology law at Strathmore, expressed the University commitment to champion AI technologies saying,” Strathmore has always aimed to be at the forefront of issues that impact the country at large. Digital transformation and AI are topics that need to be unpacked in a favorable space, bringing stakeholders, government officials, policymakers together for knowledge sharing.

In its AI for Africa Whitepaper, Microsoft addressed the Ethical use of AI which has raised the controversy on its potential to be misused in the technological sector saying that its development “must ensure that the industry brings to our societies and our economies the most significant benefits possible while safeguarding privacy rights.”

During the event which saw the launch of AI for Africa Whitepaper, Mr Sawwi addressed the fear that AI technologies pose a threat to human jobs saying that accelerating AI technologies in most industrial sectors will complement jobs as new jobs will be created that require different skills set.

“Over time,technology has proven to be a great job creating machine, many jobs will continue to require uniquely human skills that AI and machines cannot replicate, such as creativity, collaboration, abstract, and systems thinking, complex communication and the ability to work in diverse environments,” part of the AI for Africa whitepaper said.

In the whitepaper, some of the key relevant areas that developers in this sector have been asked to focus on is the data privacy and security, cybersecurity, digital strategy, and cloud adoption initiatives, intellectual property, procurement policies and international harmonization of rules.