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Éthique des machines et identités africaines: Perspectives de l'intelligence artificielle en Afrique
[Machine ethics and African identities: Perspectives of artificial intelligence in Africa]

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  • Kohnert, Dirk

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been embraced enthusiastically by Africans as a new resource for African development. AI could improve well-being by enabling innovation in business, education, health, ecology, urban planning, industry, etc. However, the high expectations could be little more than pious wishes. There are still too many open questions regarding the transfer required, and the selection of appropriate technology and its mastery. Given that the 'technology transfer' concept of modernization theories of the 1960s utterly failed because it had not been adapted to local needs, some scholars have called for an endogenous concept of African AI. However, this caused a lot of controversies. Africa became a battlefield of 'digital empires' of global powers due to its virtually non-existent digital infrastructure. Still, African solutions to African problems would be needed. Additionally, the dominant narratives and default settings of AI-related technologies have been denounced as male, gendered, white, heteronormative, powerful, and western. The previous focus on the formal sector is also questionable. Innovators from the informal sector and civil society, embedded in the local sociocultural environment but closely linked to transnational social spaces, often outperform government development efforts. UNESCO also warned that the effective use of AI in Africa requires the appropriate skills, legal framework and infrastructure. As in the past, calls by African politicians for a pooling of resources, a pan-African strategy, were probably in vain. AI may develop fastest in the already established African technology hubs of South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. But promising AI-focused activities have also been identified in Ethiopia and Uganda. Gender equality, cultural and linguistic diversity, and changes in labour markets would also be required for AI to enhance rather than undermine socioeconomic inclusion. In addition, ethical questions related to a specific African identity have been raised. The extent to which African ideas of humanity and humanitarianism should be taken into account when developing an African AI remains an open question. In short, calling for the rapid deployment of AI in Africa could be a double-edged sword.

Suggested Citation

  • Kohnert, Dirk, 2022. "Éthique des machines et identités africaines: Perspectives de l'intelligence artificielle en Afrique [Machine ethics and African identities: Perspectives of artificial intelligence in Africa]," MPRA Paper 113800, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:113800
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kohnert, Dirk, 2021. "On the socio-economic impact of pandemics in Africa: Lessons learned from COVID-19, Trypanosomiasis, HIV, Yellow Fever and Cholera," MPRA Paper 107561, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. M. B. Rapanyane & F. R. Sethole, 2020. "The rise of artificial intelligence and robots in the 4th Industrial Revolution: implications for future South African job creation," Contemporary Social Science, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(4), pages 489-501, October.
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    4. Kohnert, Dirk, 2019. "The ethics of African regional and continental integration," MPRA Paper 95562, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Moustapha Cisse, 2018. "Look to Africa to advance artificial intelligence," Nature, Nature, vol. 562(7728), pages 461-461, October.
    6. Kohnert, Dirk, 2021. "The impact of digitalization on poverty alleviation in Africa," MPRA Paper 110269, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Kohnert, Dirk, 2007. "On the Renaissance of African Modes of Thought - The Example of the Belief in Magic and Witchcraft," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 39-61.
    8. Kohnert, Dirk, 2004. "Are Non-state Actors Better Innovators? The Ambiguous Role of Non-state Actors in the Transition Process: The Case of Benin and Madagascar," MPRA Paper 977, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Intelligence artificielle; Innovation; Apprentissage automatique; Big Data; Industrie 4.0; valeur morale; Éthique de l'IA; Philosophie africaine; Afrique; Afrique subsaharienne; développement économique et sociale; développement humain; secteur informel; pauvreté; commerce international; État fragile; Afrique du Sud; Nigeria; Kenya; Postcolonialisme; Études africaines;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E26 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Informal Economy; Underground Economy
    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • F35 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Aid
    • F63 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Economic Development
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • J46 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Informal Labor Market
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • N17 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Africa; Oceania
    • N37 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Africa; Oceania
    • N47 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Africa; Oceania
    • N77 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - Africa; Oceania
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • O35 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Social Innovation
    • P46 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Consumer Economics; Health; Education and Training; Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Poverty
    • Q14 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Finance
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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