Very interesting discussion this morning with Rachel Adams from the African AI Observatory. Rachel is based in South Africa and has been a leading figure in putting together the Continential AI Strategy published just last month by the African Union. She’s written a paper about it with Ayantola Alayande here.
You’ll be able to watch the full interview shortly as part of the ‘Process This’ series I’ve been doing with Tripp Fuller, speaking to experts from across different disciplines about the impacts of this extraordinary technology. I’ve chatted to Nobel Prize winning economist Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides, Professor John Caputo, and Lord Tim Clement-Jones, one of the leading figures in the regulation of AI in the House of Lords.
Rachel brings a hugely important perspective on AI’s impacts in the Global South, and just how vital the continent of Africa is to the whole AI lifecycle, beginning with providing so many of the rare earth minerals that make the tech possible. But, despite a huge user base, big tech firms from the US and Europe are doing very little to invest in LLMs that ‘work’ for Africans, or in suitable protections when it comes to privacy harms or political interference. This, Rachel explains brilliantly, is a major issue – one that’s going to become far worse if we don’t work to make AI more equal.
Her book – The New Empire of AI – the Future of Global Inequality – is published in November and is going to be brilliant, and an essential read. More news on this when the interview is out.
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