Opinion
Artificial Intelligence: Man’s ultimate development dilemma
I must confess to being an ignoramus on the subject of digital culture, ICT, and particularly, Artificial Intelligence. Very simple and basic digital tasks leave me stranded; otherwise, given my very early exposure to ICT, one would have been a pioneer in some of the innovations that today command popular attention and profit.
Compared to mere ICT, AI is completely in a world of its own, which a few years ago would only be associated with science fiction. Imagine a car that drives itself, or surgical procedures without a human surgeon! This is the world ahead of us; we are now living the reality of hitherto unbelievable science fiction.
Some religious hot-heads have tried to associate the coming world of AI with the biblical prophecy of the beast. “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” (Rev. 13:17) – a pointer to the end of man.
Ten years ago in Nigeria, you must get to a bank or an ATM machine before you could do any cash transactions. Today, right in the comfort of your room, you can even access a credit of up to a million naira just with your smartphone.
This is the power of AI. It’s still unimaginable what the full potential and impact of AI could be on our lives.
The paper, “Africa’s AI Readiness and Opportunities: A comparative Analysis of 10 key countries,” by Mr. Sonny Iroche, provides an insight into Africa’s preparedness for this new way of life, and identifies the obvious gaps as well as potential benefits, which, as already stated, are unimaginable. “Opportunities are significant if these countries invest in digital infrastructure, foster public-private partnerships, and prioritize ethical AI frameworks,” the paper stated.
Furthermore, it says, “Mauritius and South Africa lead in readiness indices, but their progress is tempered by governance and ethical concerns. Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria demonstrate strong government commitment and innovative ecosystems, yet scaling requires addressing infrastructure and data privacy issues.”
This is very critical to the success of an AI ecosystem, because without the appropriate infrastructure and a transparent and accountable governance structure, as evident in Nigeria and most African countries, AI may become the ultimate human development dilemma, which promises incredible benefits in human advancement, but also a huge risk factor.
My recent experience with the dangers inherent in this profound technological leap brings to the fore the possibility of the biblical prophecy of Armageddon. It’s good to focus on its anticipated benefits, but we must always be reminded of the potential challenges that can bring society, and even civilization, to ruin.
Moralists point to its inhuman nature and the attempt to create a human substitute. However, the real challenge goes beyond such moral argument; in fact, its greatest risk is technical.
So, how concerned should we be about the dangers of artificial intelligence?
“Very,” according to a one-sentence statement released on Tuesday June 1, 2023, and signed by a slew of AI scientists and executives, along with other experts and academics, as reported by Fareed Zakaria in an online newsletter, Global Briefing: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks, such as pandemics and nuclear war.”
As The Economist noted a month before, expert views on AI’s risks range from hysteria to all-is-well. “Eventually, some believe, AI could become powerful enough that it could create societal-scale disruptions within a few years if nothing is done to slow it down, though researchers sometimes stop short of explaining how that would happen,” writes The New York Times’ Kevin Roose.
Everything in life has an element of risk, and not to recognize the possibility of such risk in the quest for an AI-driven world may be courting disaster.
In 2023, my bank had a “technical glitch,” which cost it billions of naira. We know that most of the online banking operations are AI driven. I had noticed that my account balance did not change after a withdrawal, which was really confusing; I went to the bank to report, and got an assurance that it would be promptly addressed. It was not; instead, things went from bad to worse.
I discovered that after each transaction, a debit would be made, and then, reversed, sometime severally. I was in moral jeopardy.
I visited the bank again, but the crowd was huge – a reminder of the currency swap period just a few weeks ago. I knew this was a bank-wide problem, and I went home. Imagine if this happens to NIBSS – Nigeria Interbank Settlement System – the backbone of the financial system; it will be catastrophic.
In March this year, my Fintech bank debited my account twice for a transaction. This bank is completely AI-driven, with no virtual contact, such as a telephone line. I complained through the AI-managed Customer service, and received this notification from Aisha, the AI staffer: “Thank you for contacting us – your #1 digital bank for instant loans, bill payments, and savings. We are here to meet all your financial needs. Your request has been received and we will get back to you in 48 hours….”
After 48 hours, there was nothing, and this was the back and forth for two weeks before I finally got a phone call from a human being. He claimed that my case had been reviewed and the debit had been properly credited. However, according to him, the second debit was for another program I entered, which was completely news to me. I protested against his claim and challenged him to produce proof that I did. He apologized and promised to get back to me. Two months later, he is yet to do so.
These are just a micro or individual experience that could be extrapolated to a macro or systemic level, which points to the potential and real risk inherent thereof. Such risks should be expected because AI is a human product, and no creation of man is perfect and foolproof. A glitch, such as happened during the last election that scuttled the aspirations of many Nigerians, could occur during the surgical procedure, and the outcome can be better imagined. Or an AI-driven car in a crowded traffic suddenly suffers a glitch; just think about such a possibility, which is real.
