By Jerrywright Ukwu

The history of humanity is that of evolution and advancement, driven mainly by technology, which is a by-product of scientific breakthroughs. 

The world has changed tremendously from what it was during the prehistoric era to what it is now - the Neolithic age - with so much progress made in virtually every endeavour of life. Yet, the progress made comes with a baggage of existential challenges threatening enough, sometimes to bring a headache to humanity.

Of all the recent inventions and creations of men, the one that has been dominating every discourse in the private and public sectors, from classrooms to research laboratories and government and non-governmental organisations, is Artificial Intelligence, AI for short. 

AI refers to computer systems that perform tasks which typically require human intelligence. It involves creating machines or softwares capable of learning from data, recognising patterns, making decisions, and solving problems that mimic human intelligence. 

AI is the current rave of the moment, a little less unknown a few years ago. Its development is both a revolution and an evolution. Its coming is revolutionary because of the massive disruptions it has caused, it is bound to cause and the anxiety and threats it has generated.

On the other hand, its birth is an evolution because it is an advancement over manual (human thinking), which is now being taken over by simply pressing a digital button.

As it were, AI is impacting jobs and the world in various ways. For instance, AI can be deployed to perform repetitive and mundane tasks, freeing human workers to focus on more complex and creative endeavours with the potential to improve productivity and efficiency across industries, leading to economic growth and innovation. These are some of AI’s positive sides - based on available knowledge. 

Abiola Olaonipekun, a business analyst and Principal Consultant at BanahGrace, a market research firm, sharing her experience with AMAKA disagrees with the notion that AI could pose any threat.

“I don’t see AI as a threat but as a tool to make me smarter and work efficiently. As a woman in the market research industry, I’ve seen how technology has helped to reduce manpower on some tasks and restore some clients’ confidence. 

“I firmly believe AI will set off a renaissance of new research tools and methodologies.”

In a broader context as espoused by Abiola, AI is transforming various sectors such as healthcare, transportation, finance, and entertainment and can be potentially helpful in revolutionising medical diagnoses, optimising transportation networks, enhancing financial decision-making, and creating more personalised user experiences. 

Already, AI is creating new job opportunities in fields like data science, machine learning, and AI development.

Conversely, despite its identifiable gains, AI can disrupt specific job sectors by replacing humans in tasks they previously performed. With generative AI like ChatGPT, content writing is becoming imperilled.

Concerns and AI's threat to jobs

A product designer, Shahazeen Shaheer, in a blog post in February, said virtual artists are already losing gigs and jobs around the globe due to the recent introduction of AI-generated art by AI tools like Mid Journey and Dalle 2. Some positions may become obsolete or require reskilling as AI systems become more advanced. 

Although it has brought some giant leaps in human advancement and conquest over nature as man seeks to dominate his environment, AI has its potential risks and threats. This can be comparable to “a pandemic or even nuclear war”, leading experts in the AI ecosystem including the CEO of OpenAI, creators of ChatGPT, Sam Alman and AI godfather, Geoffrey Hinton, in a joint statement urge caution and the need to regulate the discipline before it eliminates man from the surface of the earth.

The primary threat posed by AI is the potential for misuse or unintended consequences. As AI systems become more sophisticated, there is a risk of bias, discrimination, and loss of data privacy, which unscrupulous elements may manipulate to achieve some sinister objectives, including its weaponisation.

Diversity in AI development teams should be encouraged, while measures to detect and mitigate bias in AI algorithms to prevent discrimination against races, religious sects, political beliefs, among others must be established.

With the potential to render some jobs redundant or eliminate them completely, humans must continue upskilling or re-skilling to equip themselves with the skills needed to adapt to the changing job market influenced by AI.

It undoubtedly has profound ethical, psychological, social, economic, and legal consequences for human society and severe implications for the African continent, especially the women folk.

While there is excitement about AI’s potential, there are concerns about technology replacing jobs in Africa, where many nations already suffer high unemployment.

Need to get African women prepared

Work as we know it will change, and millions, possibly billions of Africans, especially women, need to be prepared for the coming change.

Betty Abang, Senior Manager, Client Services at Weber Shandwick, disagrees. She said:

“I wouldn’t say AI is a threat in my industry. AI can’t write press releases or invite the media to events. It is pretty much an enhancer for me. Because now, I can write academically sound pieces with the help of AI.

“But, then again, you now have the question of bias and maybe accuracy, which you can always verify from human experts. AI makes my work better.”

A 2021 World Economic Forum report found that women comprise only twenty-five per cent of data and AI positions in the global workforce. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that the needs and voices of African women are centred in creating and disseminating this technology.

Even as there is enormous potential for AI development in the continent, there are also legacy challenges in terms of infrastructure availability as well as human and institutional capacity gaps to develop and govern AI to optimise benefits of how it can be harnessed to empower female entrepreneurs.

Also, policymakers in the continent must ensure that women stand to benefit from policies that provide safety nets and utilise AI technologies for inclusion.