- UK-based Nigerian priest, scholar affirms
An African priest and doctoral researcher in the UK has challenged academics, leaders and policymakers across Africa to develop the political will to fix the continent otherwise, the citizenry would miss the benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Rev. Fr. Justine John Dyikuk, who made the call recently while presenting a keynote address at the International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conference entitled: “Artificial Intelligence, Communication, Development and Sustainability in Africa” decried that “the grim reality is, while the world is thinking, talking and doing AI, Africa is battling in the jungle of survival.” He lamented that it is difficult for African scholars “to convince the world that we are ready to adopt AI given that in 2023, there were 12 million out-of-school children in sub-Saharan Africa alone, according to UNESCO.”
The doctoral student in Journalism, Media and Communication, at the University of Strathclyde Glasgow, UK, charged presenters to “posit ways that AI can drive development and sustainability given the effects of colonialism and brain drain across the continent, as well as the tyranny of neo-colonialism which creates a leeway for brain drain that makes it an uphill task for Africa to level up with the West in AI technologies.” According to him, “it is sad that the world does not take Africa seriously in terms of development and sustainability, because although the continent takes the lion’s share of donations from the United Nations and its ancillary agencies like IMF, UNESCO, UNWTO, WHO etc, it has remained poor/underdeveloped.”
Citing figures from the African Development Bank which indicate that over 640 million Africans live without access to electricity, 429 million extremely poor, according to statistics, and 104 intractable conflicts as of 2022 as reported by the Economist, he lamented that “Africa is bedeviled by underdevelopment often associated with authoritarian regimes, electoral malpractices, bad governance and external influences” which makes embracing AI a huge challenge. At the online conference jointly hosted by the Institute for Leadership and Development Communication, Nigeria; Northern Technical University, Iraq; Northern University, Bangladesh, Azteca University, Mexico and Jigyasa University, India, he stated that “My role at this conference is simply to press the button for the intellectual fireworks that characterises this epoch-making gathering. “I want speakers to feel free to stretch the limits of discussion on AI and communication towards sustainable development across Africa” Dyikuk said.
The scholar who described the topics as “thought-provoking and timely”, described Artificial Intelligence (AI) as “the ability of a computer or robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligible beings.” “It takes advantage of algorithms, mathematical or arithmetical figures/elements to improve or predict human actions. At its core, AI deals with astonishing innovations exciting discoveries, and upsetting or disorienting equations in sound/ music, speech, video and pictorial materials as well as computer operations,” said he. He categorised it into three variants, “Weak AI which is used in common day life focuses on one task at a time and has limits; Strong AI deployed by academics which understands, learns and fulfills any intellectual endeavour and Super AI which is still at a conceptual level, supersedes human intelligence as it is envisaged to perform any task better than human beings.”
Much as it assists scholars and media workers across the continent, he warned that “for the African, the human person is at the heart of every communicative act” while stressing that “although the concept of AI is foreign to the African, the human brain, mind and heart which are the engine rooms for initiating any AI technology enjoy pride of place.” Dyikuk insisted that from the African standpoint, communication includes “verbal and non-verbal cues of relating with fellow human beings in a way that encoding and decoding are carried out in a fraternal manner between participants and feedback is elicited.” “Although AI offers opportunities to humanity, experts have underscored its downsides to include – high cost and lack of creativity, bringing about unemployment and laziness, and lack of clear ethical guidelines and emotion,” he said.
According to the priest of Bauchi Diocese, “four areas to watch out for, especially in Africa given the novel nature of this technology and its seeming negative impact on society include, what Pope Francis in his 58th World Day of Social Communications Day message titled “Artificial Intelligence and the Wisdom of the Heart: Towards a Fully Human Communication” calls cognitive pollution of false narratives and deep fake, creating groupthink which polarises public opinion, social isolation which promotes social integration and the aggression of being like God without God. Again, he cited the role of morality and religion given the Kenyan-born John Mbiti’s 1975 timeless assertion that “Africans are notoriously religious.” While acknowledging the benefits of AI today, the cleric insists that it reduces human error, saves time, handles big data, facilitates decision-making, performs risky tasks, improves the workforce and helps in medical applications.
He charged participants to figure out “how effective communication and sustainable development can be achieved amid a seeming Western AI technology that invades people’s privacies and promotes crass individualism.” Fr. Dyikuk argued that since “AI is supposed to facilitate human communication and assist journalists in gathering, processing and disseminating information to heterogeneous audiences…we look forward to discussions on how this can be achieved now or in the future.” He invited scholars to brainstorm on how AI can practically support human thinking to overcome ignorance and enhance the exchange of information among professors, writers, students, printers, publishers and bloggers, to address “plagiarism and copyright infringements of images, and those that relate to soundbites and video footages without unnecessary cases of libel, leading to overall development.”
The researcher encouraged participants to initiate activities that would “overcome power infractions to develop an AI-enhanced technology that would store information for unborn generations since we have traveled from the stone age through the age of papyrus which first featured in Egypt to Gutenberg’s press.” “Stakeholders on the continent need to invest in education – science and technology so that the dozens of experts in the Diaspora can return home to develop simulations that can address plagues/diseases, famine/hunger and environmental issues such as drought,” Dyikuk maintained. The University of Jos Lecturer cautioned that we must watch out so that AI does not lead humanity to what he cited as “the Dungeon of deep fake or a simulated reality of paradise.” For effective utilisation of AI, he urged various governments, policymakers, academics, Civil Society Organisations and the media to tackle exploitation and inequality, meet the individual and common needs of all; provide correct information and ensure greater freedom for all through justice, development and peace.
The 3-day conference featured papers on digital citizenship education, artificial intelligence-driven cultural heritage tourism in West Africa, religious imperialism in the age of AI, civic engagement, public participation and trust in digital space, e-governance, misinformation in health communication, the impact of storytelling and robot journalism revolution, amongst others. The presentation is coming few weeks to the 58th World Day of Social Communications’ celebration which holds on Sunday, May 12 during which the Church invites Catholic media workers to disseminate the Holy Father’s message that emphasises fully embracing human communication through wisdom of the heart which alone has the capacity to help us to use, embrace AI without losing sight of the creator and his plan for humanity.
