Artificial Intelligence / Human Intelligence - the ultimate symbiosis

Much has been written and spoken about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the past few years. AI is now top of the agenda in most boardrooms around the world, playing a pivotal and impactful role in articulating strategic, tactical and operational imperatives in these businesses.

As AI rapidly integrates into the global business fabric, so too have we experienced exponentially increasing numbers of AI jobs becoming available globally. In South Africa alone, the past five years have seen an unprecedented rise in demand for AI specialists and professionals, with AI vacancies increasing by 182% over the same period.

Whilst it is true that AI, certainly in the context of South Africa, will act as an enabler to create new jobs, improve productivity, raise salary levels, and contribute to boosting economic growth and, by extension, the living standards in the country, AI will also have the potentially negative effect of displacing workers, eroding job quality, increasing unemployment, and perpetuating inequality. 

In my article titled ‘South Africa’s employment situation – a paradox’ published on the 25 April 2024, I argued that this may well be the reason as to why it took the South African Government as long as it did to establish a discussion forum in order to formulate its approach to AI in the country.

It was only on 5 April 2024 that the South African Government, under the auspices of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) launched South Africa’s first Artificial Intelligence Planning Discussion Document.  The purpose of the discussion document was to ‘initiate discussion between the public and private sectors to facilitate AI innovation with a view to developing a National AI policy’. 

Fast forward four months to early August 2024 when the DCDT published its national policy framework. In so doing, the Government has taken a “significant step toward positioning the country as a leader in artificial intelligence”. 

According to reports, the publishing of the AI policy framework is a crucial “first step” in the development of a comprehensive national AI policy. The department now seeks feedback from the information and communication technology (ICT) industry together with other stakeholders in order to refine the policy.

Once finalized, the AI policy will serve as the “foundational basis” for creating AI regulations and, potentially, an AI Act in South Africa. The framework document outlines strategic focus pillars essential for AI policy development. It aims to foster a robust AI ecosystem through coordinated efforts in research and development, talent cultivation and infrastructure enhancement.

The DCDT acknowledges that extensive international benchmarking was conducted in the development of the policy framework and has provided assurance that the framework is aligned with global best practices and strategic focuses observed in other countries.

The department intends holding formal consultations with all stakeholders aiming to conclude these discussions by the end of September 2024. Stakeholders have been invited to provide feedback and inputs on the framework document.

Remaining on the African continent, the publishing of the AI policy framework in South Africa follows the approval of the ‘Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy’ by the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) on 9 August 2024. The strategy of implementing AI in both the public and private sectors amongst AU member states reflects a broader commitment to AI advancement on the African continent.

South Africa’s AI policy framework falls within the implementation period that prioritizes laying the groundwork by establishing governance frameworks, developing national AI strategies, mobilizing resources and enhancing capacities within the AU.

Many African countries have adopted AI strategies. As of July 2024, six countries, namely, Algeria, Benin, Egypt, Mauritius, Rwanda, and Senegal had all developed stand-alone AI strategies. 

Other African countries including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda, have made significant progress in defining AI policies and establishing institutions to drive AI development.

Nigeria is, however, head and shoulders above all other African countries when it comes to AI. The Nigerian government has taken the lead by implementing more actions and introducing more programs facilitating the adoption of AI than any other country on the continent. The Nigerian government launched an ambitious initiative to train one thousand Nigerians annually on various cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence and blockchain.

In other globally related AI news, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman predicts that by 2034, traditional 9 to 5 jobs will cease to exist. According to Hoffman, “AI is going to shake up the way we work”.

Hoffman predicts the new world of work moving towards a gig economy rather than people remaining with one employer for years on end. This translates to people taking on short-term jobs or projects with different companies operating in various industries rather than being employed full-time by one company.

This degree of flexibility will no doubt suit people desirous of managing their own schedules and/or exploring different types of work but will not suit everyone as it will bring its own inherent challenges.

By way of example, people might not enjoy the same job security or company benefits (health insurance and/or retirement plans) that they would ordinarily enjoy in a traditional job working full-time for one particular company. People will also need to constantly stay competitive in a rapidly changing job market.

Either way, we can't ignore the fact that AI has, and will continue to have, a profound effect on the way we work in particular, and the future of work in general.

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