The United Kingdom, in collaboration with global partners, is leading efforts to accelerate development in the world’s poorest countries through the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in a combined commitment of £80 million ($100 million).
This initiative involves the participation of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Canada, the USA, and African partners as they address inequality and promote prosperity in Africa.
Nairametrics learnt that this initiative’s initial focus will be on sub-Saharan Africa, ensuring that this groundbreaking technology is accessible to all.
The focus is on AI because it has the potential to have a transformative impact on various challenges, including expediting drug discovery, providing educational access to individuals with hearing or vision impairments, and enhancing the availability of clean energy solutions.
The collaborative effort was announced at the AI Safety Summit held at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire in 2023.
What the collaboration involves
- The UK, alongside its global partners, will finance safe and responsible AI projects for development, commencing in Africa
- This funding will bolster Africa’s homegrown AI expertise and computing capabilities, fostering the growth of AI innovators on the continent and contributing to its long-term development.
- The UK AI for Development Programme will allocate £38 million excluding funding from other partners.
Objectives of the partnership
- The UK government’s AI for Development programme set several objectives, which include:
- Harnessing the potential of AI to benefit the 700 million people who speak 46 African languages.
- Elevating five or more African countries to global prominence in discussions on AI, particularly in its application to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Establishing or expanding at least eight responsible AI research laboratories at African universities.
- Assisting at least 10 countries in crafting sound regulatory frameworks for responsible, equitable, and secure AI.
- Easing the entry barriers for African AI innovators by collaborating with the private sector.
5-year plan
The UK also said that in the next five years, in partnership with international collaborators, it will:
- Provide funding for post-graduate training and fellowships in AI at African universities.
- Invest in innovators who are constructing models using locally sourced expertise and computing capacity, aiming to produce data that accurately represents the African continent.
- Promote responsible AI governance to assist African nations in managing the potential risks associated with AI and adapting their economies to technological advancements.
- Empower sub-Saharan African countries to play a more influential role in shaping the utilization of AI to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
What the representatives said
James Cleverly, the UK Foreign Secretary, commented on this initiative saying:
- “The transformative power of AI should have a global benefit. AI can change lives for the better around the world, including helping to develop new treatments for diseases and to tackle food insecurity.”
Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said:
- “From accelerating medical breakthroughs and expanding access to health care to boosting learning outcomes and increasing agricultural production, AI has the potential to help solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
- “But the impact is only possible if the benefits of the technology are relevant, affordable, and accessible to everyone.”
François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Science, Innovation and Industry, said:
- “International collaboration is essential to ensure AI is used safely and responsibly around the world. Our government makes a point of working with like-minded partners and innovators to harness the potential of AI for sustainable economic development, aligned with global efforts to develop and use AI safely and responsibly”.
- Christopher Burns, USAID Chief Digital Development Officer and Director for Technology, said:
- “As development practitioners and donors, we have a moral obligation to ensure AI is designed and deployed responsibly and ethically to the benefit of all, particularly underserved communities. USAID looks forward to working alongside our partners to advance this vision”.
Speaking in support of the initiative, Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Federal Republic of Nigeria said:
- “Artificial Intelligence offers an unprecedented opportunity to appropriate knowledge more quickly and seamlessly in addressing some of our pressing socio-economic challenges.
- “Our duty as policymakers is to ensure that our nation can participate and mainstream value creation from AI.
- “As we embark on this journey to accelerating our investment in the use of AI for good, it is essential to collaborate with long-standing allies to deepen our capacity and knowledge.
- “In supporting all aspects of AI ecosystems in Africa, the programme will include investment in post-graduate AI research skills and inclusive and locally focused datasets in Nigeria, and it will support innovation and scaling in Kenya to accelerate impact on the Sustainable Development Goals”.
