Innovation AI conference- keynote
Good morning ladies and gentlemen, thank you for having me.
Human after AI
It is a change in the nature of the relationship between man and machine that is the news today. But the inevitable changes in the nature of the relationship between man and man, and between man and nature may be more consequential.
How does the very nature of human change in response to the mass adoption of artificial intelligence?
How will artificial intelligence push the borders of intelligence and how does this alter what constitutes intelligence amongst humans?
We may have assumed, possibly erroneously, that in a world where thinking is dominated by machines, we remain the same. And we are considering the consequences of these new world on humanity but we are yet to model how humans are transformed, and how these changes affect the direction and evolution of artificial intelligence.
It is also true that every major technological breakthrough leads to massive shift in wealth and power. What are the systems in place to ensure that wealth is fairly distributed, and that power is not without controls?
The AI balance sheet
We worry a lot about the jobs that will be taken by AI, we are yet to start thinking about that jobs that will no longer be necessary because of the emerging future — jobs that will not need to be taken by AI because they are no longer required.
We also have to discuss the jobs that will be created by AI because we can now do things we only imagined before, lives that will be saved by AI, risks that we no longer have to take because of the insight and clarity AI will provide.
We need to construct a balance sheet for AI so that we moderate the doomsday narrative — rarely in human history has a technological breakthrough led to a world less prosperous, less desirable. In most cases, even those that are displaced or replaced by technological advancement are better off in the long run. That has to be the architecture of an AI led productivity breakthrough.. a world where no one is left behind.
The AI Inequality gap
But in all cases, rapid advancement in technology has delivered a less even world, and AI will be no different.
The nations that have invested early and strategically in AI will achieve higher national competitiveness, in military, in manufacturing and by extension, commerce, in learning and innovation and ultimately, in the quality of life.
The companies that are intentional about the adoption of AI will outcompete the rest, leading to the rise of dominant players in each sector, and potentially wiping out completion.
And the individuals that own the economic benefit of the technology will see their wealth rise astronomically, while the rest of society may be stuck in a wage trap as more and more of their jobs are taken over by cheaper AI.
In summary, AI will make the world richer but more unequal, and unless this is addressed, we will see more unstable societies, the emergence of populist leaders and ultimately, chaos. This is more forecast based on what we already. know them a prediction — technology is a form of capital and it does not instinctively reduce inequality.
AI for the rest of us
So how does the child on the streets of Lagos respond to the AI mania? How do we benefit from the power of AI?
As an economist, I think of every challenge as a resource conversation- what goes in and what comes out? But most importantly, I am acutely aware that a breakthrough such as AI represents a massive shift of wealth, between countries, between classes and between factors of production.
Nvidia is a clear example of how the economic value of AI advancement will be skewed, and if we are not intentional, the inequality arising from the powers of AI will lead to a less stable world.
Our AI roadmap
How should a country without a sovereign roadmap react to the power of AI and what are the options for mitigating the harmful consequences of AI exclusion? How might we turn the disadvantage into strength and leapfrog some aspect of the learning curve?
But most importantly, can we harness the power of AI to solve real third world problems, like creating better medication for malaria, or mitigating the consequences of the relocation of doctors from Africa to the west?
How can we improve medical sciences and access to healthcare using AI? What are the affordable teaching solutions to offset the migration of world class faculties from Africa that can be scaled to serve our growing population?
What are the opportunities for improving governance in poorly administered corners of the world, and how might a new generation of leaders emerge using AI technology to better engage with the people?
AI must be tooled to enable the delivery of better public services even in the midst of corruption and nepotism. It must also be used to minimize corruption and improve economic inclusion for minorities. In the coming years, the electorate will use the power of AI to predict the chances that a particular candidate will deliver the promised reforms instead of listening to endless debates that is about form rather than substance.
These are the possibilities that has been created by the innovation, and they represent our best chance for leveraging AI to improve the quality of life of Africans.
The risk that we will be drawn into the conversation on the higher and more complex use cases of AI in military and space at the expense of our challenges that are more basic and potentially easier to resolve using AI cannot be over-emphasized. The world will develop the AI to predict the impact of satellite launches on the climate but Africans will have to figure out how the same code base will recommend the best path for a new road to mitigate urban drift.
Undomesticated AI is a shiny bright tool for techies, not a solution for our people.
In summary..
AI is just another tool, a very powerful tool but one that is only as good as you have trained it to be. And to customize AI, you must first understand, as a sovereign, what future you desire. If we fail to reach this agreement, not just within government circles but as a nation, we will be invisible passengers in the emerging universe.
The time has come for us to establish a collaborative roadmap for all stakeholders, for government to invest in the people who will build the technology, for companies to support the communities where they will emerge from and for nation to enable the solutions that will come from those we have empowered.
The biggest challenge before us in an AI age is not the relationship between humans and AI, it is the consequences of that on the relationship between nations, between corporations and between humans. AI won’t replace humans but the consequences of an uneven adoption of AI could do real damage to humanity.
Our task is to avoid this future.
Abubakar Suleiman
Keynote address at Innovation AI conference, Lagos 2024
