Comments wanted on study detailing rights impact of AI adoption in Africa

The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), an agency of the African Union (AU), has called for inputs to a draft study it has put together on the potential human rights implications of AI, robotics and other novel and emerging technologies Africa is embracing.

The ACHPR is an 11-member AU organ headquartered in Banjul, The Gambia, with the mandate to promote and protect human rights across the African continent, interpret the continental body’s Charter, and address complaints of human rights violations.

In an announcement, the ACHPR explained the context of the draft study on the human rights implications of AI adoption and other new technologies, noting that the idea was first discussed and adopted during an extraordinary meeting which the organ held virtually in February 2021.

The resolution, the body recalled, highlighted the pressing need to address the increasingly significant impact of AI, robotics, and other emerging technologies on human rights across the continent, given that they pose major risks to privacy, equality, economic and social rights, and freedom of expression if meaningful human control, inclusive governance frameworks, and ethical safeguards are not put in place.

During an inception workshop in 2023, a body was put in place to come up with a draft study in this regard. The draft was scrutinized during an experts’ validation meeting in May last year, and later reworked in another meeting in Rwanda in September.

Now, the ACHPR is calling for inputs to polish up the document titled “Draft Study on Human and Peoples’ Rights and AI, Robotics, and Other New and Emerging Technologies in Africa” which sums up the desire of the organ in ensuring that the development and deployment of such technologies are framed within the context of African values, ethics, and human dignity.

Contributors have till May 8 to submit their comments.

The ACHPR’s initiative to put in place a document that would guide deeper understanding of the human rights implications of AI and other new technologies comes at a time when calls for African governments to integrate AI into public sector management are getting louder.

A recent paper from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, for example, sees AI as that transformative technology which can help Africa significantly streamline service delivery and drive economic growth.

Last year, African leaders adopted the continent’s AI strategy, alongside the Digital Compact for Africa, saying these documents will help shape the digital transformation efforts of member countries.

Article Topics

Africa  |  African Union  |  AI  |  digital identity  |  ethics  |  human rights