How to regulate AI in Zim without falling into the neo-colonial trap
ARTIFICIAL Intelligence (AI) is transforming the world in unprecedented ways including offering great opportunities for innovation, development, and social change.
AI also poses significant risks, especially for historically marginalised and oppressed people.
Zimbabwe, like many other countries in the Global South, faces the challenge of harnessing the benefits of AI while protecting its citizens from harm and ensuring its sovereignty and dignity.
This requires having laws that govern the use and development of AI in a way that is aligned with the country’s values, interests, and aspirations.
It was pleasing to hear the Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda calling for the crafting of legislation that promotes the use of AI in the implementation of national policies, saying it will help the country achieve developmental goals.
The speaker said, these laws should be informed by a decolonial perspective, that is, a critical and transformative approach that challenges the dominant paradigms and practices of AI that are rooted in colonialism and neo-colonialism.
AI is not neutral or objective, but reflects the values, biases, and interests of its creators and users, who are predominantly from the Global North and the tech industry.
This means that AI can reinforce existing power structures and inequalities, and impose foreign worldviews and norms on local cultures and contexts.
For example, AI systems that are trained on data from Western countries may not perform well or may produce unfair outcomes when applied to Zimbabwean contexts, such as facial recognition, language translation, or health diagnosis.
AI systems that are designed to optimise profit or efficiency may not respect human rights, diversity, or self-determination. AI systems that are deployed by foreign corporations or governments may exploit local data and resources, or undermine its national security and sovereignty.
Decolonial AI is a movement that aims to challenge and transform the dominant paradigms and practices of AI, and to centre the dignity, autonomy, and agency of historically oppressed and excluded peoples.
Decolonial AI advocates for a critical, participatory, and pluralistic approach to AI development and governance that respects human rights, diversity, and self-determination. Decolonial AI also recognises the importance of indigenous knowledge, values, and practices, and the potential of AI to support social justice, cultural preservation, and environmental sustainability.
Zimbabwe needs to have laws that regulate AI in a way that protects its citizens from harm, promotes its national interests and values, and fosters its innovation and development potential.
These laws should be informed by decolonial principles and perspectives, and involve the participation and consultation of various stakeholders, including civil society, academia, and local communities.
Zimbabwe should also collaborate with other countries in the Global South to develop common standards and frameworks for AI that reflect their shared challenges and aspirations.
Zimbabwe would not be the first to come up with laws to govern the use of AI.
The EU has proposed a comprehensive regulation on AI that aims to ensure that information is trustworthy, human-centric, and respectful of fundamental rights and values.
The regulation categorises AI systems into four levels of risk: unacceptable, high, limited, and minimal, and sets different requirements and prohibitions for each level.
For example, AI systems that manipulate human behaviour, exploit vulnerabilities, or cause social scoring are banned, while AI systems that affect people’s life, safety, or fundamental rights, such as biometric identification, recruitment, or credit scoring, are subject to strict obligations, such as data quality, transparency, human oversight, and accuracy.
China has issued several guidelines and standards on the ethical and legal aspects of AI, such as the Beijing AI Principles, the Governance Principles for a New Generation of AI, and the National Standardisation System for AI.
These documents emphasise the importance of aligning AI with human values, social norms, legal regulations, and promoting the beneficial, responsible, and inclusive development of technology.
They also cover various topics, such as data governance, privacy protection, fairness and justice, security and reliability, and accountability and supervision.
Canada has adopted a Directive on Automated Decision-Making, which applies to all federal departments and agencies that use or plan to use AI systems to deliver programmes or services.
The directive establishes a framework for assessing and managing the risks and impacts of AI systems, and ensuring that they are transparent, accountable, and fair.
It also requires that AI systems undergo an Algorithmic Impact Assessment, which evaluates their level of risk based on factors such as data quality, human intervention, accuracy, and potential harm.
The future of AI is not predetermined, but depends on the choices and actions of human beings.
Zimbabwe has the opportunity and the responsibility to shape AI in a way that serves its people and its vision.
By adopting decolonial AI laws, Zimbabwe can ensure that AI is not a tool of oppression, but a catalyst for liberation and empowerment.
◆ Jacqueline Ntaka is the CEO of Mviyo Technologies, a local tech company that provides custom software development, mobile applications and data analytics solutions. She can be contacted on jackie.ntaka@mviyo.com.