IGF 2024 Day 0 Event #127 Human Rights Challenges in Rolling Out AI in Africa

The session would explore and capture the human rights challenges that urgently needs to be addressed by stakeholders and policy makers in the development and deployment of big data and especially AI in the context of Africa as a means of harnessing innovation and balancing risks in the digital age. The main focus of our session will be to assess and ensure that policy makers address the critical issue of inculcating the human rights based approach into the development of AI.technologies in the domains of the right to AI and education, the right to work, health, refugee and especially, Law enforcement. The session assesses how AI is disrupting the African way of life and what human rights considerations needs to be put in to see that its use doesn't pose risk to the African environment. Given that big data and AI is increasingly being widely employed in the law enforcement context in most African countries and that the 'Smart Cities' project championed by China is gaining momentum across Africa, especially with predictive policing using data analytics to identify potential crime hotspots, the use of automated and live facial recognition by law enforcement, raises questions regarding the lawfulness of such tools. With weak or almost non-existent oversight bodies, it's critical policy makers and stakeholders consider this while designing and deploying such technologies. With virtually non-existent privacy and data protection laws in most African countries, the coming of AI further complicates things if a proper human rights based approach is not adopted. If a Human Rights based approach to the development and deployment of AI is not seriously addressed in the African context, the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association and the right to partake in public affairs would be seriously hampered, especially as police in Africa increasingly use the International Mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) catchers gives them the opportunity to locate and track all mobile phones switched on in a particular area. This being an effective tool to identify and surveil those who participate in a protest. Since AI can be employed to identify sexual orientation, this goes against the core of individual autonomy and identity.If a human rights based approach is not employed, most African governments would use it to locate and track down the already criminalized LGBTQ+ community members. Finally, our session lays emphasis on the fact that before AI is deployed in the African context, it's advisable a full human rights impact assessment be carried out. More importantly, the session shall emphasis on the fact that considering a human rights based approach to the development and deployment of AI helps to ensure that the benefits of AI does not contribute to further widening the digital divide and the continuous exclusion of the marginalized and disadvantaged population in Africa.

We would highlight the use of visuals, the pacing of the presentation and the use of multimedia elements. Using chat functions, social media integration and other interactive tools, we would blend the onsite and online experience by creating a two way communication channel.