We laud KNUST for taking up AI challenge
The world as it was a century ago is not what it is currently because it has evolved over the years.
Indeed, the rate of transformation across the globe has been so fast that we risk being left behind if we sit on the fence and just watch as technology changes the way we do things.
Fortunately, we have no excuse whatsoever not to know global trends, as the world has become a global village, which means we are privy to what happens on other continents and in other countries far from us in real time by reason of technology.
Speaking of technology and computer science, the new ‘kid on the block’ is Artificial Intelligence (AI), which promises a world of good, as well as portends challenges and even disaster, if we look on unconcerned, or misunderstand its use and how it can inure to our benefit as a country, as the world plunges into its application.
AI is meant to bring more reality to what we do as humans, and is a branch of computer science which focuses on creating systems that can perform tasks that typically would require human intelligence, such as learning, problem-solving and decision-making.
These systems examine into detail a collection of related sets of information in order to identify patterns to predict or make decisions, and they are used in applications like voice assistants, writing and self-driving cars, among many others.
Conversations on AI have taken over major discourse across the world because it holds a world of good for development, as well as poses danger for various trades and vocations if applied ignorantly or without understanding.
One of the major fears that erupted with the inception of AI application was the loss of employment and takeover of some jobs, with most people arguing that if the computer could offer the services and do the things that ordinarily would have been done by people, then it could take people out of their jobs.
The advent of the computer age also came with these fears, but it was later found that they were unfounded and would only enable the provision of more efficient services. We dare say that AI is also intended to make the provision of services more effective, especially when they are time bound.
These uncertainties and challenges show that whether we like it or not, AI has come to stay and the earlier we delved into it as a country, the better it would be for us to understand its operation, to be able to apply it well for our own benefit.
This is why the Daily Graphic believes that the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) needs to be commended for not only attaching importance to the subject of AI, but also going ahead to research into the science as well as introduce a mandatory year course on it as part of the new National AI strategy, and due to begin next academic year.
We are especially excited that KNUST has elected to work with all relevant stakeholders, including the government, to reap the full benefits of AI and to drive the country’s progress as well as research into AI, to ensure that the country is not left behind in the application of AI for national socio-economic development.
However, we also urge other academic institutions to welcome and embrace AI and other emerging technologies, to be in tune with new things that are coming up.
The global market contribution of AI as of 2019, according to the Grand View Research, was about US $39.9 billion, which is running into trillions of dollars now, according to the World Economic Forum and has the potential of transforming most economies; so, we cannot lose out on this.
As we champion the use of AI, we must, however, not lose sight of the fact that we need to apply the tools responsibly for the advancement of computer, social, biomedical, agricultural and ecological sciences.
We must deepen understanding of how to develop and apply responsible AI towards the growth and development of the country, but we must ensure that its use is looked through with an ethical lens to ensure people’s rights and privileges are not trampled upon.
