•The good, the bad, the ugly
By Chinenye Anuforo
Intelligence (AI) has rapidly transitioned from the realm of science fiction to an integral part of our daily lives, reshaping industries, societies, and even the very fabric of human interaction. From automating mundane tasks to offering groundbreaking solutions in complex fields, AI’s potential seems limitless.
Economically, generative AI is projected to inject trillions into the global economy, with sectors like healthcare and retail poised for significant productivity gains. “AI-driven drug discovery could save the life sciences sector up to $110 billion annually,” demonstrating its potential to accelerate medical breakthroughs.
AI also democratizes creative processes, with text-to-video tools “slashing production costs for filmmakers and social media creators.” Finally, AI offers tools to optimize energy consumption, though its own environmental footprint remains a concern.
However, this technological revolution is not without its shadows, raising crucial questions about its ethical implications, societal impact, and potential dangers. In this report, Daily Sun delves into the multifaceted nature of AI, exploring its remarkable benefits, inherent challenges, and the darker side that demands urgent attention.
The impact of AI is already being felt across various sectors. In Lagos, Nigeria, Mr. Justin Emeka’s tailoring establishment has experienced a significant shift. The implementation of an AI-driven pattern generation and measurement system has expedited fabric calculation and design rendering, showcasing AI’s capacity to enhance operational efficiency.
While this automation has streamlined processes, it also highlighted a critical tension: the potential for AI to alter established social relationships. Emeka observed a reduction in personalized client interactions, a trade-off between efficiency and the traditional, interpersonal aspects of his business.
This example illustrates a broader trend. AI, as Ioana Andreea Ștefan research pointed out, offers personalized, interactive, immersive and accessible experiences. From automated grading and intelligent tutoring systems to virtual assistants and smart content creation tools, AI is empowering educators and learners alike. Microsoft’s $1 million investment to train one million Nigerians in AI skills underscored the recognition of AI’s potential to transform economies and societies.
Ola Williams, Microsoft’s Country Manager for Nigeria stated that this initiative aims to position Nigeria as a key player in the global AI ecosystem by equipping individuals with the expertise to harness AI for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic competitiveness.
“At Microsoft, we believe that AI has the potential to transform economies and societies. Our commitment to enhancing AI skills in Nigeria is a testament to our dedication to empowering individuals and organizations to achieve more. By investing in digital skills training and collaborating with the Nigerian government, we aim to create a future-ready workforce that can drive innovation and economic growth in the country,” Williams stated.
Bill Gates, co-founder Microsoft and a prominent voice in the AI discourse, echoed this optimism. He envisions AI as a catalyst for breakthrough treatments for deadly diseases, innovative solutions for climate change, and high-quality education for everyone.”
Gates believed that AI will usher in an era of free intelligence, making expertise in fields like medicine and education more accessible. As he told Jimmy Fallon in an interview, “with AI, over the next decade, advances in artificial intelligence will mean that humans will no longer be needed for most things in the world. There will be some things we reserve for ourselves. But in terms of making things and moving things and growing food, over time those will be basically solved problems,” Gates said.
Despite its promise, AI presents a host of challenges that need to be addressed proactively. One major concern is the potential for misuse, particularly in academic settings. The ease with which AI can generate text has raised fears of increased cheating.
While tools like Turnitin attempt to detect AI-generated content, the issue of apparent veracity, as Stefan noted, remains a concern. The fact that over 50% of Swedish university students admitted to using AI for assignments, as reported in recent studies, highlighted the urgency of this issue.
Another critical issue is data governance. Without proper regulation, ensuring the accuracy, impartiality, and completeness of data becomes increasingly difficult. The protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in the digital age is also paramount, requiring strategies and specific actions to mitigate IPRs in the digital era, Stefan emphasized.
Legal conflicts, such as The New York Times suing OpenAI for copyright infringement, highlighted unresolved intellectual property disputes in the AI era.
Furthermore, the energy consumption associated with AI is a growing concern. Using AI for certain tasks can come with a significant energy price tag. With some powerful AI models, generating an image can require as much energy as charging up your phone, a Melissa Heikkilä explained in her report. Create 1,000 images with a model like Stable Diffusion XL, and you have produced as much carbon dioxide as driving just over four miles in a gas-powered car, according to the researchers Melissa spoke to.
The most alarming aspect of AI’s advancement lies in the potential for existential threats. Geoffrey Hinton, the “godfather of AI,” warned that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could “evolve beyond control, potentially deciding humanity is obsolete.”
The development of autonomous weapons systems, or “killer robots,” raises the specter of AI-fueled warfare. Moreover, state-sponsored “troll farms” could deploy AI bots to manipulate public opinion, eroding trust in democratic institutions.
The environmental cost of AI is also significant. “Training AI models like GPT-4 consumes millions of liters of water and emits 600,000 lbs of CO₂ per model equivalent to five car lifetimes.” The growing e-waste from AI hardware further exacerbates environmental concerns.
Beyond the challenges, AI’s potential for misuse presents a darker side. The proliferation of fraudulent news and extensive forms of disinformation threatens the credibility of media networks. Fake online reviews and the manipulation of social media through AI algorithms further erode trust in information.
Deepfakes, realistic fake images generated through AI, pose a particularly alarming threat. Stefan noted: “2024 has been living proof of how existing AI technologies can be used for disseminating false information by politicians,” representing a real threat to fundamental rights and democracy.
Kayode Aladesuyi, CEO of MYAI Robotics (USA), voiced a particularly urgent concern regarding AI’s impact on employment, especially in Africa. He warned that AI could produce approximately 20 percent of the jobs it will replace, leading to a surge in unemployment and exacerbating poverty.
“The unemployment rate will soar across Africa. As a cheaper, more efficient AI workforce causes manufacturers to move their production facilities out of Africa”, Aladesuyi cautioned. He stressed the need for African leaders to recognise the danger of AI’s impact on the continent before it overwhelms the African population. An estimated 800 million jobs could vanish by 2024 due to automation, particularly in high-risk sectors like manufacturing and finance.
The complex interplay of AI’s benefits and risks demands a balanced and ethical approach. Khadijat Durosinmi, a tech advocate, emphasized the need for a balanced approach and robust ethical frameworks to guide AI development. She advocated for “AI applications with guardrails requiring human permission to perform critical tasks.”
Stefan called for a rigor, coordinated intervention from the educational organizations and decision-makers to address the challenges posed by AI. She stressed the importance of AI literacy, which is situated at the intersection of digital literacy, data literacy, computational thinking, and AI ethics. As Fei-Fei Li, a pioneering AI scientist, noted: “2023 was the year of public awakening. Now, we must decide whether AI becomes humanity’s ally or its undoing. The clock is ticking.”
Governments and policymakers are racing to address these challenges. The EU’s AI Act, set for 2025, represented a significant step towards regulating AI, mandating transparency and restricting high-risk applications. However, “enforcement lags behind innovation, creating vulnerabilities.”
Ethicists like Noam Chomsky urged a focus on human dignity over profit, emphasizing that AI is merely engineering, not true creativity. “The path forward requires a balanced approach, harnessing AI’s potential while mitigating its risks through robust regulation and ethical guidelines. It requires collaboration between governments, industry leaders, researchers, and educators to establish ethical guidelines, promote responsible development, and equip individuals with the skills and knowledge to navigate this transformative technology.
“As AI continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, our collective responsibility is to ensure that its trajectory leads to a future of shared prosperity and human flourishing.”