Introduction
Artificial intelligence is defined as a branch of computer science that focuses on developing intelligent machines and programs that can perform tasks without human intervention. AI is transforming whole sectors across the world and triggering change in some sectors in Africa. If harnessed with forward-thinking regulation and guidelines, it has the power to improve agricultural yields, predict pandemics and improve healthcare. Traditional AI research goals include reasoning, knowledge representation planning, learning, natural language processing, perception, and robotics support. AI can be very useful to developing countries like Cameroon. According to the World Bank, artificial intelligence (AI) can help developing countries rebuild after the pandemic by increasing services across emerging markets. Ai has the potential to increase productivity and foster a new generation of innovative businesses. AI can also support the resolution of pressing issues in the critical sectors such as health, energy, agriculture and financial services.
Policy Recommendations
- Our educational system requires more investment to bridge the shortage of software developers and skills shortage that we currently face. The education system has integrated Information Communication Technology (ICT), but every school should have a computer lab to ensure that we can bridge the digital divide.
- Governments and stakeholders must effectively develop privacy and data handling policies that protect consumer information and ensure that data collected from consumers are used in a manner that is fair, transparent and equal.
- AI must be regulated properly, with a comprehensive assessment of stakeholders, actors and non-state actors to ensure that guidelines, statutes or regulations adequately protect the economic, financial and social interest of Cameroonians.
- We encourage the development of local solutions in Cameroon that are tailored to the needs of economic sectors and actors. There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to AI-powered solutions but members of civil society such as Intelligence Artificielle Cameroun (IA) and other actors should work towards helping companies find best standards.
- African governments and civil society organizations should work together to begin understanding what data will be needed to better understand the impact of Ai and set about collecting this. Working together will mean AI can be regulated properly across all countries and bilateral cooperation will create a useful backdrop from continent-wide bodies such as the African Union.
