South Africa Tops Africa On Responsible AI Use Index

By Jean-Pierre Afadhali

A new Index that measures the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence has ranked South Africa number 42 globally and number one in Africa, making Pretoria the leader on the continent in AI governance that respects human rights.

The AI index is the first tool to set globally-relevant benchmarks to assess responsible AIaround the world,with a special focus on regions often underrepresented in such studies, including Africa, South and Central America, Asia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.

The Global Index on Responsible Artificial Intelligence (GIRAI)features primary data collected by researchers from 138 countries, including 41 African nations, over the period from November 1, 2021, to November 1, 2023.

According to the new study, ‘Responsible AI’ refers to the design, development, deployment and governance of AI in a way that respects and protects all human rights and upholds the principles of AI ethics through every stage of the AI lifecycle and value chain.

The index project is the flagship initiative of the Global Center on AI Governance, a global think tank based in Cape Town, South Africa dedicated to leading the global debate on responsible AI. “It requires all actors involved in the national AI ecosystem to take responsibility for the human, social and environmental impacts of their decisions,” explains the study authors in the index report released on Wednesday this week.

"This monumental project represents the culmination of 3 years of dedicated effort and collaboration of over 250 experts worldwide. We hope that the Global Index on Responsible AI will inspire renewed commitment to responsible AI by providing clear benchmarks for countries to achieve, demonstrating that responsible AI is possible everywhere,” said Dr Rachel Adams, Founder and CEO of the Global Center on AI Governance

The index measures 9 thematic areas of responsible AI, which are clustered into 3 dimensions: Human Rights and AI, Responsible AI Governance and Responsible AI Capacities. Each thematic area assesses the performance of 3 different pillars of the responsible AI ecosystem: Government frameworks, Government actions, and Non-state actors’ initiatives.

South Africa scored a total of 27.16 that equals to 3.26 on government frameworks, 31.50 on government actions,68.53 on non-state actors pillar score while the country got 28.93 on human Rights and AI, 32.40 on responsible AI capacities and 24.99 on responsible AI governance.

The new study reveals major gaps in AI governance globally.

Despite growing awareness of the importance of responsible AI, efforts to advance and ensure it are fragmented and predominantly driven by entities from Europe and North America, said the study authors in a press release.

The Global Index on Responsible AI  is expected to bridge the gap between principles and practice in ethical and rights-respecting AI.

“As we navigate the complexities of AI governance, the Global Index on Responsible AI reminds us of the long road ahead. It calls on powerful nations to leverage their influence for greater cooperation and on all countries to adopt comprehensive, enforceable frameworks that prioritize human-centric and rights-based approaches to AI,” said Justin Vaïsse, Founder and Director General, Paris Peace Forum.

 The Global Centre on AI, said itwill publish annual reports for the next six years, tracking how AI is being used in Africa to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while safeguarding human rights.

According to the AI centre, this is crucial as AI has the potential to either mitigate or exacerbate existing biases.

Some of recommendations to the countries that scored between 0 and 25 on the index, the categories that groups many African countries, include to prioritize the adoption or update of data protection and privacy laws, ensure the adoption of AI impact assessment, develop programs for public sector skills development in responsible AI, encourage activities from non-state actors in

Responsible AI and develop standards for the responsible public procurement of AI.