Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently at everyone's tip of the tongue, but what does it mean for a country like South Africa? In its simplest explanation, AI means human intelligence in a computerised form. The introduction of AI has benefits and threats, and it is only fair that we look at them in the context of our country.
Some benefits of AI that have been identified are new inventions, human error reduction, digital assistance, economic growth due to efficient work productivity and high performance in repetitive or routine jobs that focus on data collection and entry, software testing, customer-orientated businesses and many more.
Emile Ormond reviewed global literature and drew six universal ethical risk themes associated with AI: - accountability, bias, transparency, autonomy, socio-economic risks, and maleficence. Freedom and socio-economic risks evoked something in me because most South Africans would resonate with it more, given the daily challenges.
AI impedes autonomy because humans will lose the power to make decisions. This is concerning because one of the critical skills that employees need to possess is decision-making. So, relying on digital assistance may cause a delay in making life-threatening decisions. For example, would people in the medical fraternity need to "consult" digital assistants in case of emergencies or saving lives? Given the nature of their work, how would they be expected to respond to such issues?
In the case of socio-economic risks, this is very alarming because society's inequality will worsen. Socio-economic issues such as poverty, crime, low-income levels, and growing unemployment rates are already significant concerns, yet the introduction of AI threatens to increase these issues. The reality is that high unemployment rates are a basis of other socio-economic issues, or those issues are exacerbated by unemployment. So how is AI beneficial to South Africa if it comes with a threat of job losses. If it threatens to disaggregate our societies further since it will not be accessible to those in low-income areas.
Generally, the world of work has been transforming dramatically over the years, and job demands are fluctuating at an accelerated pace. AI is here, and it is something that we cannot ignore. People's careers are dynamically changing regarding their work, jobs, skills, and future processes. Both employees and employers need to consider that it will be necessary to constantly think about acquiring new knowledge, competencies, and constant upskilling. The new world of work requires human capital with futuristic or 21st-century skills.
