Nairobi — Kenya and UNESCO will host an artificial intelligence (AI) forum in Nairobi tomorrow that will discuss AI potential in the region as well as its role in ethics.
UNESCO's Eastern Africa sub-regional Forum on Artificial Intelligence (EARFAI) will bring together 15 nations under the theme 'Harnessing AI for Sustainable Development in Eastern Africa: Governance, Ethics, Capacities, and Partnerships'.
Key to EARFAI will be discussions on the concrete implementation of the recommendation on the ethics of AI, the to date only global standard on AI, with 193 countries adopting its provisions in 2021.
Through the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM), almost 60 countries are implementing the standard through a comprehensive diagnostic exercise, of which 22 are from Africa.
Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, will head UNESCO's delegation to the forum, which will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and interactive workshops.
EARFAI will also be the platform for the presentation of readiness assessment methodology (RAM) reports from the region.
The event will also see Eastern African private sector representatives joining UNESCO's Business Council on the ethics of the AI community and female experts from the region discussing the role of women in AI as part of a session with the UNESCO Women4Ethical AI network.
"The Eastern Africa sub-Regional Forum on Artificial Intelligence (EARFAI) serves as a crucial platform to advance good AI governance, based on the work to implement UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, through its Readiness Assessment Methodology, applied to 22 countries in the region, and five Eastern African countries, which will be represented in the Forum," said Ramos.
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Kenya's Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Peter Ngure, says Kenya is the gateway to Africa regarding AI, and the conference will discuss a positive path towards life-changing solutions.
"This year's event follows in the footsteps of major global AI events. We deeply appreciate the steadfast support of the Government of Kenya in making this year's event a reality," said KNATCOM-UNESCO CEO James Njogu.
UNESCO Regional Office for East Africa Director Alexandros Makarigakis termed the event a key milestone for the sub-Saharan region in harnessing AI for Sustainable Development in Eastern Africa.
"The conference will be a significant catalyst for cementing Africa's legacy in matters of AI; we envisage that the event will be a game changer for economic transformation in the region, said Makarigakis.
EARFAI builds on the foundations established by previous landmark events, including the first UNESCO Forum on AI in Africa, held in Benguerir, Morocco, in December 2018, and the Southern Africa sub-Regional Forum on AI (SARFAI), held in Windhoek, Namibia, in September 2022.
Also, this year's event will feature new elements such as interactive workshops and a focus on the role of AI in addressing the region's education challenges.
It also contributes to UNESCO's global agenda, including through the Global Forum on the Ethics of AI and the Global AI Ethics Observatory.
Additionally, the forum will support the ongoing development of the African Union Continental Strategy on AI, in line with UNESCO's support for the process.
