By A religious group has called for the inclusion of religious group to contribute to ethical voices for balancing of languages that promote tolerance and inclusiveness for the implementation of ethical AI principles in Nigeria.
The Group, the Nigerian Religoius Coalition on Artificial Intelligence are also considering the support of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) ranging from creation of a high level AI ethical expert group/ National AI ethics commission, an initiative aims to create a diverse and inclusive expert group of stakeholders from academia, industry, government, and civil society.
Speaking during a trianing organised for journalist on AI and Religion, Rev. Kolade Fadahunsi, Director, CCN- Institute of Church and Society, Ibadan, said that the challenge here is the exclusion of religious group that will contribute to ethical voices for balancing of languages that promote tolerance and inclusiveness as the commission tends to develop and implement ethical AI principles in Nigeria.
According to him, the strategy of developing National AI ethical principles guided by universal policies, must align with critical Nigerian values as represented the core values and standards shaping AI design,development, and deployment in Nigeria.
“Such will provide a systematic approach for identifying, analysing, and addressing ethical considerations for designing, developing, deploying, and using AI systems”, he said.
Fadahunsi, disclosed that “recently we have witnessed a biased AI systems used in Nigeria, if this continues, it will undermine public trust in technology, if discrimnatory AI flods Nigeria, the social implications for the country will be grave, therefore, addressing ethical and social concerns is crucial for fostering a supportive environment for AI development in Nigeria.”
He further said that AI is already eroding democratic processes, imposing foreign cultural values on Nigerian communities and undermining religious freedom adding that the proliferation of autonomous weapons is destabilizing entire states.
“Other risks are imminent, from widespread job loss, terrorist misuse of powerful systems, and the ceding or loss of human control over our collective destiny. Religious leaders must step up to ensure Nigerians are empowered by AI tools, not disempowered or robbed of agency by artificial intelligence systems”, he stated.
In a paper presentation, a veteran journalist, Mr Tope Oluwaleye called for accuracy news reporting saying journalisr must ensure all facts are checked especially regarding doctrines and practices and that they be open to feedback from the community they report like the religious ones.
Oluwaleye who spoke on Introduction to basics of reporting AI and Religion, said that the journalist must represent a variety of views from the religious community adding that these principles help journalists to produce stories that both informative and respectful of the diverse ways people experience faith.
Executive Director, Renevlyn Development Initiative, Mr Philip Jakpor noted the current efforts by the Nigeria Religious Coalition on AI to draw national attention to the dangers of AI without limits has spurred national interest.
“To complement its efforts, we feel there is need to build the intellectual capacity of the Nigerian media to effectively report AI’s impact on religion and religious practices, the cultural and ethical issues AI raises, best practices for reporting on religion and AI and how AI can be used ethically in the media”, he said.
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