Here Is Why Civil Society Cannot Be Passive On Artificial Intelligence -By Oyebisi Oluseyi

Artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data will cause the most significant shift in the way we do work as we have never seen in times past. If civil society leaders are to play a critical role, they must adopt a more radical approach to how they understand and interpret the pros and cons of AI and ML to civic space and service delivery by traditional nonprofits.

Our beneficiaries, particularly those in hard to reach communities will benefit from what AI and ML can offer in different fields such as education, health care, medical imaging analysis and agriculture but we also have to deal with the negatives it can bring from disinformation, fake news to deep fake among others.

We need to respond in a manner that is substantive to both the positives and negatives that AI and ML present us. We can’t afford not to be authentic and informed, following the big and well nuanced conversations around the governance of these technologies and others that will soon determine the present and next decade of work and life.

It is agreed that this is a new field of learning for many of us in the third sector. With our work revolving around technology, from internet, emails, survey forms, mass mailers and social media to video, shared services apps , accounting software and many more, we cannot afford to be passive anymore, this means we have to focus on actions not excuses, walking the talk, not just talking, outcomes, not intentions.

Civil society cannot wait any longer for technology companies and governments to respond to the governance and rights challenges that come with AI, ML and big data. Investments must be made in time and resources to find solutions and address the risks and be direct in representing our views on disinformation, fake news, deep fake including safeguarding the fundamental freedoms that come with using good technology.

A good place for civil society leaders to start is to understand the impact of each technology they use in their work and to engage with the providers. Instead of just being an end-user, civil society leaders must shift priority to how a deliberate disruption in the use of such technologies for public good can affect their organisational purposes. For instance, what impact does fake news and disinformation have on the work of nonprofits and fundamental freedoms, which the constitution guarantees us.

If civil society leaders want companies, whose technology they use to take necessary actions on both the positives and negatives of AI, ML and big data, they must hold their senior management teams directly accountable. Only chief executives and their senior team can provide details on how changes across their platforms are being executed. For these discussions to have impact, there has to be a change in how the sector sees and engages with both government and the private sector.  Civil society leaders should embrace rather than fear these discussions.

Civil society leaders must exert pressure on technology platforms to adopt both social science and science-based solutions in addressing the visible and invisible risks that AI and ML will bring to our already complicated lives. How leaders react this year and beyond will determine what the future of our work and world will be in 2030.

A passive civil society leadership cannot deliver on the promising opportunities AI, ML and big data will bring to the third sector nor can it deliver on the necessary risk mitigation strategies needed for us to enjoy these technologies. Civil society leaders must remain active, engaging and connected with technology platforms to track “algorithm indices” for our fundamental freedoms.

Oyebisi Oluseyi is the Executive Director, Nigeria Network of NGOs, Lagos