Tayebwa renews call for law on Artificial Intelligence

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has sounded the alarm on the urgent need for Artificial Intelligence (AI) regulation in Uganda, citing its potential threats to society.

Speaking at a symposium on data analytics, AI, and data governance in Kampala, Tayebwa emphasised that a law is crucial to enable young people to harness their skills in sensitive AI areas, particularly ethics.

"AI systems perform tasks requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, and decision-making," Tayebwa explained. "However, its advantages and convenience aside, there are multiple concerns and ethical dilemmas, including structural biases."

He warned that neglecting AI ethics could widen the gap between the rich and poor and compromise privacy.

"We need a law to regulate AI. We need to strengthen the legal regime on AI because of how fast it is evolving. If we take advantage of technology, AI especially, we shall be able to easily process data and save much more time in doing other things," Tayebwa stressed.

He added, "Otherwise, if we don't look at the ethical part of AI, then we are going to have problems. My fear is it might end up widening the gap between the rich and the poor."

Mr Tayebwa also expressed concerns about AI's impact on privacy. "Now, before you even leave a chair, the world has seen you, before you even conclude, the world has made a conclusion. We are about to reach a stage whereby you are no longer going to be whispering when there is a camera, because AI is going to read your lips and interpret whatever you are saying."

Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) Executive Director Nyombi Thembo revealed that a report from the AI task force will be released in early December, providing advisory on governance, ethics, infrastructure, awareness, regulation, and other aspects of AI.

"We have put up an AI task force that is finalizing its report. This report is going to be an advisory to the government looking at all the aspects of AI," Thembo said.

Mr Arthur Arinaitwe, CEO of Task Managers Limited, highlighted the importance of data governance due to ethical issues surrounding data collection and usage. "It is important to talk about data governance, especially because there are a lot of ethical issues surrounding how data is collected, how data is used," Arinaitwe emphasised.

In July, UCC launched an AI task team to develop a comprehensive framework for integrating AI into Uganda's communications industry.

The task force will focus on technical aspects, including investigating the latest AI technologies, assessing infrastructure requirements, and addressing data management practices and cybersecurity measures.