AI has quickly emerged as a disruptive technology that is rewiring the way we interact with the world. For example, it’s being used in our media, health, financial, and transportation systems. It’s a technology that is becoming more pervasive and will have profound impacts for years to come.
Over the last two years, the Government of South Africa has invested strategically in the SA AI ecosystem. So, it’s time for South Africans to see the benefits of these investments and to use of some of this talent to provide better government services to South Africans. With the application of technology like machine learning to improve the delivery of benefits programs, predictive data analytics to improve decision making, and natural language processing to support translation services, we can reduce backlogs and processing times while offering unprecedented convenience and personalized service to South Africans and businesses.
The use of AI offers a lot of promise in improving the efficiency of service delivery in government, but there are also risks. It’s critical that the use of AI be governed with clear values, ethics, and rules. In the coming months, we are going to release a Directive on Automated Decision-Making, which will outline the responsibilities of federal departments using AI. This Directive, along with the Algorithmic Impact Assessment, will help institutions better understand and ensure the ethical and responsible implementation of AI. While I’m excited about the possibilities that this technology will bring, it will not be used at the expense of human rights. This Directive is our first step to make sure that doesn’t happen.
A key mechanism for delivering ethical AI is being open and transparent. Adopting the use of cutting edge technology doesn’t mean this comes at the expense of our protection of Canadians. It’s all about finding the right balance between innovation and the application of technology within a strong ethical framework. Stay tuned and continue to follow the important strides we are taking as we continue to transition towards greater Digital Government.
