March 19, 2024

PROTOCOL I thank the Director, Consumer Protection Council, of Imo state, Honorable Mrs. Obioma Okafor, for considering me worthy as the Guest Speaker for this year’s edition of the World Consumers Rights Day Celebration with the theme:  Fair and Responsible Artificial Intelligence for Consumers. This theme is, indeed, topical and relevant within the context of our current socio-economy reality, where AI is already walking its way into the fabric of our daily lives. Wielding its transformative influence across diverse domains, including healthcare, finance, education, and entertainment. Its evolution from mere concept to practical application has heralded a new era of innovation and opportunity, promising unparalleled efficiencies and advancements. Artificial Intelligence (AI), defined as the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, AI encompasses a broad spectrum of capabilities, from problem-solving and learning to perception and decision-making. Its genesis can be traced back to the mid-20th century when pioneers like Alan Turing laid the theoretical groundwork, envisioning machines capable of intelligent behavior. We are already seeing the next generation of AI as more and more objects we interface with become imbued with some form of AI-related functionality. Eg Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and Google Assistant are AI-powered digital assistants mainstreaming voice as the next interface over touch. Instead of typing a search query using your favorite connected device screen or keyboard, you can simply speak it. According to recent reports by PwC and Accenture, AI will usher in a new era of technological and economic transformation over the next 2 decades. The global AI technologies market is vast and promising amounting to around 200 billion U.S. dollars in 2023 and is expected to grow well beyond that to over 1.8 trillion U.S. dollars by 2030. Everything from supply chain, marketing, product marketing, research, analysis, and more are fields that in some aspect adopt artificial intelligence within their business structure. Chatbots, image-generating AI, and mobile applications are all among the major trends improving AI in the coming years. Where is Nigeria in the Global AI discussion? Are they on the dining table or on the Menu? To avoid FOMO (Fear of missing out), Nigeria has formulated a strategic policy to harness the potential of AI inclusively and responsibly. According to the Nigeria Strategic Plan titled “Accelerating our Collective Prosperity through Technical Efficiency,” the goal of the AI Strategy is to elevate Nigeria as a top 10 location for AI model training and talents globally besides positioning  Nigeria as a global leader in accelerating inclusivity in AI dataset. Going by this Strategic Plan, Nigeria wants to achieve the top 50 global rankings (currently 96) in AI readiness and adoption across metrics (Computing Power, Skills, Data Availability, Ethics, and Governance) by 2030. In addition, create over 50,000 jobs in Nigeria’s AI industry by 2030. However, as AI continues its relentless march forward, the imperative of ensuring its fair and responsible deployment becomes increasingly paramount. This paper looks comprehensively at AI ethics, elucidating the critical roles played by Innovators, Regulators, and Users in shaping the ethical landscape of AI adoption. From the drawing board to the boardroom, from policymaking chambers to the fingertips of end-users, each stakeholder bears a distinct responsibility in fostering an ecosystem where AI thrives equitably and ethically. Today we can see AI that can mimic human speech patterns, tones, moods, personalities, and behaviors. This next generation of AI will also have the ability to mimic subtle human emotions, by communicating empathy, sympathy, humor, and care to users when they most need them Google’s Duplex project in 2016 was to develop an AI that sounds life out with the capability of analyzing a User’s mood and state of mind in real-time, remembering previous conversations in order to reference them in the future, remembering where a previous conversation stopped so it can pick it up where it left off at a later time, just like a human being can do. AI-Powered CRM (Customer relationship management) systems are used to drive customer loyalty, purchases, and recommendations among customers. This algorithm can identify opportunities for companies to optimize their signal-to-noise ratio by engaging their customers with the right offer at the right time. AI can identify which customer is losing interest in a product or service and target them with special offers or rewards before they are too far gone. AI can play what Daniel Newman and Olivier Blanchard described as the Big Butler/Big Mother role in their book called Human/Machine-The Future of our partnership with  Machines by suggesting certain products and services, and providing unprompted advice when the occasion presents itself. AI-powered CRM can build or optimize non-transactional relationships with customers eg. In Aviation industry, AI may send you text with friendly packing and travel tips once an Airline knows that you are 48 hours from a trip, 24 hours away from departure, an AI may send you reminders about what documentss to bring with you and links to useful information about your departure Airport and terminal. While in transit, AI can text you your next gate number and boarding information. How could AI be used irresponsibly and unfairly in Different Sectors and the likely unintended consequences? 1. Education: Cognitive Dependence: (impedes critical thinking and cognatic skills development) In some educational settings, overreliance on AI tools can lead to students losing essential cognitive reasoning skills. If AI becomes the primary source of information and problem-solving, students may struggle to develop critical thinking abilities, hindering their overall cognitive development. 2. Finance: Algorithmic Bias: (especially in the loan approval process by excluding a certain group and reinforcing societal inequality) The financial sector has witnessed instances where AI algorithms perpetuated biases, leading to unfair outcomes. For instance, biased algorithms in loan approval processes can result in certain demographic groups facing discrimination, reinforcing societal inequalities rather than mitigating them. 3. Healthcare: Misdiagnosis and Lack of Human Oversight: (Over-reliance on AI tools may lead to wrong diagnosis and incorrect treatment Plan if not properly monitored by qualified medical professionals). Overemphasis on AI in healthcare diagnostic tools, without adequate human