‘Our work is not a one-way street’
Artificial intelligence can promote development and create new jobs – provided it is used responsibly, explains Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is regarded as a key technology that will significantly impact our future. What does this development mean for international cooperation?
Let’s start with an everyday example: try communicating with Siri in Kinyarwanda, the national language of Rwanda, or speaking to Google Assistant in Telugu, one of the many Indian languages. The AI simply wouldn’t understand you – yet the two languages are spoken by almost 90 million people. Speech recognition is a powerful tool to promote inclusion and reach people who cannot write or do not speak any of the predominant languages: AI chatbots can help navigate through the maze of government authorities and make vital information available to everyone.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing our world – including in the field of international cooperation. If AI is used responsibly, it can help, for example, to recognise pests or plant diseases, plan power grids more efficiently or detect extreme weather events at an early stage. The potential is huge. Progress towards sustainability goals can be achieved faster with AI than with traditional instruments.
At the same time, we must not ignore the risks. Faulty or biased algorithms can exacerbate social inequalities. And in the wrong hands, AI can facilitate surveillance and targeted disinformation. Another problem so far has been the enormous energy consumption of complex AI models. We try to take all of this into account, and are therefore committed to AI that benefits everyone and respects human rights.
What do the partner countries think about AI?
They also view AI as a great opportunity. The Economic Commission for Africa, for instance, estimates that AI could increase Africa’s gross domestic product by up to one and a half trillion US dollars by 2030. However, there is a lack of data, computing capacity and skilled workers – the basic requirements for being able to develop and use AI effectively. At present, only a small proportion of African AI experts, for example, have the necessary access to powerful technical infrastructure. However, if this is in the hands of a few large companies in the USA or China, there is a risk of new dependencies. We are therefore supporting our partners in realising their own potential.
What will it take to ensure that AI does not remain a buzzword in international cooperation, but actually has a tangible impact?
Solutions need to be developed very closely in line with people’s needs. We are working on this and implementing very specific measures with the global initiative ‘FAIR Forward – Artificial Intelligence for All’.
In Kenya, for example, we have developed a chatbot that answers questions in Swahili or Sheng, a mixture of English and Swahili. It is being used for the first time on a citizens’ platform – where it provides information on setting up a business, for example. What do I have to do? Which authority do I need to contact? The chatbot is designed to be a digital public good. Its program code is freely available. Companies can also use the chatbot to develop their own solutions and business models. This is exactly what we mean when we talk about ‘economic potential’: the final result should be start-ups or companies – and new, promising jobs.
A particular advantage of these open digital approaches, which are accessible to everyone, is that they are easy to transfer. They can be adapted easily, and this makes investments particularly effective.
‘We have sent a strong signal with the ‘Hamburg Declaration for Responsible AI for the Sustainable Development Goals’.’
You mentioned the downsides of AI at the beginning – it can also be misused. From our point of view, this is a particularly sensitive aspect …
That’s right, especially with international cooperation, we don’t want to cause any unintended damage. We want AI to serve people’s wellbeing. The challenge is that politics always lags behind technology – especially when it comes to AI.
That is why we have sent a strong signal, together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and a host of international partners – the ‘Hamburg Declaration for Responsible AI for the Sustainable Development Goals’ launched last June. It is the first declaration worldwide to contain specific recommendations on how AI can benefit everyone.
Data protection laws, regulatory requirements and national strategies for AI are still in their infancy in many of our partner countries. Only a few, such as Ghana, India, Kenya and Rwanda, have comprehensive national frameworks in place for the use of AI. We want to provide more support to ensure that AI primarily offers opportunities, and that the risks are manageable.
‘This cooperation in the field of AI creates further valuable links for companies and research institutions in Germany.’
What benefits does Germany itself derive from its commitment to AI in international cooperation, especially in economic terms?
Our work is not a one-way street. When Germany collaborates with partner countries on responsible AI solutions, its own innovative power and competitiveness is also strengthened. This cooperation creates further valuable links for companies and research institutions in Germany – they gain access to new markets and innovation networks, and encounter an environment in which responsible standards are already common practice as a result of our work.
At the same time, experience from projects in agriculture, mobility and energy supply flows back to Germany. After all, our partner countries are facing similar challenges to us in some ways. Solutions that have proven themselves in Africa or Asia, for example, can also be used or further developed here.
With our work as BMZ in the field of AI, we are not only fulfilling our global responsibility. It is also an investment in Germany’s international competitiveness. So my appeal to German companies is this: join us on this path, it’s worth it!
