By Florence Afriyie Mensah
Kumasi, July 12, GNA – Dr. Marcel Moritz, an Associate Professor of Public Law, at the University of Lille in France, has called for comprehensive legal regulations on Artificial Intelligence (AI), underscoring the urgent need to address concerns of fairness, bias, and liability.
He said the regulations were necessary as technology was increasingly being integrated into everyday life and humans were the direct beneficiaries of these discoveries.
Dr Moritz stressed that, while AI brought about innovation and convenience, it also sparked a lot of pressing legal issues that must not be grossed over.
He was speaking at the 6th Eminent Legal Scholars and Lawyers Public Lecture Series organized by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Faculty of Law in Kumasi.
The Associate Law Professor highlighted the legal ambiguity surrounding AI, particularly concerning the origin and integrity of the data used to train and feed these systems.
Delivering on the topic “The New Challenges of European AI Law: Insights for Africa’s AI Landscape”, Dr Moritz stated that, the challenges posed by AI were global and not limited to a particular country.
“We have the same challenges all around the world. It is just that we are now discovering them because we are using AI more.
We need to find solutions to mitigate the risks. AI is not magical.It uses databases to create results.If the data contain inaccuracies, the results will be poor. People must be aware of that,” he cautioned.
The lecture exposed insights to the recent European developments, referencing two separate AI regulations, one from the Council of Europe with a human rights-based approach, and another from the European Union, which was business centered.
According to Dr Moritz, these regulations were adopted last year, adding that, they could serve as inspiration for other countries to tackle the legalities in the artificial intelligence space.
Professor Mrs Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, stressed the need for responsible regulation to ensure that AI systems did not compromise human rights, dignity, or the rule of law.
She encouraged higher learning educational institutions to champion the development of ethical AI technologies that aligned with human rights and societal values.
“There is the need for robust legal frameworks to ensure that technology serves society and communities in a more ethical and responsible manner.
As a higher education institution, we must ensure that the ethical AI technologies and practices we submit align with human rights and societal values.”
Prof Dickson mentioned that Ghana was already taking bold steps towards this goal through the development of a National AI Strategy, an initiative assisted by the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL) at KNUST.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Christian Akorlie