The AI Ethics Applied Programme & Consultation, via FAIR Forward and GIZ Rwanda, in partnership with the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) and Center for Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), equips stakeholders from the Rwandan AI ecosystem with knowledge on how to put ethical AI into practices and provides RURA with first-hand feedback on the upcoming ethical AI guidelines.
GIZ through its initiative FAIR Forward, in partnership with the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) and the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), conducted a successful capacity-building workshop as the kick-off of the AI Ethics Applied Programme and Consultation. The programme aims to raise awareness of the ethics of AI and gather feedback on Rwanda’s upcoming ethical AI guidelines.
Fifteen representatives from startups, SMEs, corporates, academia, and government institutions involved in AI systems development, deployment, and policies participated in this workshop which took place at the Digital Transformation Center Rwanda this October 18-19.
During the workshop, participants learned about key concepts related to ethical AI and AI-related risks as well as principles and requirements for developing AI systems in a human-centred, trustworthy and responsible manner. The capacity-building workshop also acted as a means for RURA to gain first-hand feedback on the ethical AI guidelines from the key stakeholders and users of the coming guidelines.
Let’s look at the workshop results from the participants’ perspectives
According to Louis Niragire from the University of Rwanda and Huzalabs, participating in this consultation programme for Rwanda Ethical AI Guidelines in the lifecycle and development of all AI-based systems. He anticipates a good outcome in putting the knowledge from the workshop into practice.
Dr Nzisabira Bryand from Babylon Digital Healthcare Delivery highlighted the importance of the consultation program in creating awareness of the importance of ethically deploying AI in the health sector and assessing possible dangers if ethical principles are disregarded. He insists on the need for all involved personnel to know AI ethics because it is up to the developers, users, and other stakeholders to learn how to build and use AI in a responsible manner. He thanked all the organizers (Saidot, GIZ, RURA, and C4IR) for organizing this consultation program and recommended all individuals and businesses involved in the AI sector be part of this program.
Patrick Gacirane, from RURA, shared his excitement about the successful workshop. He was pleased with the feedback from the participants. As researcher and analyst for AI initiatives, he leads the development of the Rwandan Ethical AI Guidelines. The workshop helped RURA gain industry feedback and a better understanding of the overall comprehension and applicability of the guidelines. He noted that the programme should be repeated regularly to ensure that the whole AI sector is well versed on the Rwandan Ethical AI Guidelines.
So, what is next?
The AI Ethics Applied Program and Consultation will continue engaging with the participants until January 2023, with individual coaching and peer learning on applying the ethical AI guidelines in developing and deploying their own AI use cases. In addition, all participants will be provided with access to Saidot’s AI governance platform to conduct a self-assessment of their AI product in alignment with the ethical guidelines.