Nigeria’s NHRC Liaise With Tech Businesses on AI Damage

In an attempt to stop Nigerians from being harmed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) apps, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has revealed intentions to work with tech businesses.

At an AI Governance webinar hosted by the International Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (IN-CSR) in partnership with the Commission, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the United Nations Working Group, which Nairametrics in attendance on Thursday, Commission Executive Secretary Tony Ojukwu SAN revealed this.

Additionally, the workshop was organized in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the United Nations Working Group.

The news follows months after the “Continental Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy,” which calls for member nations, including Nigeria, to embrace AI in both the public and private spheres, was adopted by the African Union (AU) Executive Council.

This was revealed by the AU on Friday, August 9, 2024, in the Continental Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy paper that was posted on the AU website.

Ojukwu, the head of Nigeria’s human rights office, gave the workshop’s keynote lecture. He said that if AI is not managed with strong ethical frameworks and human dignity at its heart, it may lead to algorithmic prejudice, inequality, invasions of privacy, and eventually violations of human rights.

He went on to say that the Commission views this as an exceptional chance to broaden its authority in the digital sphere rather than as a danger.

He emphasized that the NHRC will use tech businesses to shield Nigerians from prejudice and damage related to the use of AI.

As part of its strategic plan, the Commission will work with tech firms to guarantee the transparency of AI algorithms.

“Independent audits, redress procedures, and accountability measures that will prevent discrimination or harm will be made possible by this transparency,” he stated.

He went on to say that the Commission is also prepared to require tech firms to use human rights due diligence (HRDD) in digital innovation, which includes thorough evaluations to find any risks prior to the deployment of technology.

He emphasized that even while AI is growing more complex, human oversight still plays a crucial role.

In the country’s pursuit of AI governance, Ojukwu reassured attendees that the Commission is in a unique position to serve as a liaison between government agencies, private sector innovators, university researchers, and civil society groups.

He emphasized that the NHRC’s new responsibilities would include encouraging communication, exchanging best practices, and working with regulatory agencies to accomplish the following:

Collaborate with global partners, technology specialists, and human rights activists to create standards that are both human rights-focused and technically sound.

Talk to the people at the bottom of the industry, who are frequently the ones most impacted by technology upheavals, as well as the industry titans.

He also gave stakeholders the responsibility of creating distinct chains of accountability for both public and commercial entities that create and implement AI systems in Nigerian sectors.

Speaking at the event, NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa Abdulahi stated that NITDA is giving priority to the creation of diverse, high-quality local data sets in order to train AI models that are inclusive, equitable, and devoid of biases inherited from foreign data sets. This is in response to the risks associated with AI.

He stated that the Agency is working with academic institutions, artificial intelligence companies, and regulatory agencies to create ethical standards for data curation, fairness audits, and bias mitigation strategies. He was represented by Barrister Emmanuel Edet, Regulations and Compliance, NITDA.

He clarified that NITDA has collaborated with other government agencies and a cutting-edge AI firm “to develop Nigeria’s first government-backed large-language model (LLM).”

In order to improve the portrayal of Nigeria’s varied linguistic history in AI applications, he added, this LLM is being trained in five low-resource Nigerian languages and accented English.

He claims that this project demonstrates the dedication to using local data sources to guarantee that AI technologies benefit every sphere of Nigerian society. 

He gave the assurance that NITDA is dedicated to making sure AI systems implemented in Nigeria support accountability, transparency, and equity in governance.

Ojukwu asked stakeholders to establish clear accountability frameworks for AI developers and deployers in Nigeria.

Speaking at the ceremony, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General of NITDA, underlined the agency’s efforts to address AI dangers. Speaking on behalf of Barrister Emmanuel Edet, he stated that NITDA is creating high-quality, varied local data sets to guarantee AI models are inclusive and devoid of biases evident in foreign data.

He said that Nigeria’s first government-backed large-language model (LLM) is being developed by NITDA in collaboration with an AI company and other government organizations. To improve the representation of Nigeria’s linguistic variety in AI applications, this model is being trained in five low-resource Nigerian languages and English with accents.

He restated NITDA’s dedication to making sure AI systems used in Nigeria respect accountability, openness, and equity in governance.