AI & African Enterprises: October 2024 Newsletter
Newsletter originally published October 28, 2024
🇨🇳 China's AI Diplomacy in Africa
In July, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the China-sponsored Enhancing International Cooperation on Capacity-Building of Artificial Intelligence resolution. This follows adoption of the US-sponsored Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence resolution from March 2024; the first AI-focused resolution passed by the UN.
A Timeline of AI Regulatory Milestones
China’s resolution is the latest in a series of regulatory and non-binding guidance introduced by governments and supranational agencies looking to shape the boundaries of international cooperation and competition around the development of AI solutions.
Two Sides of a Similar Coin
The China-proposed UN AI resolutions mirrors its US counterpart in that both resolutions affirm the:
centrality of the UN and international law in regulating AI
potential for AI to reshape humanity
need to adopt frameworks that mitigate risks presented by AI
need for global cooperation in regulating the development and use of AI
need to focus on "human centric" AI
China's proposal, however, further emphasizes the impact of AI on developing countries. In a statement following the adoption of the resolution, China's permanent representative to the UN, Fu Cong said "The goal is to help all countries, especially developing ones, benefit from AI development, bridge the digital divide, improve global AI governance, and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."
Africa in Focus
By sponsoring a UN resolution that focuses on capacity building, China presents as aligning with the priorities of many African policy makers establishing national AI strategies. The positioning of China’s AI resolution adds weight to our view that dominant AI powers are leveraging access to AI development to enact their foreign policy agendas.
We’ve seen this recently with the Biden Administration’s Executive Order following President Ruto’s state visit where, in exchange for providing military support for the US’s efforts in Haiti, Kenya received various incentives including support for chip manufacturing, AI education and AI infrastructure investments.
China’s AI interests in Africa predate the recent UN resolution. For the last 12 years, China has facilitated the sale of AI surveillance solutions to at least 13 African nations, through their Safe and Smart Cities Initiative, offering favourable loans with Chinese vendors. AI solutions have been deployed to state agencies to monitor traffic, logistics, and for law enforcement. The initiative’s success, however, has been marginal to date, and some of the AI surveillance tools have been found to be non-compliant with local data privacy laws.
Takeaways
China is expanding the vocabulary of its dialogue with developing countries to include discourse around AI. Broadly, US and China seem to be leveraging their economic dominance and leadership in AI to modulate access to AI resources.
As African countries evolve their national AI strategies, and engage with the US and China more broadly, checks and balances should be put in place to ensure AI engagement is on terms that offer tangible mutual benefits.