With Mauritius at 1st position and Egypt 2nd on the list of African countries that are most prepared to use AI, Morocco has made the 6th position.
On the continental level, Mauritius took the lead with a 61st place ranking, narrowly followed by Egypt in 62nd place, South Africa in 77th place, Tunisia in 81st place, and Rwanda in 84th place. At the same time, Morocco reached the 88th spot on the world stage.
A total of 39 indicators covering the public sector, private sector, data and infrastructure, and technology sector made up the Government AI Readiness Index 2023.
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The report emphasises that South Africa, Mauritius, and Egypt are leading the pack in creating ecosystems that foster technological innovation.
The think tank claims that six African countries have supported the development of artificial intelligence (AI) startups and businesses through their progressive government policies.
Nonetheless, certain nations, like Côte d’Ivoire, continue to rank poorly, demonstrating that disparities exist within the continent. According to the report, these differences highlight the importance of taking a comprehensive and strategic approach to preparing African nations to adopt AI.
How Morocco uses AI
Last month, opposition lawmakers in Morocco’s House of Councillors introduced a bill to control the spread of AI in the nation. The Moroccan Labour Union’s parliamentary group introduced this bill to curb artificial intelligence’s abuse and undesirable consequences.
The bill’s explanatory memorandum suggests establishing an agency devoted to AI governance and stresses the importance of regulating AI in Morocco. The proposed National Agency for Artificial Intelligence would oversee the creation, execution, and revision of a national AI strategy that syncs with global advancements.
Initiating this agency has three primary goals: increasing public and private sector understanding of AI’s significance, developing future generations of AI experts, and boosting employee efficiency across all national institutions.
Additionally, the agency is anticipated to pave the way for exciting opportunities in AI, foster partnerships with niche global businesses, and work with local, national, and international groups to address AI-related concerns.
On the other hand, the bill expresses concern about the possibility of AI being exploited for malicious purposes, such as cyberattacks, the production of deep fake videos, or the dissemination of false information and hate speech. There might be severe consequences for national security if AI is used maliciously.
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Africa’s involvement in AI Technology
Despite the potential benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) on economic integration and service delivery for Africa’s growing population, the report argues that the digital divide and other structural inequalities prevent the technology from being widely adopted.
Education is scarce, and the continent struggles to compete globally regarding AI advancements due to the prohibitive costs of internet and broadband. Internet and broadband access costs might account for as much as 44% of GDP in certain African nations.