Adebayo Shittu, minister of Communications said that the federal Ministry of Communications will support stakeholders in the ICT to create and strengthen a national Artificial Intelligence ecosystem to achieve sustainable development.
Shittu, said this at a press conference on Thursday, in Abuja to mark the 2018 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, said that the ministry was committed to focus on the potential of the AI to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, and improve the nation’s economy.
He said: “AI is taking centre stage with a lot of impact on peoples’ lives as its potential power is being exploited and developed at an unprecedented speed.
“With many nations, including Nigeria bank on technology, robotics and artificial intelligence to reshape humanity, we need to encourage our youth and people to be digital literate and become multi-discipline in ICTs.
“Also market analysts predict that intelligent machines programmed to think and reason like the human mind will revolutionise healthcare in the very near future.
“Proponents of the transformative power of artificial intelligence usually give two examples: self-driving cars and the delivery of healthcare.”
The minister emphasised that AI was no longer confined to the laboratories, but could be seen in many instances of human activities.
He said: “We are accustomed to seeing countless references to intelligent machines and robots in popular culture whether it is in movies, fiction or books.
“But apart from computers and smartphone technology, nothing is more worthy of praise than our commitment to replicate human behaviours and thought pattern into machine and that is the world of artificial intelligence.
“As governments increasingly rely on the internet for governance and delivery of social benefits, technology simultaneously holds the promise of transformation and potential for exclusion.’’
He said that the ministry would engage in crucial conversations with stakeholders to manage and explore the AI regime.
According to him, Nigeria will seek to bring industry leaders and academic experts to the forefront by identifying priorities and share lessons for sustainable growth.
Shittu said: “We shall consider and explore pillars like connectivity, digital inclusion, trade, security, innovation and policy.
“We will also examine challenges and prospects of AI to foster greater interoperability and security.
“Since government is leveraging the internet for delivery of social services, all lesson must be internalised to make this initiative more inclusive.’’