South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile wants to regulate AI.
Over the weekend the Deputy President stated “Artificial intelligence and technology, if left unregulated, will create a new digital divide deeper than apartheid ever was.”
What exactly does he want to do? How do you regulate a piece of software?
Let us remember that AI is simply good software that does no more than “Pattern Matching” and has a vast database of words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs from which to choose to reply.
AI and AI techniques have been around for more than 40 years. Automation has been used for years and years. Now that AI is slightly more accessible to the man in the street it must be regulated!!
To be cynical, does Mashatile want to regulate my software too because my software uses APIs to connect to AI? What about your Excel spreadsheets or WhatsApps that I can connect to AI chatbots? Must I send the soon-to-formed AI regulator my new source code everyday?
To be more cynical is he concerned because he cannot find a way to monetize AI? Is he concerned that clever people have designed good software that has become popular that it now needs to be regulated?
To continue to be cynical, is he concerned that the answers given do not meet his political standards? Does he want to control the input data, like North Korea and China? Is Google search next?
Yes, I get the digital divide, but what exactly does he want to do? Why single out AI, which as I’ve pointed out is just a bit of good software. Why not Excel or WORD or SA Breweries process control systems? The last doesn’t bother me because I don’t drink beer!
Yes, I get that he wants the whole country, especially people in rural areas to have access to AI. It’s not AI they need, its Internet access.
Internet access? Ever heard of Starlink?
Yes, I’m annoyed because the first thing governments do is try to control and regulate markets without caring about or understanding the unintended consequences.
Yes, I’m annoyed because government is likely to set up a task group or commission of enquiry or national dialogue or group of eminent persons or whatever, costing millions that we are going to pay for.
Your views?
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