- The Kenyan government is introducing regulatory measures to curb the use of AI-driven disinformation tools that threaten democracy.
- While speaking at the launch of the Fifth National Action Plan on Open Government Partnership in Nairobi, President William Ruto highlighted the measures the government is taking to curb the misuse of advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“We are also implementing a regulatory regime that forestalls the abuse of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, which leads to disinformation that threatens our democracy,” he said
Ruto expressed that the Fifth National Action Plan under the Open Government Partnership is expected to further Kenya’s goals of promoting transparency, public participation, and accountability in governance.
The initiative will also foster government partnership with international partners to ensure that new technologies are used responsibly and ethically, aligning with global digital governance standards.
This development arises amid increasing worries about the AI-driven disinformation as it could be used to manipulate public opinion, undermine trust in democratic institutions, and interfere with elections.
For instance, In 2021, reports revealed that the Kenyan public was overwhelmed with AI-generated deep fakes of politicians making provocative statements, which quickly spread across social media.
In February 2023, an Israeli-based firm, known as Team Jorge, was revealed to be involved in the Kenyan elections through hackings and deploying social media bots to manipulate the narrative against a candidate.
While these are obvious negative aspects of AI in the country, it has not halted the adoption. In April 2024, the Kenyan government and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH partnered to launch a project to develop a National Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy to drive digital expansion.
This comes a month after the Kenya Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Society proposed a prison sentence of up to 24 months, a fine of up to KSh 1 million ($6,250), or both for unlicensed AI and robotic entities.
The bill seeks to create the Kenya Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Society, tasked with regulating IoT, robotics, and AI. It will also enforce compliance, advise the government on AI trends, promote responsible and ethical development, and foster collaboration among practitioners and stakeholders.
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In May 2024, the country also secured digital investments of $1 billion from Microsoft and UAE's G42, an artificial intelligence (AI) firm, part of which will be committed to development of Swahili/English AI models and the launch of AI societal services.
