Digital natives must stand out and be counted in 4IR

Kenyan youths, who have long lamented that their missed opportunities in the three previous industrial revolutions, must cease complaining and lead Africa into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Historically, we missed the bus in the First Industrial Revolution (1765), the Second Industrial Revolution (1870), and the Third Industrial Revolution (1969). The Fourth Industrial Revolution (2000) is the current and evolving landscape where disruptive technologies and trends such as the Internet of Things, robotics, virtual reality, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are reshaping how modern people live and work.

Granted, the older generation born before 1985, which is considered digital immigrants, are slower in adapting to the digital world, but the digital natives, who have grown up in a world defined by the Internet and smart devices, must wake up and smell the coffee. For they have no excuse from the fact that they must lead us in this digital reality.

Unfortunately, AI is progressing at an unprecedented pace, to the extent that it can now perform tasks that were once the exclusive domain of human intelligence. It’s becoming so sophisticated that it’s on the verge of achieving superhuman abilities. This progress is of immense significance because what this means is that we stand on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The potential of AI is vast. It has the power to disrupt and transform socio-economic activities across industries, rendering some jobs obsolete while creating new opportunities. The exact nature of these changes remains uncertain, and we’re all navigating uncharted territory. The fundamental question is, what will we become in this AI-driven world?

Regretfully, Kenya and Africa as a whole have not yet positioned themselves at the starting line of this revolution. While other nations worldwide pour billions into their AI dreams, it raises the question: where are the thousands of IT experts who could lead the charge in this transformative wave? It’s time for Africa to step up and actively engage with the burgeoning AI landscape. To shape our destiny in this AI-driven world, Kenya, often referred to as the “Silicon Savannah,” must adapt and fully immerse itself in this tech revolution.

And it is the youth, with their innovative spirit and adaptability, who will be pivotal in this transition. They must recognise the immense potential and challenges AI presents.

It seems like our institutions of learning should put more emphasis on algorithms because clearly, at the core of this revolution is the brutal truth of learning algorithms. This is the intricate lines of code that powers AI systems. AI simulates human intelligence processes, especially in computer systems.

For example, it is algorithms that dictate how we interact with information online, shaping the results we receive in response to our searches. Needless to reiterate, in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, algorithms reign supreme.

As Emmanuel Ogiemwonyi warns in his insights into this issue, businesses and governments across the world are positioning themselves to harness the potential of AI, countries in the Global North are better prepared to reap the benefits, even though many jobs that could be displaced are in the Global South.

Therefore, countries in the Global South, including Kenya, must address governance issues and institutional capacity gaps to establish the foundation for AI to flourish.

This can be attained by ensuring local needs and issues are contextualised into AI policy formulation, rather than adopting a blanket ‘copy-and-paste’ approach that has limited the advancement of development policies in Africa. A problem-driven approach would enable African countries to craft robust AI policies tailored to their unique circumstances. Let’s seize this opportunity, embark on this transformative journey, and embrace the AI revolution with open arms. The future of Africa’s role in this global transformation is yet to be written, and it’s up to the digital natives to make it a success story.

—  The writer is the Business Editor, People Daily