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The future of representative democracy is uncertain. The gradual consolidation of its institutions, procedures, cultural and ideological references, was directly congruent with the evolution of the industrial age economic and social compound. But th…
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The power and prospect of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) initially alarmed technology experts, for fear that machine advancements would destroy jobs. Then came a correction of sorts, with a wave of reassurances minimizing their negative…
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This paper maps SADC countries’ readiness for the Fourth Industrial Revolution from a strategic policy perspective. It focuses specifically on the digital connectivity and skills components of the 4IR, given their role in creating an enabling enviro…
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Research on the gender dimensions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other frontier technologies in Africa is still in its infancy. Compared to other world regions, Africa has little or no gender-disaggregated data on digital access, skills and par…
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This paper considers the relevance of the recent wave of technological advances – so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies – for the agricultural sector in drought-prone countries of Southern Africa. The resulting ‘watch list’ of technolo…
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here; but what ‘here’ means is very different according to the country in which it is being implemented or explored. In South Africa, a data controversy relating to the commercial use of the national social grants dis…
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Many African states are deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) surveillance technologies to monitor citizens for various purposes, but seldom in ways that are rights-respecting and particularly privacy-respecting. Today’s AI surveillance technologie…
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South African cities are increasingly turning to technology-aided surveillance to police public spaces. Conceived of as ‘safe city’ projects, they are linking cameras to form wide area networks that increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI) to i…
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Technologies related to Artificial Intelligence have an influential and transformative power that is increasingly felt by African populations and therefore constitute an important lever for development. However, this digital ecosystem, even though i…
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The use of artificial intelligence (AI) based systems complements the time-sensitive and data intensive nature of many activities in the financial services industry (FSI)—Specifically, in FinTech Ecosystems (FEs) that have disrupted many financial s…
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This policy paper examines issues emerging around the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Digital and Biometric Identities (BDI) being rolled out across Africa as a central part of digital strategies to meet the UN 2030 Sustainable Develop…
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The project conducted case studies on AI deployment across the African continent, and the associated policy and governance implications. It explored AI in relation to four thematic areas – biometric identity, computer vision and surveillance, skills…
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Computer vision is at first glance simply technology with general applications so that the political implications are not immediately apparent, unlike technologies such as bio-identity in which purpose is fused with the technology. The political val…
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Rethinking South Sudan’s path to democracy, discusses the peace process and the developments in South Sudan to form a democratic state. The crisis of Ethiopian foreign relations: From ‘imperfect hegemon’ to occupied state, covers the state of Ethiop…
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The COVID-19 pandemic is testing the resilience of national education systems, economies and job markets, highlighting the digital divide, income inequality, and workforce fragility around the world. In Africa, the virus has kept millions of childre…
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Digitalization, artificial intelligence, and related technologies are undoubtedly changing the way we approach our social and economic lives. By allowing us to produce –both old and new– goods and services in novelty ways, technologies are not just …
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The Global Catastrophic Risks 2021, developed by the Global Challenge Foundation, gives an overview of the current main greatest threats to humanity, highlights their interconnectedness as they reinforce each other, and explores how they are being m…
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The Global Catastrophic Risks 2021, developed by the Global Challenge Foundation, gives an overview of the current main greatest threats to humanity, highlights their interconnectedness as they reinforce each other, and explores how they are being m…
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a wicked problem facing society globally. It is wicked because it is complex and hard to define as a policy concern. How is it being used, and who must – who can? – take responsibility for ensuring it is used to bette…
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