By now it’s quite clear that AI is at the center of fierce global competition, reshaping national security, economic power, and societal values. It is going to rearrange the hierarchy of geopolitical relevance, especially between the United States and China.
Both nations are investing heavily in AI research, chip manufacturing, and integrating AI into various sectors, including the military. The US, leveraging tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, is leading in AI innovation. To maintain this edge, the US has implemented strict export controls to prevent advanced AI technologies from reaching rival nations. These restrictions have significantly limited China’s access to essential semiconductor technologies for AI development.
In response, China is investing hundreds of billions in developing domestic chip fabrication to shield itself from Western sanctions. Chinese tech giants like Alibaba and Baidu are also creating their own AI tools. Jensen Huang is getting a crash course in international politics and diplomacy on a daily basis. In much the same way Zuck had to go learn Chinese, it’s going to be very interesting to see how NVIDIA navigates it.
But there are cultural implications too. One of the reasons for the Chinese ringfencing of AI is that western inclined LLM models cannot govern them. What they’re building must conform to the CCP’s agenda. Russia, viewing American AI advancements as a cultural and ethical threat, is developing its own AI solutions that align with traditional Russian values. President Vladimir Putin has emphasized the need for Russia to build its AI infrastructure to maintain cultural sovereignty and national security.
The Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are aggressively investing in AI as part of their broader economic diversification strategies. Saudi Arabia has launched initiatives like the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and the futuristic Neom city project to become a leader in AI. The UAE has established the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) to nurture local talent and drive AI innovation.
The dominance of Western LLMs such as those developed by OpenAI and Google is shaping the global context of AI. These models influence how information is processed and disseminated globally, embedding Western cultural and ethical norms into AI systems. This hegemony has prompted other countries to develop their own AI models to preserve their cultural integrity and strategic autonomy. For example, China’s insistence on aligning AI with socialist values and Russia’s development of AI tools that reflect its traditional values are efforts to counteract the influence of Western technologies. Mistral is not a random French start-up either.
And then there’s us. Our continent stands at a critical juncture in the AI race. While we have the potential to leverage AI for significant economic growth and development, current geopolitical dynamics pose several risks and challenges. Without significant investment in homegrown AI capabilities and talent, Africa risks becoming overly dependent on foreign technologies — as we are with many other things regarding our sovereignty. The recent loss of internet service for several days across many jurisdictions is an alarming reminder of this.
This dependency opens us up to vulnerabilities, such as exposure to geopolitical conflicts and associated economic instability. For example, as I’ve already mentioned, the Chinese government mandates that AI systems align with the values of the CCP, ensuring ideological control. However, they are exporting AI technologies to developing countries through instruments like the Belt and Road Initiative. China’s Cyberspace Administration has pushed for the establishment of a China-Africa AI policy as well as the promotion of AI technology research, development, and application including in African learning institutions.
On the other hand, the US and the Kenyan government signed a partnership agreement meant to enable American companies to invest in artificial intelligence and data centers in Kenya, East Africa’s largest economy.
Relying on foreign AI systems is the lowest-hanging fruit and often means relinquishing control over critical data. This loss of data sovereignty can have far-reaching implications for national security and economic autonomy. We don’t like to think about it, but these are the bare facts, my dear. African countries need to safeguard our own contexts by investing in our own local AI infrastructure, learning models and governance frameworks which also feed into our international policies.
A handful of African countries, including Egypt, Rwanda, and Mauritius, have so far published national AI strategies, while several others including Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are in different stages of developing similar strategies. But regulation of AI is yet to be adopted on the continent, despite growing calls to do so.
And this is why I worry about our general inability to have long-term plans on this continent. Most countries have not been able to make national plans around education, for example — and so with every new government, educational policies change and we toss students, syllabuses, and systems about in different directions.
Governments should urgently be allocating substantial funding towards AI research and development, establishing national AI strategies and policies that encourage innovation, protect data sovereignty, and promote ethical AI use. Collaborations between government entities, private companies, and academic institutions must be incentivized to drive localized AI innovation. But even more importantly, those at the helm of power must themselves actively start getting properly acquainted with a basic to intermediate proficiency in the understanding of AI.
The complexities of the AI race present both challenges and opportunities for Africa. And because we’re all trying to figure it out globally, the time to act is now, ensuring that we do not get left behind again. Or at least not as far back.
I’ll be honest. I don’t believe the entire continent is suddenly going to wake up and be transformed, but one cannot deny the very cogent opportunity that this moment in time presents countries like Nigeria, Kenya, and Rwanda to once again seize a chance to be globally relevant in this transformative technological era.
Don’t forget there was a time when we wrote case studies for mobile money services. Don’t forget that we leapfrogged the world in mobile internet access. It’s food for thought.
Until next time,
Spyda.
