Kenya: AI Guidelines For Practitioners Launched

The artificial intelligence (AI) community in Kenya has developed and launched guidelines for practitioners in the country. The guidelines contain best practices for use of AI and help practitioners better understand the AI landscape in Kenya.

The guide, titled “Artificial Intelligence Practitioners’ Guide: Kenya,” was developed by a multisectoral team drawn from government, think tanks, academia, local and international non-governmental organizations, journalists, human rights advocates, civil society, the private sector, and legal experts, among others led by the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data and the Fair Forward programme implemented by GIZ Kenya.

The guide covers the building blocks of AI in Kenya, the principles of responsible AI, and the legal landscape for AI in the East African country. It highlights the critical building blocks of AI as AI infrastructure, data, capacity and skill, investments, and financing, and notes that Kenya is among the few countries in Africa with the necessary capacity to support AI adoption and usage.

Responsible AI refers to the practice of ensuring that AI is safe, reliable, and impartial. The guidelines provide recommendations for procuring, designing, building, using, protecting, consuming, and managing AI and other advanced analytics. This ensures that AI practitioners can create efficient AI systems, track and mitigate risks and biases in AI models, and ensure that the development process considers the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI.

Lastly, it examines the legal landscape for AI in Kenya and lists various laws and guidelines touching on digital technologies and the adoption of AI in the country. For an AI practitioner, adherence to these laws is important as they will help them abide by the best practices and moreover, create products that are beneficial to society.

Davis Adieno, Senior Director of Programs Global Partnership of Sustainable Development Data, says that AI practitioners should find this guide useful for exploring AI technologies in the region to advance sustainable development and inclusive growth.