Sovereign AI Ecosystems
Every country needs to build their own AI capabilities, from infrastructure to services with an ecosystem of professionals able to develop models, train and adapt them to local needs and create value locally. This is most true for African countries, and they should help the local private sector to set up their own AI Services.
The AI Services should offer chat services to the public, based on a re-trained Large Language Model, to access local information such as government services, transport information, historical and regional information, health and education information; information-retrieval and analysis services for public administration (legal context, public database information, etc.); API for business use, such as enriching new or existing software (chatbot, educational software, etc.); and training services to government personnel, businesses and the public, to increase awareness, usage and benefits.
The AI Services would have the following benefits: improved access to information, such as education, healthcare and e-government services (in particular via SMS-based queries, which do not require expensive mobile handsets and broadband subscriptions); enhanced communication, such as translation (English to local languages for example), citizen engagement (information, alerts); efficient public services, such as automated routine tasks (frequently asked questions), and providing information on government services; data analysis and insight, such as predicting trends in economic indicators, government initiative outcomes, social issues, as well as in research projects; automation of business processes, such as customer service, data entry and optimisation of operations (demand prediction, inventory management, logistics); access to technology and services, without the need to deploy expensive infrastructure (leapfrogging); encouraged entrepreneurship and investments, through business advice, market analysis, access to global insights, identification of investment opportunities’ and social and economic inclusion, by providing support to agricultural and other local practices, market and weather information, optimised agricultural practices and health information (in particular to young women).
To enable AI Services, one would see the deployment of a low-cost, small-scale (but scalable) AI infrastructure in local data centres. This should be encouraged (both in terms of policy and in grant funding) by governments and international organisations. Once set up, a healthy and diverse ecosystem of software companies supporting the public and private sectors to leverage AI services would flourish.