Ipar takes part in the National Consultations workshop for young experts, key stakeholders, activists, researchers and professionals in AI systems

• 31 July 2023
• grainroot
• News GRAIN, Articles

From July 26 to 28, Ipar took part in the National Consultations workshop for young experts, key stakeholders, activists, researchers and AI systems professionals in Senegal on the theme "Mapping the practices, research and expertise of young users of Artificial Intelligence systems and mobilizing their expertise for ethical regulation of AI uses" organized by UNESCO and Polaris Asso in Saly.

As part of UNESCO's implementation of the McGovern project in Senegal, research and analysis activities are being carried out with a view to producing a national report on AI systems in Senegal.

This report will draw on the results of the AI Readiness Assessment, based on the UNESCO Assessment Methodology (RAM), and will reflect the results of the national multi-stakeholder consultations that will be organized as part of the report.

The aim of the report will be to inform the country's overall national AI strategy and provide a factual framework on the ethical governance of AI, with short- and long-term priorities identified, and using the Recommendation on AI Ethics as a blueprint.

The aim of this youth consultation was to facilitate the production of this national assessment report on AI systems in Senegal.

More specifically, the consultation made it possible to :

• Facilitate the work of a multidisciplinary national steering committee that will oversee the implementation of the project on the government side;

• Implement the RAM to gain an in-depth understanding of the development potential of AI, the state of the art in the country in terms of institutional and regulatory readiness, as well as the regulatory and institutional gaps that need to be filled in order to turn potential into action ; Prepare a diagnostic report based on the results of the RAM exercise ;
• Facilitate discussions leading to the identification of youth needs, concerns and policy priorities.

The consultation results yielded context-specific recommendations from young people. These recommendations will contribute to fostering social acceptability and ownership by all stakeholders of the challenges of AI ethics in Senegal and the region.

Additionally, the data collected will serve as an information base to develop an AI strategy founded on ethics and respect for human rights.

Furthermore, this youth consultation activity will accompany all the components of future interventions, thus must be based on empirical and concrete realities.

Ipar's participation in various workshops on the MCTEN's AI strategy, including this consultation workshop, allowed the organization to present its various AI-related projects, such as GRAIN, DUA, CLIMB, and AGRIDATA. It also contributed to the development of recommendations on gender, ethical, and legal aspects of AI.