Data Science Nigeria has an ambitious goal: to train 1 million Nigerian data scientists by the end of the decade. Yet, it does not end there, the non-profit aims to make the largest African nation a leading player in the growing global AI industry. Hence, DSN is a shining example of the growing trend of AI for good in the majority world.
AI holds great potential to solve intractable socioeconomic problems. It is not a silver-bullet solution, but a great enabler to speed up, optimize, and greatly improve decision making. Hence, it is not surprising to see the burgeoning AI for good trend emerging in the majority of the world. Yet, what makes DSN stand apart is that it goes a step further. It seeks not only to solve social problems but also to create economic opportunity that would not exist otherwise.
It is this abundance mentality that will best align AI with the flourishing of life.
Re-framing Who Are AI’s Customers
I learned about DSN while attending Pew Research recent webinar on AI ethics. One of its panelist was Dr. Uyi Stewart, DSN board member and IBM distinguished engineer, whose perspective stood out. While others discussed AI ethics in abstract terms, he proposed that AI should be about solving problems for 75% of the world population. That is, AI is not limited to solving complex business problems for the world’s largest corporations. Instead, it can and should be part of the daily life of those living in remote villages and cramped urban centers in the Southern Hemisphere.
How so? He went further to provide an example. The world’s poor today face life-and-death choice around the scarcity of resources. The farmers must contend with the fluctuations of a warming climate. The urban dweller, must make key decisions with very limited financial resources. Most of them already own a phone. Hence, he believes industry should develop decision support solutions through their devices so they can make better choices. These are not ways to optimize profit but can represent the difference between life and death for some.
Where most see a social problem, Dr. Stewart envisions a potent market opportunity.
From Scarcity to Abundance
Our economic system is mostly based on the concept of scarcity. That is, the idea that resources are finite and therefore must be allocated efficiently. It is scarcity mentality that drives the market to increase prices for commodities even when they are abundant. Moreover, companies and government may limit production of a product simply to simulate this effect and therefore achieve higher profit margins.
The digital economy has turned the concept of scarcity on its head. When knowledge is digitized and storage is cheap, we move from finite resources to limitless solutions. Even so, one must first optimize these solutions which is why AI becomes crucial in the digital economy. The promise of AI for good in the majority world is unleashing this wealth of opportunity in places where physical resources are scarce. DSN is leading the way by empowering young Nigerians to become data scientists. With this knowledge, they can unlock hidden opportunities in the communities they live.
By investing in the Nigerian youth, this organization is tapping into the majority world’s greatest resource. This is what AI for good is all about: technology for the flourishing of humanity in places of scarcity.