Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika in VICTORIA FALLS
ADOPTION of Artificial Intelligence by SADC’s Parliaments will enable them to effectively discharge their mandates, experts drawn from some of the country’s universities told the ongoing 57th SADC Parliamentary Forum Plenary Assembly in Victoria Falls.
Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) Vice Chancellor, Professor Eddie Mwenje, said AI was a transformative development that could enhance parliamentary work.
“AI can aid SADC Parliaments’ legislative work in the analysis of Bills, amendments, trends, and oversight functions, including comparisons of drafts with existing laws,” he said.
Prof Mwenje urged the MPs to come up with AI legislation and policies that suit their environments as individual countries and as a region.
Dr Shakemore Chinofunga from the Chinhoyi University of Technology also called for due diligence on AI systems before their adoption.
“There is a need for robustness in current parliamentary procedures before AI integration and to develop cybersecurity measures for AI systems,” Dr Chinofunga said.
He also urged SADC Parliaments to come up with programmes to promote AI literacy among employees and legislators, exhorting them to create an AI architecture for the region.
Mr Liberty Dandira from Midlands State University said they had developed AI systems that could aid parliaments in their work.
“We have the social media sentiment tracking system that gathers posts across social media platforms, processes multiple languages and dialects, suggests response strategies, and displays sentiment trends,” Mr Dandira said.
University of Zimbabwe representative Dr Tarisai Mutangi acknowledged the multiple benefits brought by AI but also stressed the need for regulating its adoption.
“It is necessary to address potential risks and ensure its responsible deployment and development,” Dr Mutangi said.
“Without regulations to enforce accountability, AI systems could pose dangers to human life, privacy, and ethical standards.”
