Artificial Intelligence Could Undermine National Sovereignty And Democracy – Mnangagwa

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned that new technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (AI), could pose risks to national sovereignty and democracy in southern Africa.

Speaking at the launch of the Zimbabwe Media Policy at State House in Harare on Wednesday, 28 May, he said these technologies bring both opportunities and challenges. 

He highlighted concerns about accuracy, ethical issues, and the risk of people being overwhelmed by too much information. The President said:

This policy comes at a time, when both the global and local media ecosystems are witnessing an unprecedented transformation, ushered by emerging technologies.

Additionally, Artificial Intelligence is undoubtedly revolutionising all aspects of our social and economic sectors, with the media industry being no exception.

Artificial Intelligence has reshaped information gathering, analysis, production, and dissemination.

This and other related innovations in science and technology have collectively increased the speed, interactivity and reach of journalism, while also presenting new opportunities and challenges.

These relate to accuracy, ethics and information overload, among others.

The extensive and multi-pronged implications of these developments, especially on the global South, Africa and us in Zimbabwe have the danger of challenging our respective national sovereignty and democracy.

Mnangagwa said the government’s new National Media Policy is meant to protect the country from growing threats to truth, ethics, diversity, and cultural values caused by global technology systems. He said:

Through the promulgation of the National Media Policy, we are launching today, my Government is strengthening and guaranteeing that our citizens will have access to factual, verified, accurate, and reliable information.

These are all important ingredients to accelerate our country’s national development agenda…

Through this policy, my Government seeks to ensure protection against the significant ever looming threats to facts, ethics, diversity and cultural plurality by the global tech infrastructure.

Hence our regulatory efforts, content and platform accountability, as well as support for Zimbabwe’s independent content ecosystem, will be enhanced.