By
Mahir Balunywa
I have always appreciated well-balanced arguments, like the one advanced by Comrade Eric on the subject of Artificial Intelligence (AI). At the same time, I acknowledge the challenge of balancing the use of AI with Human Intelligence (HI). Such submissions take me back to the 1887 European Industrial Revolution when machines began replacing human labor in what came to be known as capital-intensive versus labor-intensive production.
The Industrial Revolution was met with widespread celebration as new technologies increased production, expanded markets, and raised capital, leading to greater profits. However, this technological leap also introduced what economist Joseph Schumpeter later described as “creative destruction.” Similarly, while AI may bring short-term benefits, it could eventually lead to intellectual disasters of an irreparable nature.
It is crucial to approach AI with caution. The innovators may have long-term plans that could be counterproductive, particularly for societies like ours. Many inventions from the West, initially promising, have turned out to be detrimental to the Third World. Celebrating AI as a complementary tool to human reasoning and effort risks reducing our own capacity for critical thinking. Relying on AI to “think” or analyze data for us only fosters intellectual laziness rather than brilliance.
We need to question not just what the developers of AI are telling us but also what they are deliberately omitting. When the West introduced the concept of human rights, who could have anticipated that LGBTQ rights would later become part of this framework and influence aid distribution to Africa? Similarly, when Universal Primary Education (UPE) was introduced, we celebrated it as progress. Yet, it resulted in a generation of stunted learners who often lack basic literacy and numeracy skills, creating a cheap labor force for foreign companies to exploit.
As we adopt AI, we must ask: why now? Is the goal to de-intellectualize us or slow down our cognitive processes? What role was the human brain intended to play in decision-making as designed by God? History offers lessons: when Malthus introduced his population-food theory, it was widely praised. Decades later, family planning was presented as a solution to overpopulation. Today, we see the unforeseen consequences of such policies, including population decline in some regions while Africa is eyed as a market for surplus production.
Similarly, Uganda’s recent move to join BRICS to grow its market raises questions. Are we being reduced to consumers of surplus technology and knowledge? AI, like past innovations, may hide intentions beneath its promises. Africa must integrate an interdisciplinary approach to interrogate what AI can and cannot do. This requires examining not only the short-term benefits but also the long-term societal consequences.
AI may be a walking stick to aid human reasoning, but it can never replace the original leg of human intelligence. Africa has been harmed by Western innovations that perpetuate its status as a recipient of knowledge production and consumption. What lies beneath the surface of this new product called AI? Do Western promoters in Africa fully understand its implications, or have they become robotic amplifiers of their masters’ agendas?
Africans must tread cautiously when engaging with those who have historically harmed them. Accepting a meal we did not help prepare risks consuming what might destroy us. We need benchmarks to assess the impact of AI on our economies before blindly embracing it. In the past, Western technologies exploited Africa’s labor and resources, leaving us impoverished.
Today, foreign investors seek to grab our land, displace us, and turn us into laborers on what was once ours. Africa must rethink AI adoption with a holistic mindset. Let us avoid the narrow view of celebrating whatever comes from the West and instead critically evaluate its true implications.