Kenya’s President William Ruto says his government is cooperating with international partners towards curbing AI-driven misinformation in the country. Ruto disclosed this while launching the Fifth National Action Plan on Open Government Partnership.
According to President Ruto, the government is partnering with international partners to “make the government more open and citizens more informed in our effort to strengthen public participation, improve governance, and boost service delivery.”
“We are also implementing a regulatory regime that forestalls the abuse of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, which leads to disinformation that threatens our democracy.” The partnership, Ruto says, will ensure Kenyans meet global digital governance standards at a time when AI-powered misinformation poses significant risks to countries’ democracy.
Kenya’s Fifth National Action Plan to Safeguard Democracy
Kenya would not have AI-backed misinformation manipulate its public’s opinion, undermine trust in its democratic institutions, or interfere with its elections anymore. In 2021, reports disclosed an overwhelming rate of AI-generated deep fakes depicting provocative statements from politicians. The fake reports quickly spread across social media.
In another 2023 report, an Israeli-based firm, Team Jorge, was reportedly linked to the Kenyan elections. Team Jorge reportedly hacked systems within Kenya and deployed social media bots in creative manipulative narratives against a candidate.
With the new bill, Kenya seeks to promote transparency and accountability in its borders to develop data governance frameworks and guidelines. That way, the government can drive safe, secure, and responsible digital transformation within its borders.
The bill will also launch the Kenya Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Society, tasked with regulating IoT, robotics, and AI. Meanwhile, only last month, the country’s Robotics and Artifical Intelligence Society proposed a prison sentence of up to 24 months, a fine of up to KSh 1 million ($6,250), or both for unlicensed AI and robotic entities.
The government’s latest line of action is a significant milestone in advancing a 10-year digital master plan launched in 2022. The digital master plan aims to improve citizen access to services through digital technologies to keep up with global technological advancements.
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