Don't Be Scared of AI" – Global South Secretary Urges Ghanaians To Adopt Technology

Story by Fada Amakye

Jeff Xiong, General Secretary of Global South, has urged Ghanaians to embrace Artificial Intelligence, saying ordinary people should not be intimidated by the technology.

Speaking at an academic forum, Mr. Xiong said the latest development in AI, the Large Language Model, is simple to use because it works like a machine that can have conversations in natural language.

“Even ordinary people in Ghana should not be scared of AI. Don’t be scared of those fancy technical jargons. Try to open an account, have a conversation with AI, and you will see how it can help solve a lot of problems,”_ he said.

Mr. Xiong explained that for many years, the IT industry made software and coding look complex so that only experts could control it. He said this allowed companies in Silicon Valley to monopolize the creation of information tools.

He noted that AI now gives everyone the chance to build their own tools.

“Anybody can use AI to create software for themselves. We should not wait for someone in Silicon Valley, China or Europe to build tools for us. We should build our own tools based on our own conditions, for our own benefit,”_ he stated.

Mr. Xiong encouraged Ghanaians to use Application Programming Interfaces, APIs, from AI companies in China, America or elsewhere to develop local solutions.

On whether Africa and Ghana are ready for AI, he admitted there are challenges such as literacy and electricity. However, he said the continent must adopt a _“yes, we can do it”_ mindset.

“What’s the benefit if we say we are not ready? Then we stop and wait for somebody to help us. That’s useless. We have to be ready,”_ he said.

He added that government efforts to improve literacy were helping, but more investment in electricity and infrastructure was needed for people to effectively use AI.