Cameroon hosts international conference on AI, media

By Aurore Bonny

DOUALA, Cameroon (AA) - The African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) launched a three-day summit Monday on African media and artificial intelligence (AI) in Cameroon’s capital.

“The media must transform, reap the benefits of artificial intelligence and promote African identity,” said Communications Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi during the opening ceremony at the Congress Palace in Yaounde.

The event’s organizers aim to assess the state of readiness of African media for using AI, develop strategies and recommendations for its responsible adoption and promote collaboration between stakeholders as well as advocate for coherent regional AI policies.

Neighboring Gabon’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Laurence Ndong, welcomed the UNESCO recommendation on ethics in matters of artificial intelligence.

She painted a picture of the impact of this technology in the practice of journalism.

“AI in the field of journalism goes much further than the management of fake news. There are applications today that will make the task of journalists easier,” she said.

Ndong cited the example of facilitating translation work.

There are challenges and risks, however, according to her.

Ndong said that any digitalization strategy in a country is based on three pillars, including infrastructure and data management.

“Without data, there is no AI,” she said.

The opportunities, challenges and prospects for artificial intelligence in Cameroon have also been presented to the public by Minister of Post and Telecommunications Minette Libom Li Likeng.

The first day of the meeting under the theme "The new frontier of African Media: Artificial Intelligence" also saw the intervention of experts in the field, academics, politicians, journalists and other actors from civil society.

"We should not be afraid of artificial intelligence, but rather we must organize ourselves to develop tools that serve Africa," said Prof. Jean-Emmanuel Pondi, a specialist in political science and international relations, during his inaugural lesson.

It is in this vein that “Cameroon is committed to taking advantage of the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence,” said Li Likeng.