In our increasingly interconnected world, artificial intelligence (AI) has burst onto the scene as an indispensable tool, promising unprecedented efficiency, creativity, and innovation.
Yet behind the veneer of convenience and progress lurks a darker reality, one that is rarely discussed and often shrouded in corporate secrecy. As Zimbabwe navigates an era marked by rapid technological change, it is crucial to examine the pressing issues that AI companies do not want us to know. How many of us are truly aware that our digital footprints are being scavenged, repurposed, and even weaponised without our consent?
Stealthy infiltration of personal data
Consider for a moment: every photo, message, and post shared on social media, be it a joyous family gathering or a casual conversation on a local forum, may have been silently harvested by web-scraping bots. AI models, such as GPT or LLaMA, rely on vast datasets culled from the internet, and much of this information is gathered without explicit consent.
In Zimbabwe, where many citizens are active on platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and local community forums, the risk is all too palpable.
We often assume that what is posted is ephemeral, that a forgotten post from 2007 is locked away in our digital history. But what if it is, in fact, embedded in the very DNA of the AI systems now influencing our lives?
Is it not unsettling to realise that the very expressions of our personal identities, joy, sorrow, triumph and even vulnerability, might be stored in a database for machines to analyse, replicate, or even regurgitate at a moment’s notice?
When our digital lives are co-opted into training datasets without our knowledge, there is no guarantee that sensitive or dated information will remain dormant.
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Instead, it may resurface in contexts completely divorced from the original intent, leading to unexpected exposures or misinterpretations. How are we to safeguard our right to privacy when the boundaries between public expression and personal data have become so perilously porous?
Prils of misinformation
Another grave concern is the phenomenon of AI-generated misinformation. No matter how sophisticated these models become, they are not infallible. They “hallucinate” details, fabricating facts or misrepresenting details, in a small but significant percentage of outputs.
Imagine a scenario in Harare or Bulawayo where an AI system erroneously generates false allegations about a local business leader or civic activist.
Consider the devastating impact on a person’s reputation when an AI falsely associates them with unethical or even criminal behaviour.
Rhetorically, we must ask: in a society where trust is fragile and reputations are hard earned, can we afford to have machines that sometimes get it wrong?
The case of a Norwegian user, falsely accused of murder, is not just an isolated incident; it is a glaring example of how AI’s inherent fallibility can have real world consequences.
In Zimbabwe, where community standing and trust are the cornerstones of social life, the propagation of falsehoods can lead to personal, professional, and even political harm.
How many lives must be upended by a technological glitch before we demand better safeguards, or before we hold the architects of these AI systems to account for the misinformation they inadvertently spread?
AI’s unpredictability
If the prospect of unintentional misinformation is alarming in itself, the inherent unpredictability of AI systems raises further concerns. Unlike traditional, static software, AI is dynamic; it learns and adapts from every interaction. This constant evolution creates an environment of profound uncertainty. Even seemingly routine uses of AI can result in unexpected, sometimes catastrophic outcomes.
In Zimbabwe, where many sectors of the economy are still emerging from a legacy of instability, deploying technology that behaves in unforeseen ways poses a significant risk.
When utilising AI-driven tools for decision making in critical areas such as finance, healthcare, or public governance, one must ask: can we truly trust systems that are as elusive in their inner workings as they are powerful in their capabilities?
Each interaction with these adaptive systems could introduce variables that we are simply ill equipped to predict, let alone control.
With profit driven priorities overshadowing public safety, AI companies may well be playing a dangerous game, wagering our collective security on algorithms whose full extent of impact remains shrouded in opacity.
Inundation of AI -generated content
The digital landscape is undergoing a metamorphosis, driven in no small part by the proliferation of AI-generated content. Today, with just a few prompts, entire articles, images, and even videos can be produced by machines.
The ease and speed at which this content is generated threaten to flood the internet with material that is often indistinguishable from human creativity, but lacking its nuance, authenticity, and truthfulness.
How might this relentless tide of machine-made content affect the rich, diverse digital ecosystem that Zimbabweans have come to rely on for news, cultural exchange, and education?
With the continual bombardment of AI-generated texts, memes, and videos, the very quality of online discourse risks being diluted. Authentic voices, those that reflect genuine human experiences, insights, and emotions, could be overwhelmed by a wave of inauthentic content. In so doing, the internet may transform from a space for free expression and shared knowledge into a battleground of misinformation and superficiality. Can we afford to have our public discourse undermined by systems that prioritise quantity over quality, speed over veracity, profit over truth?
The growing chasm of AI literacy
One of the less immediately visible, yet deeply consequential, threats posed by the rise of AI is the burgeoning divide in AI literacy. As technology advances at breakneck speed, a gap is forming between those who understand and can harness these new tools and those who are left in the dark.
In Zimbabwe, a nation that continues to grapple with disparities in educational resources and digital access, this divide is particularly stark.
For many citizens in Zimbabwe, knowledge about AI is at best rudimentary. They may use smartphones and social media apps daily, yet remain unaware of how their data is repurposed or how AI-driven systems operate.
Meanwhile, more privileged groups, often in urban centres or within academic circles, may have access to cutting edge tools and a comprehensive understanding of these technologies.
This imbalance does not merely represent a gap in technical knowledge; it is a chasm that threatens to exacerbate existing social inequalities. Should we stand by while a select few benefit from the power and in depth insights of AI, while the majority remain vulnerable to manipulation, privacy breaches, and misinformation? How long must we allow this digital divide to widen, further entrenching the inequities that already plague our society?
What is kept behind your back
Behind sleek interfaces and persuasive advertisements, AI companies are diligently crafting narratives that obscure some of the most troubling truths. There is an undeniable reluctance to speak openly about the risks inherent in their technologies.
Corporate communications often emphasise the benefits of efficiency, personalisation, and the promise of a smarter future while simultaneously downplaying or omitting discussion of data leakage, intellectual property theft, accountability for errors, and the broader societal impacts of unchecked AI proliferation.
Are we being hoodwinked by a carefully constructed image that prioritises profit over public welfare?
Consider the implications for Zimbabwe: while multinational tech giants invest billions in refining AI models, local communities may be left with little more than the residual negative impacts of privacy invasions, job obsolescence within knowledge-driven sectors, and the unsettling prospect of living in a society where information is continuously weaponised against the unwary.
When organisations prioritise profits, how can we expect them to take full responsibility for the safety and security of our digital lives? It is imperative that citizens remain vigilant, questioning the narrative and demanding transparency from those at the helm of these technological innovations.
Zim context: Local realities, global risks
In Zimbabwe, the interplay between traditional societal structures and the new digital realities creates a unique context where the dangers of AI are felt in distinctly local ways.
For instance, small business owners in Harare who utilise online platforms to expand their market reach are unwittingly exposing themselves to the risk of personal data leakage.
Their once private marketing strategies, once confined to a face to face conversation, are now potentially embedded in vast datasets used to train algorithms that may later reveal their trade secrets or personal details to competitors or malicious actors.
Similarly, local journalists and media outlets, who form the backbone of our vibrant public discourse, find themselves in a constant battle against misinformation.
An AI tool generating false narratives could easily distort a news story, inadvertently tarnishing reputations or misrepresenting facts in a way that sows division and distrust in society.
Can we afford to have our media ecosystem polluted by falsehoods that are not the product of human error, but of machine-generated inaccuracies?
Moreover, educational institutions in Zimbabwe already tasked with the monumental challenge of bridging the digital divide now face the additional burden of educating students on the ethical and practical nuances of AI.
It is not enough to teach basic computer literacy; there is an urgent need for comprehensive AI literacy programmes that empower citizens to navigate and critically assess the technology that increasingly defines our daily lives.
Without such initiatives, the gap between the informed elite and the general population will only widen further, fuelling a cycle of dependency and vulnerability.
The cost of complacency
As we deliberate on these issues, we must ask ourselves: What is the cost of complacency in the face of such technological advancement? The unchecked development and deployment of AI technologies carry with them the potential for unforeseen societal upheaval.
For a nation such as Zimbabwe, which is simultaneously striving to achieve economic progress and social cohesion, the infiltration of AI into daily life brings risks that go far beyond mere technical glitches.
Consider the realm of public policy and governance. In an environment where AI systems are making recommendations for policy decisions, based on data that may include outdated, biased, or misinterpreted information, the very foundations of informed democratic debate are at risk.
How can policymakers accurately assess the needs of the populace if the data driving their decisions is inherently compromised?
When private companies hold the reins of the technology that shape public opinion, there is a danger that profit motives override the common good.
This is a question we must ask not only of our technologists, but of ourselves: What sort of society are we nurturing when our collective futures are shaped by algorithms that we cannot see, let alone scrutinise?
The ethical dilemmas
Embedded within these technological debates are profound ethical dilemmas that touch on issues of privacy, transparency, and fairness. The harvesting and repurposing of personal data, the potential for AI errors, and the overall opacity of these systems raise serious questions about accountability.
Who is to be held responsible when an AI system makes a mistake, a mistake that could ruin careers, disrupt lives, or even precipitate violence in an already volatile environment?
In Zimbabwe, where the rule of law is evolving amidst a complex socio-political landscape, ensuring accountability in the realm of AI is of paramount importance.
We must demand that companies behind these technologies be transparent about their data practices and the inherent risks of their systems. It is not enough for them to disseminate glossy assurances of safety and progress; they must confront the very real consequences of their actions.
Are we willing to accept a future where the individual is sacrificed at the altar of technological advancement, or is it time for a collective stand in defence of privacy, truth, and accountability?
- Dr Sagomba is a doctor of philosophy, who specialises in AI, ethics and policy researcher, AI governance and policy consultant, ethics of war and peace research consultant, political philosophy and also a chartered marketer- [email protected]/ LinkedIn; @ Dr. Evans Sagomba (MSc Marketing)(FCIM )(MPhil) (PhD)/ X: @esagomba
