Laureen R. Cook, Executive TMT Adviser, Extelcon Consulting
Digital Humanism can be defined as an interdisciplinary approach intended to integrate human values, ethics, and social considerations into the development and deployment of digital technologies. This approach to next generation technological advancements seeks to ensure that technology is designed and used in ways to enhance human well-being, preserve human dignity, and promote fairness and inclusivity in a digital society. In its purest form, Digital Humanism is a set of social, ethical and moral values that are incorporated into the development of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), which aims to balance the benefits of technological advancements with the fundamental principles that make us human, advocating for a more humane and ethical digital future for all.
The challenge arises as acceptable societal norms may vary vastly between Emerging and Advanced Economies. AI will enable Emerging Markets to accelerate the rollout of Digital Infrastructure, which is critical to close the digital divide in developing countries and to provide economic growth. AI will enable best practice Policies and Regulations to be streamlined in order to advance the Telecom & Technology sector’s performance and economic contribution in both Emerging Markets and Advanced Economies.
The value of the African Telecommunications market will grow from US$63.17 billion in 2024 to over US$82.34 billion by 2029, according to research from Mordor Intelligence.1 The World Bank estimates substantial cost savings of 10-15% could be achieved in Africa over the next 5 years by deploying AI in mobile and data networks.2 AI will impact the way that Fiber Networks (FNO’s), Mobile Operators (MNO’s), and Internet Networks (ISP’s) in Emerging Markets, such as Africa, are deployed related to network planning and development of new infrastructure, efficient use of Capex, enhanced network management, preventive maintenance, and improved customer experience. Smart infrastructure deployments will support the UN’s 17 Sustainable Developmental Goals, enable advanced technologies, at a fraction of today’s costs and create economic growth.
The International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that AI could help African Telcos save up to 15-20% in operational costs by optimizing network performance remotely and by reducing the need for costly and often dangerous manual human interventions in the field. 2 African ISP’s will use AI to enhance customer services and reduce the need for extensive physical infrastructure, leading to cost savings in customer support and infrastructure management. AI will assist ISPs in accelerating connectivity of government institutions such as schools, emergency services (police, fire, ambulance), and hospitals in underserved areas.
Additionally, the GSMA predicts that by the end of 2025 there will be 615M mobile subscribers in Sub- Saharan Africa, representing 50% of the regions’ population.3 AI can help bridge the digital divide by identifying underserved areas and optimizing the deployment of network assets to other regions. This is particularly important in rural and remote areas where basic infrastructure, such as spectrum, towers, electricity, and terrestrial fiber connectivity are scarce. Additionally, AI can assist in the planning and re-deployment of network infrastructure by analyzing data on population density, usage patterns, and geographical features more efficiently and allocating resources where they are most needed, making efficient use of Capex.
Enhanced Network Management can be achieved through AI optimization of network operations, preventative maintenance, and mitigating congestion, improving bandwidth allocation, and reducing downtime. This leads to more reliable and efficient network performance. AI driven preventative maintenance can identify potential issues in network infrastructure before they become critical, reducing maintenance costs, and extending the lifespan of network components. Customer Service using chatbots and virtual assistants, provides real-time support on twenty- four seven, with personalized recommendations. This improves customer satisfaction and augments the number of human support staff required to address technical or commercial issues where service representatives may lack certain skills required to provide appropriate support.
AI can support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by enabling innovative IoT, M2M Learning and 5G solutions in sectors such as eHealth, eEducation, eAgriculture, eGov’t, eCommerce and Fintech by providing real-time data, connectivity, and analytics. As an example, AI powered precision farming can increase the agricultural productivity per hectare, while AI driven telemedicine can improve access to healthcare services remotely, in rural and remote areas worldwide. Additionally, AI can lead to the development of Smart City applications, efficient green/clean energy for power, data centers & transportation, and enhanced industry and manufacturing automation.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa estimates that AI could inject US$1.5 trillion into the African economy by 2030.3 The overall adoption of AI in the Telecoms & Technology sectors is expected to result in the reduced costs in network deployments and maintenance of digital infrastructure in Africa, contributing to more efficient and cost-effective network operations.3 These advancements highlight the potential of Digital Humanism, aka AI, to revolutionize Telecoms and Technology deployments in Emerging Markets, driving economic growth, improving service delivery, decreasing network costs, creating new job opportunities and supporting sustainable development.
Potential challenges
While AI will expedite the development and adaptation of the Telecoms & Technology sectors in Emerging Markets, such as Africa, it will also bring with it additional challenges that need to be carefully weighed as Emerging Markets and Advanced Economies worldwide eventually merge into one global digital economy, with a common set of human values incorporated into the development of AI. While some common core humanistic values will be incorporated into the development of AI functionality, there will come a time when Advanced Economies push back on incorporating certain societal values which are deemed to be inferior, financially disadvantageous, or impeding the exponential adaptation of AI. This poses the risk that the new digital economy may become skewed towards the norms of Advanced Economies, further polarizing the financial benefits that AI could yield for Emerging versus Advanced Economies.
The more data consumed via AI, the more data that will need to be stored in data centers, increasing the dependence on robust power supplies that often do not exist – even today in more advanced economies – and the need for additional clean/green data centers to be built. This increases in requirements for additional diverse fiber optic networks, power, and data centers running on a twenty-four seven basis is challenging in some advanced economies today, let alone in the future, as global warming and climate change increasingly impacts the temperature of the planet. Additionally, innovative technologies can lead to more complex systems and data fragmentation, making it challenging to manage a multitude of technologies effectively. These diverse digital technologies bring increased cyber security threats, which include data breaches to corporations and privacy concerns to consumers, at much higher risk levels than those which we are experiencing today.
Reliance on AI and technology can also lead to a reduced focus of independent, critical thinking and creativity in a society. While technology can help advance societies, especially in Emerging Markets, we run the risk of losing our individual cultural norms, and potential human dignity in the process. Additionally, the balance of power will reside with a handful of Tech giants, which can gain unprecedented power and could potentially undermine democracies by creating an imbalance in societal influence.
As the stewards of the Digital Economy of the future, and as leaders in the Telecoms, Media, Technology and Satellite (TMTS) industries of today, it is up to us to carefully craft and develop the international standards of acceptable norms for the advancement of AI in the Telecoms & Technology sector that will benefit both Emerging and Advanced Economies as they strive to converge over time.
As an industry we need to carefully analyze the best attributes that cross-cultural Digital Humanism can deliver for the masses, not just for Advanced Economy Oligarchs, but lay the foundation for the ethical technological advancements of AI for the betterment of all humankind. To do so, industry needs to develop a common platform, through the UN, World Bank, or the World Economic Forum, to ensure universal governance. Such governance should consist of input from various perspectives across governments, donor institutions, private equity investors, corporations, technology think tanks, and shareholders. Common governance is imperative for the advancement of AI technology for the benefit of all societies in both Emerging and Advanced Economies. Without formalizing the governance process of AI development now, we run the risk of creating an uncertain, technically diverse, unsecured, climate contrary and financially polarizing digital society, which is devoid of independent thinking in the future.
- https://www.connectingafrica.com/ai/ ai-s-impact-on-african-telcos , Feb 29,2023 ↩︎
- https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/ connectivity-for-good/mobile-economy/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ The-Mobile-Economy-Sub-Saharan-Africa-2022.pdf , 2022 ↩︎
- https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/ connectivity-for-good/mobile-for-development/wp-content/ uploads/2024/07/AI_for_Africa.pdf July 2024 ↩︎
LAUREEN COOK
Laureen is an Alumni Member of the IFC (World Bank), where she was the Principal TMT Adviser, in the Global Telecoms, Media & Technology Private Equity Investment Sector. Currently she is the CEO of Extelcon Consulting, providing technical and commercial oversight to the Investment Banking Community, Regulators, and TMT & Satellite industry sectors as Lender’s Technical Adviser for multi-billion USD telecoms & technology projects. Prior to joining the IFC, Laureen was with Alcatel-Lucent (now Nokia), as Vice President 4G Strategy & Innovation. She is currently a Mentor to the EIC Scaling Club, a 1B Euro PPP European Commission Fund providing financing to IoT companies from series A through D and an Investment Committee Member of Disrupt Cyprus, a European Union 10m Euro Series A IoT Investment Fund. She is a founding Director of the Global Telecommunications Woman’s Network and holds an MSc in Telecommunications Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Long Island University in New York.
www.extelcon.com
