The Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Society Bill, 2023, was introduced to parliament in November 2023 by Fred Ondieki Sagwe, a representative of the Robotics Society of Kenya, in response to a citizen petition.

Kenya’s IT industry stakeholders have urged parliament to reject the proposed AI and robotics bill, warning that it could lead to a national disaster if implemented.

The proposed bill has been met with criticism from the tech industry, which claims that stakeholders were not involved in the drafting process. IT professionals who appeared before a parliamentary committee have urged lawmakers to withdraw the bill until proper consultations with the industry are carried out.

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Experts have raised concerns about Kenya’s current position in AI readiness, as it is ranked fifth in Africa. According to the 2022 Government AI Readiness Index, Kenya is behind Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, and Morocco. Despite investing USD 81.5 M in AI over the past decade, Kenya still lags behind South Africa and Nigeria, as reported in Microsoft’s “Artificial Intelligence in the Middle East and Africa Outlook Report.”

Source: weetracker.com