Discuss the implications of artificial intelligence in South Africa

with regard to the following sectors: education, health, legislation and economy

The fourth industrial evolution has arose vast advancements that seems to have impacted
many areas in South Africa. One of the most important advancements being artificial
intelligence. Artificial intelligence can be defined as software that is a creation of human
beings to assist and make life easier for others. (Donnelly, 2022: 3) This essay will set out an
argument in regards to the implication of artificial intelligence in the context of education,
health, legislation and the economy in South Africa. Furthermore, this paper will go in depth
to discuss the advantage that AI has in the growth on educational institutions and the
significant transformation it has on healthcare systems in providing assistance. However,
discussions will vary in explaining the disadvantages AI may have in infiltrating privacy of
individuals, so much so that there is legislation pertaining to these systems as well as
discussions of AI as a whole and how it will impact on the economy. Moreover, AI seems to
have great promise in assisting society as it holds lots of advantages.

These advantages include the utilisation of data analytics and artificial intelligence and
guaranteeing standards of excellence at institutions of higher education. (Mishra, 2019: 1)
Mishra goes on to explain the application of data analytics and artificial intelligence in the
context of quality assurance within higher education institutions (HEIs). In the present setting
of higher education, particularly within the sector of private schools, the concept of quality
assurance has come about as a crucial element for differentiation.
Both students and their parents’ express apprehension regarding the internal and outward
quality of the college or university they contemplate enrolling in.

The transformation of quality assurance systems and procedures in higher education

institutions has been driven by several factors. These include the increasing enrolment of
students in higher education, the international presence of universities through branch
campuses and franchising models, and the growing awareness of international accreditations
and rankings. Information systems play a crucial role in ensuring quality assurance inside
higher education institutions, ultimately resulting in heightened student satisfaction and
facilitating future corporate expansion. By leveraging artificial intelligence and data
analytics, higher education institutions (HEIs) have the potential to effectively maintain
compliance, enhance the internal quality of educational programmes, and foster an increase in
students' happiness. This would seem to explain the great advantage that AI has had on
education institutes, this is proven by the large expansion of successful educational
institutions all over the world. However, this is just one advantage of AI, this type of
technological advancement extends to many branches of various types of institutions such as
healthcare.

AI holds a sufficient advantage in assisting healthcare providers. (Donnelly, 2022: 1)

Right from the start of time, healthcare professionals have promised to do their best in caring
for a patient and to do no harm. In the updated Geneva declaration doctors are to preserve
their patients autonomy and dignity, and demolish discrimination as well as maintaining
confidentiality between doctor and patient. This is to promote patient benefit and medical
growth.

This particular section of AI focuses directly on patient – doctor interactions which are
supported by artificial intelligence. The South African ICT start-up goes on to provide
healthcare workers that work in the rural area for the Department of health services with AI
powered insights to meet the requirements of UNAIDS’s 13 “90-90-90 target” in regard to
the HIV/AIDS treatment in KZN. Thus, this project represents how successful AI is in
helping healthcare providers create a safe and successful environment to mediate patient
outcomes. Furthermore, it explains the policy goals of making better the conditions of South
African civilians and going on to give influence to small enterprises to work competitively in
the ICT sector when developing new applications that fit together with AI. The advantages of
a AI as an assistance to healthcare providers are endless, these include medical image
interpretation as well as laboratory results, electronic health record analysis et cetera.
Moreover, the significant advantage in using AI in healthcare has proven great assistance for
healthcare professionals which had allowed easy solutions for issues doctors have had in the
past. For example, AI now assists healthcare professionals in reading medicals images which
helps determine a diagnosis for an individual. However, in using AI in healthcare system
they comes about various types of laws that have to apply.

Although AI seems to be of a great advantage in the modern world, there are various rules
that the software must follow in order to be used. These rules sometimes pose a great
disadvantage to AI. In regard to the legislation, concerns arise when using AI to screen social
media profiles for hiring purposes is an invasion of privacy regarding the Bill of Rights.
(Reddy, 2022: 1) artificial intelligence is able to help businesses sift through social media
profiles and locate any data they may need on potential candidates for the job. Although this
can pose as a great advantage, the software of the AI can also discriminate against specific
groups of individuals when collecting, processing as well as storing data. AI algorithms use
social media profiles which arise concerns in regard to privacy. Privacy involves seclusion
from the public and can be violated when accessing unlawful information to personal matters.
In regards to POPIA, certain factors must comply when processing personal information.

In regards to personal information, the act defines this as broadly to encompass social media
posts of people’s preferences. Processing is defined as “any operational activity whether
automatic or not, involving personal information.” For this reason, AI can be seen as a
disadvantage in using social media to screen employees for jobs. The process uses AI to work
out employee’s success, this is written into the software of the AI where it is thought to used
past hiring data as well as history of the individual to find a candidate. However, this creates
discrimination against employment. This type of legislation limits AI to work in its fully
capacity, it becomes understandable that it should only be used in such a capacity as it should
not be used to a disadvantage to society. This just one of the many ways AI can work through
an economic field, as this system and software has painted a greater impact on society and
economy as a whole.

Although technology appears to have numerous benefits, artificial intelligence presents a

significant challenge to the growth of the socioeconomic system. (Reddy, 2022: 302) Despite
the fact that AI appears to stimulate ideas and innovation, the job sector in South Africa is in
grave risk from the fourth industrial revolution. According to statistics published at the World
Economic Forum in 2018, technical improvements as well as socio-economic variables have
contributed to a reduction in the work lifespan of a huge number of employees as a result of
their skill becoming obsolete. The fact of the matter is that those people whose jobs involve
working with artificial intelligence are the only ones who can benefit from the current
situation and make progress. The fact that AI is in use explains the rapid revolution of the
4IR. Furthermore, it is proven that AI has become of great assistance to society when utilised
properly however, the reality is that if overused the economy does not benefit.

In conclusion, it was evident that the effects of artificial intelligence on South Africa’s
education system, healthcare system, legislation and economy were vast. When discussed
above, it was proven that although AI made life easier and created various advantages to
education and healthcare. However, it was also apparent that AI does more harm than good in
regard to invasion of privacy and individuals’ personal lives, so much so that it was limited in
context on legislation. Furthermore, it was discovered that AI decreases economy as it had
the potential to take up workplace and jobs. Thus, this paper proved that although there are
significant advantages and disadvantages to AI, if utilised properly and correctly within the
confines of the law and consideration of the economy it had a good impact on South Africa.

Reference list:
1. Mishra, R. (2019) 'Usage of Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence in Ensuring

Quality Assurance at Higher Education Institutions,' Quality Assurance &

Enhancement [Preprint]. https://doi.org/10.1109/aicai.2019.8701392.

2. Nwosu, L.I. et al. (2023) 'Fourth Industrial Revolution Tools to Enhance the Growth

and Development of teaching and learning in Higher education Institutions: A

Systematic literature Review in South Africa,' Research in Social Sciences and

Technology, 8(1), pp. 51–62. https://doi.org/10.46303/ressat.2023.4.

3. Donnelly, D. (2022) 'First do no harm: Legal principles regulating the future of

artificial intelligence in health care in South Africa,' Potchefstroom Electronic Law

Journal, 25, pp. 1–43. https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2022/v25ia11118.

4. Reddy, S. (2022) The legal issues regarding the use of artificial intelligence to screen

social media profiles for the hiring of prospective employees.

http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1682-

58532022000200006#:~:text=The%20legal%20issue%20is%20whether,lack%20of

%20fairness%20and%20accountability.