Artificial Intelligence : Gov’t Reflects On Regulatory Measures

The proposal of setting up an African observatory that will regulate the use of artificial intelligence in Cameroon and on the continent came under review during a cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Joseph Dion Ngute on March 28, 2024. The proposal followed the presentation of the Minister of Communication, René Emmanuel Sadi on “Prospects of leveraging the conclusions of the international conference on artificial intelligence and the media.”
Explaining the concept of artificial intelligence, the Minister said it is a new invention through which man has created a facsimile of man. “There are so many advantages in terms of employment, education as well as other fields of our society. But of course, there are also some inconveniences, especially concerning the media. I had to draw the attention of members of government to the fact that we should make sure artificial intelligence which is a very good invention should not be misused by journalists and citizens. That is why, it will need some cautioning and regulation,” René Emmanuel Sadi stated. He added “We proposed that there should be some kind of national observatory and some of our colleagues said why not an African observatory which will make sure that we see exactly that our citizens must use artificial intelligence in the way of improving the conditions of life of the people.”
The Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey, did a presentation on “Ongoing and planned actions towards the organisation of the 4th general population and housing census.” Stating that the said census was ordered by the Head of State in 2015, ten years after the last (that is in 2005), the Minister said necessary preparations were on course, but the unfortunate security issues in some parts of the country hindered the process from being taken to a logical end. “Let us bear in mind the fact that two major principles are to be applied when carrying out a census; it should be done in...