Shrinking Civic Space: FG, CODE, Others Interface as Calls for AI, Social Media Regulation Heightens
- Conversations about the shrinking civic space in Nigeria and the world have reached a fever pitch
- Public affairs commentators, media practitioners and the federal government converged at Abuja to proffer veritable solutions
- Conversations on the advent of Artificial Intelligence, social media and its abuse were treated as a focal point at the convergence
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FCT, Abuja - An interface between the government, civil societies, the media and other relevant stakeholders about the shrinking civic space in Nigeria has led to a call to regulate social media and artificial intelligence (AI).
On Thursday, April 27, during a roundtable conversation in Abuja organised by Connected Development (CODE) in partnership with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), with support from the OXFAM, many stakeholders gave their two cents about the advent of AI technology and the increasing misuse of the social media.
Source: Twitter
Women and PWDs Inclusion in politics
Speaking at the roundtable attended by Legit.ng regional correspondent, the director-general of NOA, Garba Abari, said there is a need for regular convergence to deliberate on saving the shrinking civic space in the country while noting that it has become a global issue.
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He further noted that the democratic space should not be left out of the conversation as it is a branch of the civic space.
Abari emphasised the need to support and foster the inclusion of women, youths, and people living with disabilities (PWDs) in the political scene.
He said:
“When we are talking about expanding the democratic space, we are talking about inclusion; however, that does not necessarily mean allowing people to come out and vote during elections after every four years.
“We are talking about inclusion of vulnerable groups, like youths, women and persons with disabilities.”
Fake news and its effect
In his remark, the host and executive director of CODE, Hamzat Lawal, emphasised the need to curb fake news and its perpetrators.
He stated that the widespread norm of fake news has begun to infiltrate the media and compromise Nigeria’s democracy and the unity of its people.
Lawal said:
“We have seen in countless ways how disinformation can influence negative and extremist views; a good example is the just concluded elections.
“There are also different attempts to counter fake news and disinformation with fact-checking initiatives, but fact-checking initiatives are only a first step.”
Why regulation of AI and social media should follow careful steps - Jaiye Gaskia
Meanwhile, renowned public affairs commentator Jaye Gaskia said the advent of social media in this millennium had affected the critical thinking of humanity, especially among youths.
He stated that academic researchers and politicians are also guilty of this shortcoming.
When asked by Legit.ng about his thoughts on artificial intelligence technologies, the advent of voice cloning, and AI text generators, Gaskia said:
"We know this technology is there. Whether we discourage it or not, even whether it is bad, it will not stop this technology from evolving."
Gaskia told Legit.ng that conversation on regulating AI should not be hinged on diminishing its potency; instead, it should be hinged on creating solutions to reduce its damages.
He said:
"So the response to it is how can we put mechanisms in place to ensure that those who use the technology use it responsibly and can be held accountable for any abuse of the use."
CSOs intensify digital education campaigns for girls, empower FCT students with ICT skills
In another development, Nigeria's growing campaign for girl child education has again been amplified for national attention.
A collaboration between Connected Development (CODE) and Ayamara Foundation passed this message recently at the International Day of the Girl Child celebration.
Both civil society groups called on the government, private sector, and other relevant stakeholders to invest in girl child education.
Source: Legit.ng
