### Reader’s Letter to The Economist, 5th Aug 2024 ###
Dear Editor,
I read your report on “The AI revolution leaving Africa behind” (The Economist, July 27th 2024, page 29) and asked myself whether we really are drawing the right conclusions?
Access to mobile phones (and now smartphones) has dramatically changed both economies and lives in Africa, mostly in a very positive way, but surely we should all be looking very closely at how desirable further digitalisation and the application of AI really is. We could discuss complicated moral aspects but a more fundamental issue is the energy that will be required to power the data-centres which, as you mention, will be needed.
Here in Germany Microsoft is planning a significant expansion of their presence by building two massive data-centres off to the west of Cologne. Supposedly they will use renewable energy but they are being built directly next to power-stations which are fed by coal from the extensive, open-cast lignite-mines nearby. AI is even more processor-/energy- intensive than current uses such as cloud-computing, web-servers and streaming and, of course, service is needed 24/7 so, if anything, fossil-sourced power will be used even more.
If we transpose all that to Africa, it is not difficult to anticipate the problems that will arise: Africa is a hot continent and already suffers from power-shortages so where will all the energy (and cooling water) come from to keep the data-centres running? IT-/AI-companies will probably build their own energy-guzzling power-sources while normal citizens continue to experience power-cuts. And, even if those companies do use some renewable sources (e.g. solar), surely it would be far better to use that electricity to power schools and hospitals rather than provide users/consumers with various, often highly dubious, online services?
Indeed, if you have enough bandwidth to send an email/text-message and to call up a simple web-site, you probably have 95% of what a normal citizen needs (i.e. not what they want but rather what they need). If more is needed (e.g. for medical applications) surely those professionals should receive that as an exclusive service to them … rather than for every Tom, Dick and Harry to send funny videos.
And surely mobile communication is a technology which enables people, especially Africans who are vibrant traders. In contrast, AI enables corporations (i.e. those with the resources to develop and exploit it) so, if I were an African, I would view further digitalisation which great skepticism. As too should we.
Yours,
Alan Mitcham
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