AI Policy as a Response to AI Ethics? Addressing Ethical Issues in the Development of AI Policies in North Africa

Abstract The recent exponential rate of AI development has led to a proliferation of AI national policies and strategies as global power blocs have sought to consolidate positions of strategic dominance. These policies have sought to promote the benefits and mitigate the risks of AI—and address ever more serious ethical concerns about these technologies. This raises the question of how countries less influential in the sphere of AI might seek to address such ethical issues themselves, and whether lessons can be learned from existing policies in addressing issues of ethics and human rights. From a consideration of the current AI ethics discourse and existing AI policies, the chapter goes on to explore how ethical concerns are addressed in the North African AI strategies and which gaps and opportunities in terms of coverage of ethical issues arise from the current state of these policies. We suggest that ethical issues should be addressed clearly in policy at the earliest possible stage to ensure that ethical standards are internally produced in line with social and cultural values, rather than being de facto applied by external actors.