At a time when Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the world of work, Ghanaian business mogul, Sir Sam Jonah is advocating for a balancing act between decisiveness and empathy in the deployment of AI, especially in our part of the world.
Sir Sam Jonah admits that business leaders must be decisive in their decision-making, however, he maintains that the act should not override dignity, love, respect, and empathy for humanity.
The former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AngloGold Ashanti, who was speaking at the University of Gold Coast Leadership Conversation urged business leaders to be wary of investments in AI that could potentially lead to job losses.
To him the human impact or cost should be strongly considered hence calling for the ethical deployment of the game-changing technology.
He drew a contrast between AI adoption in the West and in Africa. He emphasized that while the use in the United States may lead to temporary job losses, workers can quickly find alternative employment, but the African labor market lacks such flexibility.
“You can be decisive and empathetic at the same time. If you’re a leader based in the US, you’ve heard what Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doing. You know, people would cry about it. But it’s a matter of a day because almost all the people who leave will find jobs the next day,” he narrated.
Sir Sam Jonah further added, “If you’re a leader, and you are faced with a similar situation here, and as I said, you invest in one AI, which will get rid of 50 employees, you must stop and think. You are decisive. Yes, you’ve decided you will do this. But think, and reflect on it. The 50 people who are leaving cannot easily find jobs. They’ve got families. They’ve got children. So think about the ethical dimensions of the decisions that you make as a leader.”
The call by the Ghanaian business mogul, he says must be the blueprint for business leadership in the age of high-end technology.
As AI continues to evolve, Sir Sam Jonah believes the challenge for African business leaders will be to harness its potential without undermining humanity. The future of work in Africa depends not just on technological investment but on the ethical and humane decisions made today.
But he maintains that the bottom line is business leaders can be decisive and effective in the deployment of AI“ without sacrificing what is in the heart, empathy, common sense, decency, and respect.”
