Harnessing Artificial Intelligence Dividends to Create Job Opportunities for the Youth in Kenya

Executive Summary

The rapid evolution of Artificial intelligence (AI) technology can potentially transform the socioeconomic livelihoods of the youth in Kenya.  However, weak AI preparedness at the micro and macro level hampers the potential application of frontier technology to transform the livelihoods of the cohort. Failure to adequately tap into the positive disruptive nature of the technology has contributed to increased levels of digital violence against different societal populations in the country. The youth can tap into vast innovations of frontier technology to create job opportunities. By harnessing the power of AI in strategic options including the digital economy, modernizing agriculture, and the creative economy, the cohort can pivot their energies to meaningful economic development opportunities. The brief concludes that the proliferation of AI can potentially create opportunities for the youth if selectively harnessed while mitigating the associated threats. Key recommendations include reskilling and upskilling programs for the youth in applied AI skills; empowering young people to collate and share local data for content creation digitally; enhancing awareness about AI technology prospects; promoting skill development; stimulating ethical use of AI technology tools; integrating AI policy education into school early learning curricula; and strategic engagement and collaboration between the government and the private sector on AI
infrastructure investment.