The competition between the US and China for AI supremacy underscores the urgency of establishing comprehensive global regulations to mitigate the risks that AI poses to humanity. As both nations invest heavily in AI, there is a growing need for frameworks that ensure that the technology is developed responsibly, with ethical considerations at the forefront.
In the lead-up to the recently concluded US presidential election, Elon Musk, the celebrity tech billionaire and world’s richest man, officially endorsed Donald Trump. While Musk tried to convince us that the former president was suddenly a champion of free speech and our saviour-in-waiting, Grok, the AI chatbot he owns, had a starkly different perspective. When asked about Trump, it described him as “a convicted felon, conman, rapist, pedophile, fraudster, pathological liar, and wannabe dictator.” Ouch!
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While Grok is Mr Musk’s creation, it certainly has a mind of its own. The tech wizard was visibly embarrassed. Since Grok’s release in December 2023, the chatbot’s remarks have angered many of Musk’s conservative base. He assured the public that he was working to address the issue, but research from Global Witness suggests he has yet to succeed. While many in Musk’s orbit have championed AI as a transformative technology, an indisputable truth, they seem to have ignored a crucial reality: the very technology we champion can swiftly morph into a disruptive force, slipping beyond our grasp and control.
Despite everything, it is undeniable that Musk’s unique blend of financial clout and tech innovation enabled him to effectively rally support for Trump, an effort that many argue significantly contributed to the latter’s return to the White House. Just a few years ago, Musk was simply another ambitious Stanford graduate trying to break into the tech world. Fast forward to today, and he stands as the wealthiest individual on the planet, surpassing the next richest person on Forbes’ list by over $100 billion.
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Musk’s meteoric rise is a clear demonstration that both the present and future belong not to natural resource-rich nations of the global South, but to those at the forefront of pioneering disruptive technologies.
Unless you’re a technophile or involved in trading stocks, chances are you probably have not heard of the trillion-dollar Silicon Valley company that has taken the world by storm, NVIDIA, whose valuation currently surpasses the GDP of many countries, including Spain, Russia, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.
To bring the picture closer home, as of 2024, the combined nominal GDP of Africa — a continent with 54 sovereign nations and a population of about 1.2 billion people — is estimated at approximately $2.81 trillion, while NVIDIA, a company with 29,000 employees, has a market capitalisation of $2.7 trillion. If NVIDIA were to be a country, it will be the world’s sixth largest economy after India. Thanks to the boundless potential of AI, this company, founded by a Taiwanese-American, is on the brink of becoming the most valuable company in the world.
Founded in 1993, NVIDIA initially focused on developing graphics processing units (GPUs) for gaming and multimedia applications. The company made a landmark innovation in 1999 with the release of the GeForce 256, the world’s first GPU, which not only revolutionised 3D graphics in gaming but became the dominant technology that supports artificial intelligence (AI).
By harnessing the power of machine learning and vast data processing, AI systems are now capable of tasks once considered impossible for machines, such as real-time language translation, image recognition, and autonomous driving. The rapid advances in AI have enabled automation, improved efficiency, and fostered innovation across sectors, opening new possibilities for personalised services, smarter decision-making, and accelerated problem-solving.
NVIDIA’s chips are ubiquitous and it became the company of companies. Its GPUs are integral to AI research and deep learning. The company’s strategic pivot into AI and data centres allowed it to gain a significant edge over traditional semiconductor firms, including Intel, which had long dominated the CPU market. In the 2024 fiscal year alone, its revenues exceeded $60 billion. Its GPUs are the chip at the heart of Elon Musk’s humongous xAI data centre in Memphis, Tennessee called Colossus and the power behind Open AI’s ChatGPT, to mention a few.
If you believe you haven’t encountered the immense power of AI, think again. You’ve likely interacted with ChatGPT, Siri, Alexa, or similar applications. The AI revolution is rapidly redefining the way we live and interact with others, revolutionising healthcare, finance, entertainment, and manufacturing, and proving that its transformative impact is both inevitable and far-reaching.
By harnessing the power of machine learning and vast data processing, AI systems are now capable of tasks once considered impossible for machines, such as real-time language translation, image recognition, and autonomous driving. The rapid advances in AI have enabled automation, improved efficiency, and fostered innovation across sectors, opening new possibilities for personalised services, smarter decision-making, and accelerated problem-solving.
As AI research and development continue in data labs worldwide, a recent breakthrough has emerged in the equally transformative field of quantum computing. Quantum computers leverage the principles of quantum mechanics, the branch of physics concerned with the behaviour of subatomic particles like atoms and photons. Unlike traditional computers that rely on bits (which represent either 0 or 1), quantum computers use quantum bits or “qubits,” which can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously, due to a phenomenon called superposition.
This capability allows quantum computers to perform numerous calculations at once, potentially making them far more powerful than conventional computers for specific tasks. The potential applications are mind-boggling. Google’s new quantum chip, named Willow, marks a significant step towards developing a practical, large-scale quantum computer.
With quantum computing, we can achieve accurate climate pattern predictions and extreme weather forecasting, crucial for disaster preparedness and climate change mitigation. In healthcare, quantum algorithms can rapidly analyse vast datasets, offering insights into disease progression and treatment efficacy. Additionally, quantum computing can revolutionise material science, enabling the quicker predictions of material properties, chemical reactions, and the design of new drugs.
The greatest challenge in this new era of AI and quantum computers lies in the absence of a unified framework to safeguard humanity from its potentially catastrophic risks, especially when wielded by malicious actors.
As the new year began, Microsoft revealed its boldest plan yet: an $80 billion investment in artificial intelligence for fiscal year 2025. The company stated that this funding will be used to develop cutting-edge data centres worldwide to power AI models and cloud-based applications. When you compare this to Nigeria’s 2025 budget of $31.9 billion (N49.7 trillion), presented by President Tinubu to the National Assembly, you would agree there is no snow-ball chance in hell that we all are inhabiting the same planet.
It’s amusing to watch Grok go rogue on Elon Musk, but imagine a future in which AI systems autonomously generate their own codes, with some creations having the potential to unleash apocalyptic outcomes. The stakes are immense, and the urgency to establish robust safeguards has never been more critical.
The world’s leading powers, spearheaded by the US and China, are locked in an intense battle for AI dominance. While the US currently holds a slight edge, China’s vast reservoir of data fueled by its population of over a billion, positions it as a formidable contender. Many industry watchers believe it’s not a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’ China will overtake the US and seize the top spot in this high-stakes race for technological supremacy.
The competition between the US and China for AI supremacy underscores the urgency of establishing comprehensive global regulations to mitigate the risks that AI poses to humanity. As both nations invest heavily in AI, there is a growing need for frameworks that ensure that the technology is developed responsibly, with ethical considerations at the forefront.
So, how is sub-Saharan Africa positioning itself to seize the opportunities presented by emerging technologies? Frankly, I have no idea. What is painfully evident, however, is that while universities and research centres in the East and West are driving this technological revolution, many of Africa’s Ivory Towers are led by professors who struggle to even comprehend a research paper, let alone produce one. Our schools are shuttered for much of the year due to perennial industrial actions.
Many of us in the diaspora used to fantasise about returning home in our twilight years and hopefully bringing our children with us. But home is no longer “home”; it has become the mouth of a shark. It’s a tall order to leave the safety of a well-lit space and turn around to grope one’s way through a dark, winding tunnel, with no end in site.
As the new year began, Microsoft revealed its boldest plan yet: an $80 billion investment in artificial intelligence for fiscal year 2025. The company stated that this funding will be used to develop cutting-edge data centres worldwide to power AI models and cloud-based applications. When you compare this to Nigeria’s 2025 budget of $31.9 billion (N49.7 trillion), presented by President Tinubu to the National Assembly, you would agree there is no snow-ball chance in hell that we all are inhabiting the same planet. God abeg!
Osmund Agbo is a US-based medical doctor and author. His works include Black Grit, White Knuckles: The Philosophy of Black Renaissance and a fiction work titled The Velvet Court: Courtesan Chronicles. His latest works, Pray, Let the Shaman Die and Ma’am, I Do Not Come to You for Love, have just been released.
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