NCC Celebrates World Consumer Rights Day, Says AI Will Shape Future Of The World

THE Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, has cautioned that the place of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in shaping the world’s future cannot be taken for granted anymore.

He said the Commission remained committed and unwavering in its resolve to Protect, Inform and Educate (PIE mandate) the telecom consumer in line with global best practises.

Maida, who spoke at the World Consumer Right Day (WCRD) 2024 celebration in Abuja, said it had become imperative for stakeholders to respond appropriately because there was no denying the fact that AI was already shaping “our future in profound ways.”

He said aligning with global trends, the Commission adopted for celebration the theme for this years’ edition of World Consumer Rights Day as “Fair and Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Consumer”.

The NCC Chief Executive said that with the AI technologies continuously advancing, the need to foster innovation had become more urgent while also safeguarding fundamental rights, values, and dignity of consumers.

He further said given the Commission’s special interest and commitment to Consumer Protection, it had pro-actively put in place consumer-centric initiatives to handle first level complaints by the telecom consumer.

Importantly too, Maida said the NCC had fervently kept faith with the March 15 date to highlight the important position the telecom consumers occupy in the telecommunications ecosystem in Nigeria, noting that this was part of efforts at upholding the rights of consumers which had evolved over the years with additional new consumer rights.

These include the right to privacy; the right to quality of service;/the right to timely redress; right to action on disputed charges; right to fair complaint process; and right to accurate billing.

Furthermore, Maida said as a phenomenon that has so far captured the imagination of scientists, engineers, and thinkers for decades, AI represents the culmination of human innovation and the quest to create machines that can mimic human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities.

Also noting that “AI has already made significant inroads into our lives”, the Executive Vice Chairman stated that from voice assistants that respond to our commands to recommendation algorithms that suggest what we should watch, read, or buy, AI is all around us.”

Represented by the Executive Commissioner (designate) Technical Services, Engineer Abraham Ogbadami, the NCC Executive Vice Chairman observed that AI “is driving innovation in healthcare, finance, transportation, and countless other fields”, stressing that AI Developers must therefore be transparent about the data, algorithms, and models used in AI systems.

“This ensures that decisions made by AI can be explained and mistakes can be fixed to ensure everyone is treated fairly, regardless of their background. This helps prevent biased decisions or discrimination thereby promoting inclusivity and equality”, he said.

On March 15th every year, the World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated to raise awareness about the rights of consumers worldwide and protect them from unfair trade practices.