By Own Correspondent

THE Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Secretary, Simon Masanga has bemoaned the challenges triggered by the emerging Artificial Intelligence technologies on the back of calls for stakeholders to brace for the new environment.

AI is the science and engineering of creating intelligent machines, particularly computer programs, that can perform tasks requiring human intelligence. It aims to enable machines to demonstrate human-like reasoning and capabilities, including autonomous decision-making, speech recognition, pattern recognition, and problem-solving.

Industry experts have described the developments as the catapult to achieving the 4^th Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Speaking to stakeholders at the five days long Zimbabwe-Namibia bilateral exchange program held in the City of Bulawayo, Masanga dedicated his speech to address the emerging AI challenges in the labour market.

“The world of work is rapidly changing, influenced by technological advancements, global pandemics like Covid 19 and climate change.The advent of AI and automation is reshaping traditional employment structures , raising concerns about job security , fair wages and protection of workers’ rights.

“As AI continues to permeate into workplaces new forms of labour disputes may arise necessitating adaptative and forward – looking dispute resolution mechanisms that account for algorithm decision making, data privacy and equitable access to opportunities,” he said.

Speaking at a different event during the same week, UN resident coordinator, Edward Kallon said AI presents both opportunities and threats.

United Nations resident co-ordinator Edward Kallon said AI was a key driver of the fourth industrial revolution.

“In view of these realities, countries across the globe are increasingly positioning themselves to take full advantage of opportunities presented by these technological innovations and in particular, artificial intelligence, to advance their respective national development agendas and, consequently, transform the lives of their citizens.

“It is, however, also true that as transformative as these technologies are, there are many risks associated with them, both inherent and overt, that cannot be overlooked hence must be addressed by countries to ensure development and application of AI systems in both the public and private sectors are ethically compliant,” he said.