Should the Government promote or control developments in
machine learning and Artificial Intelligence?
Felix John Mburu Kinyanjui
16941106
Mental Wealth Professional Life (Data Ecology)
DS7001
28 January 2024
Abstract
Governments have the unique complexity of being custodian of its citizens best interests and also
the economy of a nation. What should governments do when forced to choose between the
economy and the best interests of its citizens? It is expected that governments should not place
economic benefits ahead of its citizens. In essence, we see developed nations such as England
having to spend significant amounts of resources on adult social care. According to Foster (2023),
the net spending on adult social care in England for the financial year 2021/22 was £19 billion and
was expected to increase by £ 7 billion for the financial year 2023/24. The report further indicates
that the number of older people (above 65 years) in England was rising faster than the population
as a whole. To exasperate the situation, the report states that there were 165,000 vacancies in
England’s adult social care sector in 2020/21 and that this was projected to increase by 52%
annually. Comparatively, the median age of England’s population has been increasing from 37
years in 2001 to over 40 years in 2021 (Clark,2023).
Africa on the other hand has been called the world's youngest continent with a median age of 18.7
years in 2022. Africa is estimated to have 40% of its population being below the age of 15 years,
compared to a global average of 25 years. Paradoxically, Africa also has the smallest percentage
of elderly people i.e. 3% aged over 65 years. (Galal, 2023)
With the aforementioned, one may argue that there is a relationship between the population of a
country and the approach the Government will take when it comes to machine learning and
artificial intelligence.
According to Eurostart (2023) the population of the European Union member countries has been
on the decline since 2020. Coupled with an increasing aged population, one may therefore argue
that machine learning and artificial intelligence for such nations is perhaps necessary for survival.
This research therefore seeks to study Germany’s approach to machine learning and artificial
intelligence, and in so doing determine whether this has been provoked by the declining
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population. This report will also review whether African governments should implement similar
strategies to machine learning and artificial intelligence considering the population growth trends
are dissimilar to Europe for example.
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Contents
1.
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 5
2.
Research Methods ............................................................................................................................... 8
3.
Discussion............................................................................................................................................. 8
4.
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 12
5.
References .......................................................................................................................................... 16
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1.
Introduction
According to Davies (2023) The German population amounts to approximately 83.2 million
people. This number is predicted to rise until 2025. Thereafter however the German population is
projected to reduce to approximately 74.52 million people by 2030. According to this same
report, 40 to 59 year-olds make up the largest age group in Germany, at 23 million people. The
next-largest age group was 65 years and older, at 18.66 million. This presents a very high
probability that the working population in Germany will continue to decline. Could this perhaps
inform Germany’s strategy on spearheading the development of machine learning and Artificial
Intelligence?
According to Nwachukwu (n.d), governments have a primary obligation to its citizens and
should therefore both develop and control machine learning and artificial intelligence with
emphasis on protecting and improving the lives of its citizens. It therefore follows that a
government’s strategy on whether to promote and / or control of artificial intelligence should be
informed by the impact this will have on the citizens. If promoting a certain cadre of artificial
intelligence will be detrimental to the citizens, for example, increased unemployment; in this
case a government acting in the best interests of its citizens will be seeking to control. If on the
other hand, the development of artificial intelligence will have a positive impact to the citizens,
then the government may seek to promote it.
According to Bisen (2019), Artificial intelligence can be used in the following key sectors: i.
Virtual Assistant or Chatbots
ii.
Agriculture and Farming
iii.
Autonomous Flying
iv.
Retail, Shopping and Fashion
v.
Security and Surveillance
vi.
Sports Analytics and Activities
vii.
Manufacturing and Production
viii.
Livestock and Inventory Management
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ix.
Self-driving Cars or Autonomous Vehicles
x.
Healthcare and Medical Imaging Analysis
xi.
Warehousing and Logistic Supply Chain
From the above categories one may adduce certain areas where a government should promote the
development of artificial intelligence. Some of the areas are considered so critical that if there will
be the betterment of lives, it becomes almost automatic that a government will champion such
areas.
Based on Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, it can be adduced that not all areas of artificial
intelligence are essential for human survival.
Image 1: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Source: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
Governments are expected to always champion the best interests of its citizens and more so the
basic needs. If one was to categorize the various areas of artificial intelligence based on the above
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hierarchy, this could perhaps be a guideline for informing governmental strategies. The table below
seeks to determine where each area of artificial intelligence relates to according to Marlow’s
hierarchy of needs.
Areas of Artificial Intelligence
Hierarchy of Needs based on
Maslow
1. Healthcare and Medical Imaging Analysis
Basic
2. Agriculture and Farming
Basic
3. Security and Surveillance
Basic
4. Livestock and Inventory Management
Basic
5. Manufacturing and Production
Basic
6. Sports Analytics and Activities
Psychological
7. Warehousing and Logistic Supply Chain
Psychological
8. Virtual Assistant or Chatbots
Self fulfilment
9. Autonomous Flying
Self fulfilment
10. Retail, Shopping and Fashion
Self fulfilment
11. Self-driving Cars or Autonomous Vehicles
Self fulfilment
Table 1: Artificial Intelligence vis-à-vis Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Governments may want to develop and promote areas of artificial intelligence that will have a
positive impact on the basic needs of its citizens. For example, a government will be expected to
champion technological advancement that will improve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases
effecting its citizens. On the other hand, a government may want to control an area such as
manufacturing and production where although it relates to basic needs, there could be a threat to
employment especially in Africa where the youthful population is on the increase and, hence
needing gainful employment.
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2.
Research Methods
This research employs a qualitative approach. Literature will be reviewed from relevant research,
journals, reports and other forms of publication that are majorly online that relate to the topic of
study. The research approach seeks to determine whether this is a relationship between artificial
intelligence and the population characteristics of a nation. This research will also seek to identify
key but simple criteria that governments may employ in determining their approach to various
fields of artificial intelligence. This research seeks to establish that every government should
review its approach to artificial intelligence contextually rather than from a global phenomenon.
3.
Discussion
3.1.
What is the role of governments?
According to Minnaar (2010), the responsibilities of government are to ensure the safety and
security of all its citizens and to promote their general welfare. According to the Mirriam Webstar
Dictionary, welfare is the state of doing well especially in respect to good fortune, happiness, wellbeing, or prosperity. It therefore can be adduced that if a government promotes or controls artificial
intelligence to the detriment of its citizens safety, security and welfare; then such a government
may be considered irresponsible.
According to Schwaerzler et al. (2021), Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is not an adequate measure
of the success of a government. The more tangible metric value according to the Sustainable
Economic Development Assessment tool (SEDA) is the social well-being of the citizens of a
nation. This report states that some lower-income countries were better off when it comes to
investments in the social well-being of its citizens.
The SEDA tool approach, focuses on three key areas when it comes to measuring social wellbeing. These include: a) Economic metrics, including income levels, economic stability, and employment.
b) Investments in education, health, and infrastructure
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c) Sustainability in terms of governance equality, civil society, and environment
As governments invest in Artificial Intelligence as means to improve the Gross Domestic Product,
research (Schwaerzler et al, 2021) indicates that social well-being does have an impact on a
nation’s economic performance.
3.2.
Does Artificial Intelligence have a negative impact on social well-being?
According to a report by Epoch Times (2023), Artificial Intelligence could negatively affect the
economy and job market in USA due to its potential to displace human workers. As Artificial
Intelligence systems become increasingly capable of performing complex tasks, the input by
humans becomes more and more redundant. The report estimated that 300 million jobs were at
risk due to the development of Artificial Intelligence in USA.
According to the Social Progress Index report (2024), the world has been undergoing a recession
on social progress. The report states that 4 out of 5 people in the world are living in a country that
is stagnating or declining in social progress. This index has been derived from over a decade of
data since 2011 and covers 170 nations.
Considering that Artificial Intelligence has been on a rising trend, does this perhaps insinuate that
this growth has brought about negative impacts to the social well-being for majority of human
beings? Considering that governments are expected to be safeguarding the well-being of its
citizens, does this perhaps provide a guiding compass for governments to promote Artificial
Intelligence initiatives that have a positive impact to the social well-being of its citizens? It also
follows that governments should therefore be controlling artificial intelligence initiatives that have
a negative impact to the social well-being of its citizens.
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Source: socialprogress.org
The chart above illustrates that the world’s social progress was on a rising trend from 2011 until
2022 when there was a recession. Noteworthy is that despite the global financial crisis of 2008 to
2009 and the covid-19 pandemic, the social progressive index continued to rise. A key question
therefore becomes, what could have been so material from 2022 to 2023 that affected the social
progress index negatively that had not been encountered more than a decade prior.
Interestingly the world’s leading nation when it comes to Artificial Intelligence and Machine
Learning, the USA (refer to Table 3 below) has experienced the most significant decline in the
social progress index slipping eleven places since 2011 (Social Progress Index, 2024). The report
states that the well-being of Americans is worse in 2023 than it was more than a decade earlier.
This is despite the USA maintaining eighth position globally on the GDP per capita. Is it possible
that the American government’s promotion of artificial intelligence could have contributed to the
decline of its citizens well-being? Is it also an error for governments to rely on the GDP per capita
as the foremost indicator of growth. As can be seen from the aforementioned report, the USA has
continued to maintain a high ranking in GDP per capita but continues to experience a significant
decline in the well-being of its citizens.
The United Kingdom, similarly, has declined in social progress since 2011 (Social Progress Index,
2024). Interestingly, the GDP per capita of UK has been on the rise despite a downturn triggered
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by the covid-19 pandemic. The report explains that the decline in social progress has largely been
driven by the lack of adequate development of the following key areas: -
3.3.

Housing

Water & Sanitation

Health

Education
Artificial Intelligence also has positive impacts to social well-being.
Artificial Intelligence does have several positive impacts to social well-being. According to
Nikita, D. (2023), Artificial Intelligence has the following benefits: a)
Increased Efficiency: Artificial Intelligence automates processes, hence improving
efficiency. This reduces errors due to the non-reliance on human intervention and
production time / costs.
b)
Data Analysis and Insights: Artificial Intelligence systems are capable of analyzing large
amounts of data speedily and in real time and at the same time providing information to
enable insightful decision making.
c)
Full time Availability: Artificial Intelligence enables full time services and support and
hence very critical for sectors such as security and health care.
d)
Improved Accuracy: Artificial Intelligence provides a platform for tasks to be performed
with extremely high precision, thus reducing errors and improving accuracy.
e)
Personalization of goods and services: Artificial Intelligence based systems enable the
creation of goods and provision of services that suit individual preferences with minimal
or no human intervention.
f)
Safety and Risk Reduction: Artificial Intelligence can be used for tasks that are hazardous
to humans, reducing risks and ensuring safety.
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4.
Conclusion
From the aforementioned, it is clear that Artificial Intelligence has both advantages and
disadvantages. However, research indicates that the development of Artificial Intelligence may not
necessarily have a positive impact on the social well-being of the citizens of a specific nation.
From the Social Progress Index Report of 2024, the United Kingdom and the United States of
America have been experiencing significant decline in the social well-being of their citizens. This
is despite the growth of the Gross Domestic Product and high rankings in the development of
Artificial Intelligence.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs cannot be ignored even with advancement in technology. The human
being has not evolved and hence the basic needs continue to be constant. Governments must
identify certain critical areas where Artificial Intelligence is to be developed for positive impact.
These include: 
Healthcare

Education

Agriculture

Livestock farming

Security etc.
It is imperative that every government determines its strategy in this regard from a contextual
perspective. Germany has developed a strategy for artificial intelligence that is specific to its
citizenry, economy, resources, expertise etc.
Improving the lives of its citizens should be the primary goal of any government. A government’s
strategy should never be motivated by global frenzy or competition with other nations. The Global
Economy database provides an index of Government Effectiveness which captures perceptions of
the quality of public services, the quality of the civil service and the degree of its independence
from political pressures, the quality of policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility
of the government's commitment to such policies.
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It is interesting that according to this database, countries leading in the development of machine
learning and artificial intelligence are not ranked as having the most effective governments.
From the data tabulated below, it is noteworthy that of the countries that rank in the top 10 in
Artificial Intelligence development only 3 appear in the top 10 countries with the most effective
governments. An area of further research would be to investigate how countries such as
Switzerland, Finland and Singapore have managed to be among the leading nations in the
development of Artificial Intelligence whilst still maintaining a high ranking in government
effectiveness.
This report having reviewed existing literature, concludes that governments should both promote
and control the development of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning depending on the
following key criteria: a)
To what category of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs does the proposed technology address?
Governments may perhaps prefer to keep away from technology that addresses selfactualization and psychological needs. Governments need to primarily focus on the basic
needs.
b)
If the intended artificial intelligence system relates to the basic human needs, will it have
more advantages than disadvantages? Governments must interrogate whether the
advantages will outweigh the disadvantages despite the fact that the proposed artificial
intelligence system is intended to address basic needs.
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Countries
Government effectiveness,
2022
Global rank
Available
data
Singapore
2.14
1
1996 – 2022
Monaco
2.05
2
2015 – 2022
Switzerland
2.05
3
1996 – 2022
Denmark
1.99
4
1996 – 2022
Norway
1.94
5
1996 – 2022
Luxembourg
1.77
6
1996 – 2022
San Marino
1.77
7
2015 – 2022
Finland
1.76
8
1996 – 2022
Japan
1.62
9
1996 – 2022
Hong Kong
1.59
10
1996 – 2022
Table 2
Source: https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/wb_government_effectiveness/
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Country
Ranking
USA
1
China
2
Singapore
3
United Kingdom
4
Canada
5
South Korea
6
Israel
7
Germany
8
Switzerland
9
Finland
10
Table 3
Source: https://www.tortoisemedia.com/intelligence/global-ai/
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5.
References
Ade-Ibijola, A., Okonkwo, C. (2023). Artificial Intelligence in Africa: Emerging Challenges.
Eke, D.O., Wakunuma, K., Akintoye, S. (eds) ‘Responsible AI in Africa. Social and Cultural
Studies of Robots and AI.’, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-03108215-3_5
Bisen, V. (2019) Where Is Artificial Intelligence Used: Areas Where AI Can Be Used?
https://medium.com/vsinghbisen/where-is-artificial-intelligence-used-areas-where-ai-can-beused-14ba8c092e73 (Accessed: 28 January 2024)
Clark, D. (2023) Median age of the population of the UK 2001-2021. Available at:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/281288/median-age-of-the-population-of-theuk/#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20the%20median%20age,median%20age%20remained%20at%2
040./ (Accessed: 28 January 2023)
Davies,
K.
(2023)
Population
forecast
for
Germany
until
2070.
Available
at:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127646/population-forecast-germany/ (Accessed: 24 January
2023)
Duggal, N. (2023) Advantages and Disadvantages of Artificial Intelligence [AI], Available at:
https://www.simplilearn.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-artificial-intelligence-article
(Accessed 29 January 2024)
Foster, D. (2023) ‘Adult social care funding (England)’, House of Commons Research Library, 17
January 2023, pp. 4-6
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Galal, S. (2023) Population growth rate in Africa 2000-2030. Available at:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1224179/population-growth-inafrica/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20roughly%2040%20percent,aged%2065%20years%20and%2
0older. (Accessed: 28 January 2023)
Green, M. Harmacek, J. Htitich, M. Petra Krylova, P. (2024) Social Progress Index. Available at:
https://www.socialprogress.org/2024-social-progress-index/ (Accessed 29 January 2024)
The Federal Government of Germany (2018) Artificial Intelligence Strategy. AI Made in Germany.
The Federal Government of Germany.
Nwachukwu, C. (n.d) Should the Government Promote or Control Developments in Machine
Learning and AI?
Minaar, F. (2010) Strategic and Performance Management in the Public Sector. Pretoria: Van
Schaik Publishers.
Potential Negative Effects of Artificial Intelligence on the U.S. Economy (2023). Available at:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/ai-could-eliminate-300-million-jobs-warns-goldmansachs- (Accessed: 28 January 2024)
Schwaerzler, C. Gopalka, A. Dhanani, Q. Lang, N. Chin, V. and Osman, D. (2021) Economic
Resilience Is Built on Societal Well-Being. Available at:
https://www.bcg.com/publications/2021/prioritizing-societal-well-being-seda-report (Accessed
29 January 2024)
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