MBABANE – Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has called for robust Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance frameworks that protect children while ensuring technology serves people and upholds human dignity.
Speaking on behalf of His Majesty King Mswati III during a high-level plenary session at the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva, Switzerland, the PM said AI governance should address the practical needs of citizens.
The dialogue was held under the theme: Harnessing the Benefits of AI Through Inclusive and Interoperative Approaches.
Dlamini said AI was no longer a distant innovation but was already shaping how people learnt, governed, traded, communicated, healed, produced food and protected the environment.
“The question before us is, therefore, not whether AI will change our societies, but whether we will guide that change in a manner that protects human dignity, strengthens development and preserves the diversity of the human family,” he said.
The PM went on to say that, for countries such as Eswatini, AI governance must begin with the principle that technology should serve people by improving daily life, expanding opportunities, supporting the digitisation of essential public services and strengthening public institutions.
According to the premier, AI should help address practical needs, including food security, healthcare, education, public administration, climate resilience, job creation and sustainable economic growth.
He also cautioned against allowing AI to narrow the world into a single understanding of progress, identity or values.
“Its tools, data and development pathways must be infused with cultural sensitivity and respect for different normative traditions, languages, social contexts and standards,” he said.
Dlamini said this was particularly important for small and developing States, which should not become mere consumers of technologies designed elsewhere without regard for their development priorities.
He said such countries should be supported to build local innovation, digital literacy, research capacity, computing access and trusted data ecosystems.
The PM said Eswatini was laying the foundation through its National Fourth Industrial Revolution Strategy, which promotes responsible human-machine collaboration.
The premier said the country was investing in digital skills, including coding, data science and AI training for young people, as well as specialised expertise through national institutions of learning.
“These efforts are guided by the conviction that automation must enhance human potential without undermining dignity, employment, social cohesion or cultural identity,” he said.
Dlamini said innovation could not flourish without trust and stressed that AI governance must be human-centred in its design, deployment and accountability.
He said algorithms should adhere to human rights, safety, transparency, fairness and public interest standards, adding that AI systems should not regulate themselves or determine their own growth without clear human authority.
“Human judgement, responsibility and oversight must remain at the centre,” he said.
The PM further stressed the need to safeguard children from the risks associated with AI.
“The protection of minors is paramount. Children must be allowed to develop as children: Protected from manipulation, exploitation, unsafe content, harmful profiling, addictive design and the premature shaping of their identities by systems they cannot fully understand. No society should outsource childhood, learning or moral formation to machines,” he said.
