Kenyatta University Research Innovation and Product Development Registrar Richard Oduor has said Kenyans risk losing out on the opportunity to benefit from artificial intelligence and other technological interventions.
Oduor said this is because Kenyans are sceptical when it comes to new technologies and innovations.
"I can see the fear when we talk about AI. We will not benefit from the AI, I can tell you that and we must wake up very quickly and take advantage of AI," Oduor said.
He spoke during the opening of the 3rd East African Community Regional Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Conference which started on Wednesday set to run till Friday.
Working in a university, he said many lecturers did not like the advent of ChatGPT.
"You will talk to professors, we hate it. We feel that is plagiarism, that is it so wrong and we need the student to use their brain and I can tell you we are again making a mistake," he said.
He called for a conversation adding that the EAC must fix it very quickly on adopting AI.
Odour said Kenyans might take time demonising technology and fail to benefit from it.
He said Kenya has already lost opportunity in recombinant DNA technology.
Recombinant DNA technology involves using enzymes and various laboratory techniques to manipulate and isolate DNA segments of interest.
This method can be used to combine DNA from different species or to create genes with new functions. The resulting copies are referred to as recombinant DNA.
Odour said whenever scientists talk about recombinant DNA technology most people hear GMO.
"The discussion around GMOs is messy, it is confused. Kenyans say yes, Tanzania says ooh, Uganda says framework, and DRC says another thing. It is so confused," he said.
He said EAC is comfortable with the GMO confusion. He said Africa and the East particularly as a region must realise that it has enough resources to improve its technology.
Odour said biotechnology can be a solution to food security issues in the continent.
He said Kenyans are already using GMO products. He noted that the insulin diabetic patients use is GMO.
He said even the Pfizer vaccine for Covid-19 is actually GMO.
"When we were talking about Covid, many queued for the vaccine. It was RNA, particularly from Pfizer. And we queued. I was expecting the anti-GMO to be in the streets but they were the first ones in the line," he said.
He said EAC and Africa at large are ready for the upcoming technologies for the continent already has resources and human capital.
Odour urged that EAC ignore GMO myths like the technology causes cancer.
Other myths are GMO seeds do not germinate, GMO causes impotence, causes infertility and destroys biodiversity.
