FACTCHECK: Koku Anyidoho shares fake flyer of John Mahama's AI comment

Former president John Dramani Mahama made the headlines this week when he spoke about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to fight illegal small-scale mining, known as galamsey.

The comments were made an at event in Sunyani where he outlined a raft of measures to combat the menace and to protect the environment and water bodies if he is elected president.

While the merit of how AI can be used to fight galamsey continues to gain traction on mainstream and social media, an artwork has been circulated of his purported comments on AI in relation to his 24-hour economy proposal.

Claim:

"I'll use AI to implement 24-hour economy," the artwork attributed to Abusua FM and Ultimate FM (subsidiaries of the EIB Group) read.

The said artwork has been shared on X by former deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Koku Anyidoho and some pro-government accounts on X and Facebook.

Anyidoho's post came with the caption: "So, now that he is going to use AI to fight galamsey and implement his 24hr economy; I ask respectfully; would AI be used to protect Ghana’s bauxite too? Or it would be used to distribute it to a single sibling? A simple question."

Verification:

GhanaWeb Factcheck desk analysed the X and Facebook handles of the two media houses whose logos were prominent on the artwork but did not find any post with the said quote.

The search was extended to other brands under the EIB Network like Starr FM, GHOne TV but there was no artwork with the said quote.

What exactly did Mahama say?:

Speaking at the 3rd Annual Transformational Dialogue on Small-scale Mining at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani on May 15, 2024, Mahama outlined his vision of leveraging advanced technology to tackle the menace.

"We will introduce and encourage technological innovation to improve capacity for coordinated monitoring of the small-scale mining sector and reduce environmental impact.

"This will include using AI to locate all small-scale mining and galamsey operations, track excavators, and geo-fence all concessions to ensure mining operations are not conducted in unapproved areas, including water bodies,” he added.

Verdict:

Mahama did not say he was going to use AI to implement 24-hour economy policy proposal. The artwork in its entirety is fake.

See Anyidoho's tweet and that of Starr FM below:

So, now that he is going to use AI to fight galamsey and implement his 24hr economy; I ask respectfully; would AI be used to protect Ghana’s bauxite too? Or it would be used to distribute it to a single sibling? A simple question 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/gsBWADFBf7

— Samuel Koku Anyidoho🇬🇭 (@KokuAnyidoho) May 17, 2024

If elected, Mahama plans to deploy artificial intelligence in the fight against galamsey.

#StarrFM #StarrNews #NewsAlert #Election2024 pic.twitter.com/QL2AIq2TeX

— Starr 103.5 FM (@starr1035fm) May 15, 2024