Africa’s Role in the Future of Artificial Intelligence
As artificial intelligence transforms global systems, Africa remains sidelined in its design; even as its labour and resources power the very infrastructure that makes AI possible. The emergence of AI on the continent raises urgent questions about equity, inclusion and how to ensure Africans benefit from the technologies they help sustain.
Editor’s note: This essay is available in our print issue, An African Manual for Debugging Empire? Buy the issue here.
When most people think of artificial intelligence, the image that comes to mind is of a chatbot on a phone. An app that edits emails, solves math problems or generates an itinerary for a trip. For many people in high-income countries, AI is becoming an almost essential technology. Data from the 2024 Real-Time Population Survey, a nationwide survey by the United States Census Bureau, revealed that 40 per cent of the US population aged 18 to 64 use generative AI to some degree. From search engines to customer service, AI is rapidly altering how we access and process information.
While these tools feel cutting-edge and completely novel, humans have been on the quest to study and develop machines that mimic human intelligence for decades. In 1955, John McCarthy, an American computer scientist and professor emeritus at Stanford University, coined the term artificial intelligence. He defined it as, ‘the science and engineering of making intelligent machines.’ Since then, AI has evolved beyond academic theory, powering a range of applications from navigation systems to medical diagnostics. Ongoing research and improvements to AI have compounded to create what we know the technological landscape to be today.
As AI moves from research labs into everyday life, its implications extend far beyond the technical. It no longer exists as merely a scientific inquiry, but as a social force—reshaping our ways of living and working. Understanding who builds these systems, who benefits from them, and who may be left behind is now, more than ever, a critical part of the conversation. This is especially true when we consider the complex and often overlooked nature of Africa’s relationship with AI...
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