The Negotiating Africa’s Digital Partnerships project hosted at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, and supported by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), is convening a multi-stakeholder webinar to gather perspectives from actors within the global and African artificial intelligence (AI) landscape to promote contextual understanding of the geopolitics of AI in Africa. With the rise of “AI nationalism” (where nations wrangle to spread a preferred view of AI policy, applied approaches and technical services), concerns about new forms of digital colonialism in Africa and threats to national security are rising.
From this perspective, the webinar aims to explore the sociotechnical concept of AI development and regulation in Africa and the practice of African agency within the growing realm of AI geopolitics. Panellists will shed light on how AI is already impacting African geopolitics today (for example, through the surge in deepfake disinformation campaigns). Simultaneously, the webinar will delve into the political economy of AI in Africa, the complexities of AI geopolitics, and the opportunities and challenges they present to African digital sovereignty.
Panellists:
- Rachel Adams, Director, Global Center on AI Governance
- Barbara Glover, Program Manager, African Union High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies,
AUDA-NEPAD - Akua Gyekye, Director, Government Affairs, Africa, Microsoft
- Yohannes Eneyew, Fellow, European Research Council Three Generations of Digital Human Rights Project
Chair: Folashadé Soulé, University of Oxford
Discussant: Charles Falajiki, Columbia University
