African perspectives: Think artificial intelligence!

African perspectives: Think artificial intelligence!

Lübeck, Deutschland - On June 11, 2025, important discussions about the challenges and possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa are imminent. A central event is the virtual ethics innovation lecture by Jahaziel Osei Mensah from the University of Ghana, which takes place online on June 17, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. The lecture entitled "Epistemic Justice" is devoted to the inclusion of indigenous African perspectives in the debate about sustainable AI.

The event is organized by the Ethical Innovation Hub from the University of Lübeck and addresses urgency to involve African views in the discussion about AI. Findings show that African perspectives on sustainable AI are strongly underrepresented, although Africa has the main burden of the negative effects of AI use, especially through the global north. The acceptance of western ethical framework conditions for sustainable AI often leads to increased environmental costs, for example through raw material mining and carbon emissions in AI model training.

African values ​​and ethical challenges

A central concern of this discussion is the African handling of environmental issues. In many African cultures, the environment is viewed not only as a resource, but also as a living space that is inhabited by God, ancestors and deities. This view could be crucial for the development of an African-centered framework for sustainable AI, prioritizing environmental compatibility and taking communitarian values ​​into account.

The integration of African moral traditions-such as emphasizing community and interconnectedness-in ethical AI frames is essential. The challenges are diverse: there is a lack of tailor -made guidelines and political approaches that take into account the African context. There are also concerns about the dependence on technologies and regulation from the developed countries, which can lead to governance problems.

thoughts of feminist African ethics

Modestha Mensah will shed light on the connection between African feminist ethics and sustainable AI. She emphasizes that AI technology has both opportunities and challenges, especially with regard to the environment and social justice. The discussion about Ai-ethical standards, which is often shaped by Western experiences, primarily marginalizes African women and other disadvantaged groups.

The African region is very affected by the social and environmentally related effects of AI technology. Feminist African ethical approaches that emphasize values ​​such as care, responsibility and community are crucial for humane and fair technological development. The call to make AI systems more inclusive and to promote non-discriminatory practices is gained in importance.

More details on the event can be found at uni-luebeck.de , while the discussions on the ethical challenges in Africa on cipit.strathmore.edu as well as the approaches of the feminist african ethics to bpb.de .