Selamawit Engida (Selam) Abdella is a Researcher at the Global Center on AI Governance (GCG). She holds an MPhil in Development Studies with distinction from the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on the socioeconomic implications of artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on how emerging technologies affect historically marginalised communities.
At the GCG, Selam contributes to the Global Index on Responsible AI project, and has co-authored analytical briefs for its first edition, exploring the human rights implications, socioeconomic development impacts, and effects on civil liberties. She is currently a researcher for the second edition of the Index.
Beyond research, Selam actively participates in GCG's knowledge dissemination and capacity-building initiatives. She co-convenes the AI Ethics and Policy Course, and leads the development of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), which aims to advance African perspectives on fostering inclusive and context-responsive approaches to responsible AI.
Selam is dedicated to promoting responsible AI that priotitises human rights, equity, and the needs of communities often excluded from technological advancements.
Featured Work
- Human Rights and AI: Insights from the Global Index on Responsible AI
- Development, Knowledge Politics and Imagining the Future of AI in Africa
- Constraint to Capability: Flipping the Narrative on AI in the Global South
- Training Playbook for Data Protection Authorities: A Pilot for the Information Regulator of South Africa
- African Countries Are Racing to Create AI Strategies - But Are They Putting the Cart Before the Horse?
- The State of AI in Africa: A Landscape Study