How Should Africa Respond to the Growing Power of Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

For years, experts have argued about whether AI could ever override human control. Some believe it’s unlikely; others warn it’s only a matter of time. As Geoffrey Hinton, a leading AI pioneer, put it: the risk is somewhere between 1% and 99%.

Whatever the number, one fact is clear: AI is advancing fast. These systems are more capable, more autonomous, and fueled by some of the largest industrial investments in history. The consequences will be global, and Africa cannot afford to be left out shaping the debate.

As frontier AI spreads into health, education, governance, and beyond, we must ask:

Are our institutions prepared?
Do our policies anticipate the risks?
Are we protecting our ability to steer AI toward public good, while honoring our values, cultures and traditions?

That is the focus of The Big AI Debate: Africa’s Outlook, a new webinar webinar series in collaboration with the Artificial Intelligence for Development Africa (AI4D) program.

Over three conversations, we will explore Africa’s perspectives on the world’s most urgent AI debates:

AI Safety: What the promises and risks mean for African societies.
AI and Science in Africa: How AI can accelerate discovery, strengthen research, and tackle pressing challenges in health, agriculture and climate.
The AGI Debate: Unpacking what Artificial General Intelligence could mean for Africa’s future

First Webinar - AI Safety: African Perspectives

The advancement of AI, particularly generative and agentic models, presents a transformative opportunity for African economies and societies. However, alongside these promises, the continent faces a unique and disproportionate set of risks, from deep-fake fueled electoral interference and data-colonial dependencies to labour market disruptions and heightened environmental costs.

While AI safety has become a global policy priority, African perspectives and priorities have been largely absent from these critical discussions. This webinar introduce the the paper, “Toward an African Agenda for AI Safety” which reframes AI safety as a socio-technical field focused on human, social and environmental security.

The paper highlights severe gaps in current strategies, from the lack of technical capacity to the absence of an AI Safety Institute on the continent. It proposes a five-point action plan to secure Africa’s sovereignty, protect communities, and ensure Africa helps shape global AI governance.

What to expect:

This webinar will serve as an official introduction to the paper with the objectives to;

Map Africa's specific AI risk profile to provide a clear understanding of the unique threats the continent faces, highlighting key threats to our economies, societies, and ecosystems.
Propose and explore a strategic five-point action plan to build a continent-wide approach to AI safety.
Discuss and demonstrate how establishing an African AI Safety Institute and promoting public literacy can secure the continent's sovereignty, ensure its participation in global AI governance.

Webinar details:
Date: Tuesday 9th September, 2025
Time: 3:00-4:00 PM SAST
Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/-Ly4jnwpQXu9rw4LFRepYw#/registration