Kofi

As part of this Council, I'll lend my expertise to define and guide PAI’s work. By sharing our unique perspectives, we can empower decision-makers to shape an equitable AI future that benefits all. #AIEthics #TechForGood

I’m thrilled to announce I’ve joined the newly formed SAIGE Council from @partnershipai.bsky.social, a multi-stakeholder community addressing the most important and difficult questions concerning the future of AI.

From the @thecontinent.org: "...the children appeared to be victims of a systematic recruitment operation that manipulated them into posting political slogans, insults directed at the Egyptian President, calls to open Gaza’s Rafah crossing..."

Why is AI struggling to discover new drugs? [FREE TO READ] A generation of start-ups have failed to live up to the hype. Executives are now betting that more powerful tools will crack the complexities of human biology

"...the problem has proved beyond the algorithms. We know surprisingly little about our own biology. There are many mysteries in how our cells interact and challenges in measuring our body’s most crucial processes, starving models of the data they need to make more rapid progress."
on.ft.com/4pgIyqT

The myth of sovereign AI: Countries rely on U.S. and Chinese tech As countries pursue self-sufficiency in AI, they risk depending on foreign companies, undermining their independence and their goals.

“States should think very carefully about what they actually want to get out of this before spending hundreds of billions of dollars trying to indigenize the entire AI stack. You still won’t be able to eliminate dependencies and vulnerabilities on foreign states.”

restofworld.org/2025/chinese...

"The ICT sector rose an annual 21.3% in the second quarter driven by DATA USAGE, said Iddrisu, helping the services industry to expand 9.9% from a revised 7.8% in the prior three months."

"...the process of getting a job has become a late-capitalist nightmare. Online hiring platforms have made it easier to find an opening but harder to secure one.."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Why Nairobi’s co-working spaces are losing to restaurants Nairobi’s co-working spaces were touted as temples of Kenya’s innovation economy where young founders could incubate groundbreaking ideas.

"For SMEs, double-digit loan rates have made credit costly, while freelancers—some of whom rely on foreign contracts—have been squeezed by a slowdown in overseas deals that has eroded their incomes amid rising living costs." techcabal.com/2025/08/29/n...

we at @aial.ie, are investigating amplification/censorship on X/twitter in EU. what are major EU:
-politicians & regulators
-journalists
-influencers & public intellectuals, with high visibility/influence on X, across both left & right political ideologies

we're interested in existing datasets too

Three lawsuits against Meta in Kenya expose the digital governance gap in Africa - Africa at LSE The internet giant Meta is facing legal challenges that could change the way we think about legal jurisdiction and corporate responsibility in the digital age, writes Mumbi Kiragu. Kenya has emerged a...

"What is missing is a preventive, policy-driven architecture that ensures content moderation practices are humane, companies are accountable for their algorithms, and corporate actors cannot hide behind layers of subcontracting to escape responsibility."
blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/...

If I can give you any advice about anything it would be this - do everything in your power to protect yourself from being governed by people who hate you.

What’s behind the AI talent gold rush? Eye-watering payments show how hard it is for tech companies to build a competitive moat

"But the war for talent is not just about output — it’s about perception. A start-up’s ability to attract investors and a listed company’s ability to keep its stock price up are both aided by the buzz generated by a few superstar minds."
www.ft.com/content/9e9f...

web page of case study The Challenges of Accountability in AI for Immigration: The IRCC and Canadian AI Governance and its abstract

New publication alert! The Challenges of Accountability in AI for Immigration: The IRCC and Canadian AI Governance

balsilliecases.ca/case-study/t...

The question is, will Global South countries protect the data of citizens and ensure Starlink adheres to local regulatory processes or will they give in to diplomatic pressure in return for trade benefits with the US government?

For example, countries like India and Ghana have requested Starlink to have a physical presence before they can be approved to operate. Read more here - lnkd.in/gdrbnJ-2

C. As Global South countries are figuring out the strategies to build friendly diplomatic relationships with the US, they might be forced to allow Starlink to operate within their countries and relax data localization requirements, causing 'chaos' within the local ISP ecosystem.

...A serious threat to the national security and data sovereignty of these countries. Read more here - lnkd.in/gmKXqTvj

B. As brilliantly explained by Phumzile Van Damme on Twitter (still struggling to call it X), Data collected from users of Starlink, include some governments that are hooked on, bypass all local infrastructure outside the countries it operates and connect with Google's data centres...

A. Starlink, unlike regional telcos, has no towers, ground stations or data infrastructure in the countries it operates. So, where does the data of users sit?

Starlink's expansion across markets in Africa and other Global South countries have raised concerns about digital exclusion - high prices and more users within high-income communities, but there are much bigger regulatory and geopolitical implications we might be underestimating.

OpenAI plans Stargate expansion outside US Global spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure with partners is expected to be ‘above and beyond’ $500bn target at home

"The group said it would strike the overseas deals in co-ordination with the US government."
www.ft.com/content/060c...

Countries in the Global South and poorer communities should not be treated as experimental labs for testing AI’s potential - to solve socio-economic challenges.

One reason for skepticism towards AI hype is many of the same people insisted the Metaverse was definitely the future and you're dumb if you didn't get that, and before that insisted NFTs were definitely the future and you're dumb if you didn't get that.

LLMS seem to have more use cases, but still.

a man in a suit and tie is making a funny face and says `` shut up please '' . ALT: a man in a suit and tie is making a funny face and says `` shut up please '' .

For the love of God, I am tired of hearing tech optimists in Africa saying "AI is going to take away jobs in Africa". Read more about the technological and political culture of Africa.

Nigeria readies $40M startup seed fund backed by Japan The government is stepping in to boost support for early-stage ventures.

"Half of the fund will come from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Japanese government’s overseas development assistance arm, with the remainder covered by a matching sum from the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority."
www.semafor.com/article/03/1...

"From experience, we know that current training programs for fieldwork and data collection in the Global North do not necessarily reflect the complex positionalities of Global South researchers."
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...

Thanks for taking a read.

The Paradox of Africa’s Autonomy in Shaping its AI Future - LCFI This blog was written by Kofi Yeboah, a former CFI Visitor. In it, Kofi contends that the notion of Africa making significant progress and controlling its own AI future is overly optimistic. Instead, ...

If African governments do not invest in building the infrastructure needed to leverage AI, the “AI Messiahs” who sing “AI will solve all of Africa’s problems” will continue to shape the future of AI in Africa www.lcfi.ac.uk/news-events/...

@kofiemeritus.bsky.social nails it!

The Paradox of Africa’s Autonomy in Shaping its AI Future - LCFI This blog was written by Kofi Yeboah, a former CFI Visitor. In it, Kofi contends that the notion of Africa making significant progress and controlling its own AI future is overly optimistic. Instead, ...

My research piece for University of Cambridge's Leverhulme CFI argues that the perception held by some African techno-solutionists that Africa is leading its own AI future is overly optimistic and overlooks the significant influence of external actors.
www.lcfi.ac.uk/news-events/...