Afrika Techno Policy

The increasing use of AI systems poses new risks for cybersecurity in democratic African societies. The fast-changing nature of AI risks requires organisations to adopt new measures to protect sensitive information from unauthorised access. Encryption is one of these measures, as it can secure data from being intercepted or tampered with by malicious actors.  While autonomous adversarial attacks may attract the most attention, Mathew Ford and Andrew Hoskins argue that reliance on generic entry-level consumer and corporate IT systems can create a single point of failure that may jeopardise the overall security of an organisation. ( In 2022 I wrote a review of Ford and Hoskins’ book for the LSE Review of Books .) Indeed, as my friends Andrew Rens, Enrico Calandro and Mark Gaffley suggest , these mundane risks are the most susceptible to advances in software. AI can be used, for example, to generate fake correspondence for a large-scale phishing campaign. And machine learning can enh...

Henrick Ibsen’s play, Enemy of the People, presents Dr Stockmann as a character. Dr Stockmann, my favourite character, is not only a medical doctor, a critical thinker, and a challenger of the status quo. At Act number 4 of the play , Dr Stockman informed a gathering at a large Hall in Captain Horster’s house that the ‘eyes of his mind’ opened and, through it, he saw the ‘colossal stupidity of the authorities’. This play has been on my mind as I have examined my data protection practice. Data protection practitioners often go through a reality check at some point - something akin to the infamous midlife crisis . When the check occurs, the eyes of their minds open, through which they reconsider some social justice questions. They wonder whose power influences the categories of data to be protected and making of the data protection law? They also ask what forces are behind the ‘when’ and ‘why’ of the law? They further question if the law is ready to tackle the past and present injustices...

AI is hot on the lips of academics, policy makers, technologists and lay persons alike. It is shrouded in as much mystery as it is in intrigue. I will admit that, like many people, I came late to the party. In fact, I cannot even manufacture an affinity to it through a carefully curated love of science fiction. The closest I can get, perhaps would be vague memories of scenes from i, ROBOT and if I’m truly honest, 16-year-old me did not watch it for the broody robot or the deep philosophical questions of whether it should “save the girl” or apply the nano something to the thingamabob.     (scene from I, Robot ) It did remind me of Tesla’s unveiling of its humanoid robot creation Optimus . Elon Musk announced at the launch that the intention was to create fully-functional robots which would lead to a “ future of abundance, a future where there is no poverty, a future where you can have whatever you want in terms of products and services. ” What is unique about Optimus, is t...

By now you have heard that John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics. Their award is “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks”. Absolutely well done to both and their various teams.  In conjunction with the recent release of the UN's Governing AI for Humanity report, these events can be said to mark a milestone in the public attention given to AI over the past two to three years.  The Nobel committee's decision celebrates significant scientific achievements. Predicting protein structure from primary amino acid sequences, as exemplified by tools like AlphaFold, is indeed impressive. If your head is spinning a little, thankfully the Nobel Foundation has provided an infographic that does a fantastic job at explaining all this for a general audience.  More importantly, the prize represents a recognition of how machine learning can enhance the ‘brute compute force’ appro...

Here at Afrika Techno Policy we explore the intersection of AI, law, and political economy in Africa through critical lenses. We are a collective of scholars, practitioners, and activists united by a commitment to examining the transformative potential and challenges of AI technologies on the African continent. We come from diverse backgrounds - legal theorists, political economists and policy analysts - but we share a common goal: to foster dialogue on how AI is shaping and being shaped by African realities.  We seek to move beyond techno-deterministic narratives, instead situating AI developments within broader historical, cultural, and political-economic contexts. The rapid proliferation of AI technologies across Africa presents a pivotal moment for democratic rights. From automated healthcare diagnostics in rural clinics to predictive policing in urban centers, AI is reconfiguring social, economic, and political landscapes. Excitement about the potential is understandable but...