June 18
Africa: People Are Marrying Holograms and Making Friends With Chatbots. but Can AiIBring True Happiness?
Can technology really replace human relationships? As philosophy scholars who focus on human happiness and on artificial intelligence (AI), we tackle this question in a recent… Read more »
June 10
Africa: AI Regulation in Africa - Why Copying the European Model Won't Work
Mauritius set out its national AI strategy in 2018, the first by an African country. Since then over a dozen African states have adopted national AI policies of some sort or… Read more »
June 09
Africa: AI in Nature Conservation - Powerful Tool or Dangerous Shortcut?
Conservationists analyse overwhelming volumes of ecological data in their work. For example, they might need to process decades of weather data or the movements of millions of… Read more »
June 07
South Africa: Internet Access Is Unequal in South Africa's Economic Powerhouse - Survey Shows Race and Income Mark the Digital Divide
Digital technologies create great opportunities, but the transformation they offer isn't equally within reach of everyone. Access is determined by a vast digital divide. Read more »
June 03
Africa: AI Offers Promise for Agriculture, but Smallholder Farmers Risk Being Left Behind
Globally, agriculture faces mounting pressures. These are driven by climate change, land degradation, labour shortages, supply chain disruptions and the demand for food from a… Read more »
May 21
South Africa: What Are Misfluencers and What Can Be Done About False Information Online?
Misleading information online is often treated as a technical glitch, something that better algorithms or stricter moderation can fix. But research points to a more complex… Read more »
April 29
South Africa: South Africa's AI Policy Cited Fake Research, Created By AI - What Lessons Need to Be Learned
South Africa's first attempt to establish a binding artificial intelligence (AI) policy framework came to an abrupt halt just 16 days after it was officially gazetted. Read more »
March 31
South Africa: South Africa's Meerkat Telescope Is Mapping Previously Invisible Spaces Between Galaxies - and It's Found 60 New Cosmic Structures
Astronomers are uncovering previously hidden structures within some of the universe's largest objects, known as galaxy clusters. Using the powerful MeerKAT radio telescope in South… Read more »
March 29
Africa: AI-Driven Border Surveillance Is Spreading Across West Africa. What This Means for Migrants' Rights
West Africa as a region has long had one of the most mobile populations in the world. Since 1979, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has allowed citizens of its… Read more »
March 26
Nigeria: Makemation - a Nollywood Movie That Shows AI in Action in Africa
A new feature film, Makemation, is an African coming-of-age story set in a time of artificial intelligence (AI). Read more »
March 22
Africa: A Million New Spacex Satellites Will Destroy the Night Sky - for Everyone On Earth
More than 10,000 Starlink satellites currently orbit the Earth. We see them crawling across dark skies, no matter how remote our location, and streaking through images from… Read more »
March 23
Africa: Why Africa Needs a Green Bank to Fund Climate Action and Build Its Own Renewable Technology
Climate change is a profound challenge to the livelihoods of many people in African countries who have contributed so little to its cause. More frequent extreme weather events… Read more »
March 17
Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone's Digital ID Push - How Local Brokers Help Citizens Gain Legal Identity
An estimated 542 million Africans lack identity cards and potentially face statelessness. Without a legal identity, they can be excluded from basic human rights like education,… Read more »
March 10
Malawi: HIV in Malawi - Digital Filing System Saved Lives and Boosted Care - Research
In the global fight against HIV/Aids, one of the most exciting innovations is not a new drug, but a better filing system. Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Crypto Boom Isn't Just About Technology - Trust Plays a Role in the Local Gadget Trade With China
On a humid afternoon in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, a young trader in electronics pulls out his phone and opens Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency trading… Read more »
March 02
Africa: Biometric IDs Are Being Rolled Out in Africa. Study Reveals the Risks and Pitfalls
Across Africa, governments are introducing digital systems that use individuals' unique physical measurements to identify them. These systems collect citizens' biometric and… Read more »
February 17
Africa: Too Little, Too Concentrated - Why AI Start-up Funding in Africa Needs Rethinking
One year after the AI Summit in Paris, the international community will meet again this week in New Delhi for the Global Summit on Artificial Intelligence, whose objective will… Read more »
February 10
Africa: Women's Control Over Fertility Is Linked to Education, Money and Digital Access - Study of 16 African Countries
Many married women in sub-Saharan Africa don't have the freedom to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. Global data show that only 37% of women in the region… Read more »
Africa: Taxing Africa's Informal Economies - Technology's Promise and Pitfalls
Changes in the development finance world - especially the sharp drop in foreign aid and fewer cheap loans for low-income countries - have pushed taxation back into the spotlight. Read more »
February 03
Africa: AI is Coming to Olympic Judging - What Makes It a Game Changer?
As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) embraces AI-assisted judging, this technology promises greater consistency and improved transparency. Yet research suggests that trust,… Read more »
South Africa: We Run Writing Workshops At a South African University - What We've Learnt About How Students Are Using AI and How to Help Them
Much is being said about the wonders of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it is the new frontier. And while it provides amazing possibilities in fields like medicine, academics… Read more »
January 26
Africa: Most AI Assistants Are Feminine - and It's Fuelling Dangerous Stereotypes and Abuse
In 2024, artificial intelligence (AI) voice assistants worldwide surpassed 8 billion, more than one per person on the planet. These assistants are helpful, polite - and almost… Read more »
January 27
South Africa: South Africa's New Immigration Policy Takes a Digital Direction - Will It Succeed?
South Africa has a new draft white paper on immigration, citizenship and refugees. This, the fourth in three decades, represents a step change from the previous efforts. It is a… Read more »
January 26
Uganda: Uganda's Boda-Boda Drivers - the Digital Economy Hasn't Been the Route to Formal Work and Better Protection - Research
Digital labour platforms - like fast food delivery and cab hailing services - are having a dramatic impact on people's labour rights and working conditions around the world. Read more »
January 18
Africa: Ransomware - What It Is and Why It's Your Problem
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that makes a victim's data, system or device inaccessible. It locks the target or encrypts it (converting text into an unreadable form)… Read more »
