Each year on March 8, Uganda joins the rest of the world in marking International Women's Day, celebrating the achievements of women and girls across the country.
While the day highlights progress in gender equality, it also presents an opportunity to reflect on emerging challenges shaping women's lives today.
In 2026, the theme "Give to Gain" calls for renewed commitment to empowerment and protection. One of the most significant developments influencing that conversation is the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence.
While AI promises innovation, efficiency and economic growth, it also presents new risks that could threaten the privacy, dignity and safety of women and girls if left unregulated.
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Uganda stands at a critical moment in its digital transformation journey. Under the National Development Plan IV, the government has identified information and communication technologies as key drivers of economic growth and job creation. AI is expected to play a major role in that transformation.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, generative AI could add up to $1.2 trillion to Africa's economy by 2030 and increase GDP by about 5.6 percent.
Policymakers increasingly view the technology as a catalyst for innovation that is reshaping economies, governance systems and communication worldwide.
In Uganda, AI tools are already becoming part of everyday life. Students, professionals and researchers regularly rely on large language model chatbots such as ChatGPT developed by OpenAI for research, writing and administrative tasks.
Telecommunications providers including MTN Uganda have also deployed AI-powered chatbots on messaging platforms like WhatsApp to improve customer service.
Young innovators are equally embracing the technology. Students from Aga Khan High School and Kampala International School Uganda recently developed AI prototypes aimed at improving road safety and healthcare.
Their projects included an application capable of detecting pneumonia from medical scans and another designed to identify distracted driving.
Academic institutions are also strengthening research capacity. Makerere University has established a Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, while government is developing a national strategy through a dedicated AI taskforce.
These initiatives position Uganda within the global digital transformation agenda and highlight the growing importance of emerging technologies in national development.
However, as the country embraces AI-driven innovation, it must also confront the risks associated with these systems particularly those affecting women and girls.
Digital violence targeting women is not new. For years it has taken the form of harassment, intimidation and image-based abuse on online platforms. AI technologies are now amplifying that harm by making manipulation easier, faster and more difficult to detect.
The growing use of AI-generated images and deepfakes has raised serious concerns globally. In early 2026, the UNICEF warned that the production and distribution of AI-generated sexualised images of children is increasing across East Africa.
A study conducted across 11 countries indicated that at least 1.2 million children reported having their images manipulated into explicit deepfakes within the past year.
Social media platforms have also become spaces where AI tools are misused. On X (Twitter), users increasingly interact with the AI chatbot Grok developed by xAI, sometimes prompting the system to alter women's photos in degrading ways. Such behaviour often occurs casually, despite its potential to undermine dignity and privacy.
Uganda has already experienced the political and social consequences of AI manipulation. During the 2025-2026 electoral period, an AI-generated video circulated on TikTok, falsely claiming that former Speaker Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga had been airlifted to a hospital in Nairobi.
Other women in public life also faced AI-driven misinformation and manipulation that affected their reputations and public engagement.
The scale of social media use in Uganda intensifies these risks. According to the Uganda Communications Commission, TikTok alone has more than 9.3 million users in the country.
The platform has seen a growing number of AI generated videos portraying women in fabricated or intimate scenarios, forcing victims to publicly clarify the misuse of their images.
Although AI-related abuse can affect anyone, evidence suggests women are disproportionately targeted. Cultural biases, online sexualisation and gender-based harassment make women more vulnerable to manipulation in digital spaces.
Countries around the world are beginning to respond to these challenges through regulatory frameworks. The European Union has adopted the EU AI Act, which classifies certain AI systems as high risk and requires strict transparency and accountability standards.
Australia has strengthened its Responsible AI policies, while the Information Commissioner's Office in the United Kingdom has launched investigations into the misuse of generative AI tools capable of producing non-consensual deepfakes.
Closer to home, Kenya has strengthened its data protection framework and launched a national AI strategy for 2025-2030, alongside a Responsible AI Office to oversee implementation. Rwanda has also introduced AI ethics boards and regulatory guidance mechanisms.
Uganda's legal framework provides a starting point but requires further strengthening. Article 27 of the Constitution guarantees the right to privacy, while the Data Protection and Privacy Act established the Personal Data Protection Office to oversee data governance.
In 2025, the office issued a landmark ruling against Google for failing to comply with registration requirements and transferring personal data outside Uganda without adequate safeguards.
The decision demonstrated that regulatory enforcement is possible when institutions act decisively.
National technology institutions also have an important role to play. The National Information Technology Authority-Uganda and the Uganda Communications Commission should strengthen oversight mechanisms and promote "Safety by Design" standards that limit excessive data collection and ensure responsible AI deployment.
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The ongoing development of Uganda's national AI strategy should incorporate safeguards such as watermarking and digital signature systems to identify synthetic content and hold platforms accountable for misuse.
Law enforcement institutions must also adapt. The Uganda Police Force, which has already introduced an AI chatbot to support investigations, could expand its digital forensic capabilities to detect AI-related crimes more effectively.
Public awareness will be equally critical. Many users assume AI systems always produce accurate information, yet these technologies can generate misleading content or reflect biases embedded in their training data.
As citizen journalism and social media influence continue to grow, verifying digital information before sharing it will become increasingly important.
As Uganda marks Women's History Month in 2026, the country has an opportunity to strike a careful balance between technological innovation and the protection of fundamental rights.
AI holds enormous potential to support development and empower communities. But for that promise to be realised, Uganda must ensure that emerging technologies strengthen rather than undermine the safety, dignity and participation of women and girls in the digital age.
The writer is a Human Rights Advocate.
