The next Shocklab Seminar will be online on Wednesday, 27 August 2025, at 16:00 (GMT+2). Dr Chinasa T. Okolo will be presenting: "Broadening Perspectives on African Governance in the Era of AI".

Title: Broadening Perspectives on African Governance in the Era of AI
Speaker: Dr Chinasa T. Okolo
Date: Wednesday, 27 August 2025
Time: 16:00-17:00 (GMT +2)
Zoom Meeting Link: https://uct-za.zoom.us/j/92750361177?pwd=QzNiRzBJRjRITVlwa2k5SVNkVmx5UT09

Abstract: The intensifying development of machine learning (ML) models and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, particularly generative AI, has dramatically shifted practices around data, spurring the development of new industries and unveiling unprecedented forms of exploitation. These new complexities around the production, refinement, and use of data indicate severe implications for African countries, including the widescale spread of generative AI-driven disinformation, increased manipulation exacerbated by digital platforms, and the continuation of colonial-era marginalization through datafication practices. These concerns elevate a need for comprehensive and harmonized data regulation efforts across the African continent, given existing challenges with fragmented policy implementation and limited capacity for regulatory enforcement. This talk examines the burgeoning AI and data governance landscape in Africa, analyzing the impact of AI on democratic processes, outlining best measures for data governance policy reform, and delineating priorities to democratize African participation in global AI governance.

Bio: Dr Chinasa T. Okolo, Ph.D., is the Founder of Technēcultură, a Fellow at The Brookings Institution, and a recent Computer Science Ph.D. graduate from Cornell University. Her research focuses on AI governance and safety for the Global Majority, datafication and algorithmic marginalization, and the geopolitical impacts of AI. Dr. Okolo has been recognized as one of the world’s most influential people in AI by TIME, honored in the inaugural Forbes 30 Under 30 AI list, and advises numerous multilateral institutions, national governments, corporations, and nonprofits.

See you there!