A United Nations-backed panel has warned that the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across Africa could deepen inequalities and lead to a new form of “digital colonisation,” where foreign technologies dominate local economies and extract value from the continent’s data.
The warning comes from a newly established international scientific panel on AI, created with the backing of the UN General Assembly to guide global governance of the technology. The group, made up of dozens of experts from multiple countries, is expected to shape policy discussions over the next three years.
Experts on the panel say Africa risks becoming overly dependent on imported AI systems developed in wealthier nations, limiting its control over critical digital infrastructure and data resources. According to the panel, such dependency could mirror historical patterns of economic exploitation, but in a digital context.
Senegalese AI researcher Adji Bousso Dieng warned that current practices already reflect troubling trends. “That’s digital colonisation,” she said, pointing to cases where African workers are employed to label sensitive data for global tech firms under poor conditions and without adequate protections or compensation.
The panel noted that many AI systems deployed in Africa are trained on foreign datasets and designed outside the continent, which can embed biases and fail to reflect local realities. This, experts say, not only limits the effectiveness of AI tools but also reinforces structural inequalities in global technology development.
UN-linked researchers have also highlighted how “digital colonisation” can arise when countries lose autonomy over their data, technology standards, and regulatory frameworks due to reliance on external providers.
Despite the risks, the panel emphasised that AI also presents significant opportunities for Africa in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and public services. However, it stressed that these benefits will only be realised if African countries invest in local capacity, infrastructure, and policy frameworks.
Dieng called for stronger collaboration across the continent, urging governments and institutions to move beyond rhetoric. “We need practical collaboration across the continent in technology,” she said, emphasising the importance of building indigenous AI systems.
The panel further urged African leaders to prioritise data sovereignty and develop ethical guidelines to govern AI deployment. Without such measures, it warned, the continent’s growing enthusiasm for AI could entrench dependency rather than empowerment.
The United Nations has increasingly raised concerns about the global AI divide, cautioning that without coordinated action, emerging technologies could widen the gap between developed and developing regions rather than close it.
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