The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) has unveiled five artificial intelligence-powered music projects developed by African artists and engineers as part of an initiative aimed at strengthening African creative ownership and cultural preservation in the age of AI.
The projects were showcased at the inaugural AI & Africa Music (AIAM) Project event at Wits University’s Chris Seabrooke Music Hall in Johannesburg. The initiative is led by the Wits Innovation Centre (WIC) in partnership with the Wits Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute and brings together musicians, technologists and researchers from across the continent.
The programme is built around the concept of “creative sovereignty”, ensuring that African creators and communities retain control over how their cultural knowledge, artistic works and traditions are used in emerging AI systems.
Professor Christo Doherty, who leads the project through the Wits Innovation Centre, said the initiative was designed to explore the opportunities AI offers African musicians through collaboration with local engineers and researchers.
“Artificial Intelligence offers tremendous possibilities for African musicians,” Doherty said. “The Wits AI and African Music project created an opportunity for African musicians to work together with African AI engineers to explore these possibilities through creative collaboration and knowledge sharing.”
The five selected teams were chosen from more than 150 applicants representing over 20 African countries. Their projects focus on music creation, cultural preservation, education and digital archiving.
Among the projects unveiled was ZAZI, a “musical digital twin” developed by South African multidisciplinary artist Umlilo and Ghanaian AI engineer Gideon Gyimah. The platform allows users to interact through voice, rhythm and storytelling while generating music using multilingual prompts and African-inspired musical elements.
Related:
- Governments Increase Focus On AI In Global Geopolitics
- Spotify tackles AI music boom with ‘Verified’ artist labels
- The Emergence of AI‑Generated Short Films in Nigeria: A New Era
Another project, The Bɛ̀bɛ̀i Engine, was developed by Cameroonian artist Joshua Kroon and Ghanaian AI engineer Emmanuel Apetsi. Created in collaboration with the Baka community, the AI-powered instrument seeks to preserve endangered polyphonic musical traditions while enabling new forms of creative expression.
Apetsi said the project demonstrated the value of collaboration between African artists and technologists.
“When African musicians, engineers, and researchers collaborate across cultures, something powerful happens: technology begins to carry the rhythm, stories, and spirit of our people,” he said. “The future of music technology doesn’t have to be imported. It can be homegrown, collaborative, and unmistakably African.”
The showcase also featured Bina.ai, an AI-driven children’s music and storytelling platform developed by Nigerian music strategist Ehinome Ogbeide and Congolese creative technologist Muhigiri Ashuza Albin. The platform uses African music genres and culturally relevant narratives to create personalised educational content for children.
A fourth project, Heritage in Code, was presented by Kenyan DJ and producer Linda Nyabundi and Ethiopian AI researcher Gebregziabher Nigusie. The initiative focuses on building culturally enriched datasets and digital archives for African instrumental music while incorporating mechanisms for royalties and rights management.
Organisers said the project addresses the underrepresentation of African music in many global AI training datasets.
The fifth project, TIMah AI, was created by Kenyan music producer Tora Nyamosi and machine intelligence engineer Lawrence Moruye. The platform is designed to preserve Kikuyu traditional music through digital archiving, transcription tools and community-centred consent frameworks that govern access to cultural materials.
Charles Goldstuck, a Wits alumnus, music executive and doctoral candidate, said the programme reflects Africa’s enduring influence on global music and highlights the importance of African participation in shaping emerging technologies.
“The language of music is universal, but we all owe a debt of gratitude to the African continent,” Goldstuck said, describing the initiative as an opportunity to “enhance African human creativity in the era of artificial intelligence.”
Beyond the individual projects, organisers said the initiative represents a broader effort to establish African leadership in responsible AI development. The programme prioritises ethical governance, community participation and culturally informed design to ensure that AI systems trained on African cultural materials remain accountable to the communities from which they originate.
Supported by Billboard US and Billboard Africa, the AIAM project also provided a platform for discussions on AI governance, music rights and creative ownership. Participants said the showcase demonstrated how African institutions can play a leading role in shaping global conversations about technology and culture.
As artificial intelligence continues to transform the global music industry, the AIAM initiative positions African creators not simply as users of AI tools but as active architects of technologies designed around local languages, cultures and artistic traditions.
Organisers say that approach could help safeguard Africa’s creative sovereignty while opening new possibilities for innovation across the continent’s music sector.
Senior Reporter/Editor
Bio: Ugochukwu is a freelance journalist and Editor at AIbase.ng, with a strong professional focus on investigative reporting. He holds a degree in Mass Communication and brings extensive experience in news gathering, reporting, and editorial writing. With over a decade of active engagement across diverse news outlets, he contributes in-depth analytical, practical, and expository articles exploring artificial intelligence and its real-world impact. His seasoned newsroom experience and well-established information networks provide AIbase.ng with credible, timely, and high-quality coverage of emerging AI developments.