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Africa must assert control over artificial intelligence (AI) to protect its culture, heritage, and economic interests, Professor A. Mutambara has said.
Speaking at the AI Summit for Africa in Victoria Falls under the theme “AI-powered Transformation: Unlocking New Frontiers for Sustainable Socio-economic Growth”, Mutambara emphasized that while AI offers opportunities in agriculture, education, mining, and other sectors, the risks are significant.
“As we embrace AI, we must be aware of its dangers such as bias, data security, ethical issues, and hallucinations. Tools like ChatGPT-5 are addressing some challenges, but we face broader threats from data colonialism and digital imperialism,” he said.
By Ruvarashe Gora
Mutambara noted that AI systems such as ChatGPT and Gemini are not neutral, reflecting the values and interests of their predominantly Western, male programmers. “There is no gender justice, no African perspective. That is why we must train our young people to create AI systems that reflect African values and priorities,” he explained.
He urged the decolonization of AI through education and the integration of culture and heritage into technological development. “AI should be taught as part of an ecosystem of transformative technologies like cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, synthetic biology, quantum computing enabling our youth not just to consume, but to innovate,” Mutambara added.
The summit convened policymakers, academics, innovators, and tech leaders to explore how AI can drive inclusive, sustainable growth across Africa while ensuring the continent is not left behind in the global digital landscape.
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