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African AI Policymaking

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Our work
/ February 28, 2025

PAN is a partner on initiatives supporting AI policy formulation and implementation including the African Observatory on Responsible AI and the Africa-Asia AI Policymakers Network.

African Observatory on Responsible AI

Established in 2022, the African Observatory on Responsible Artificial Intelligence (the African Observatory) has recognised the need to promote African voices, experiences and value systems in global debate around responsible AI. Scholars in the social sciences and humanities are emphasising that an ‘African’ view on AI and AI ethics is critical for ensuring that the development and adoption of these new technologies  supports, and is not harmful to, African societies and ways of living. The African Observatory takes a special focus on the foundational elements of inclusive and responsible AI governance, particularly as it relates to Africa’s (pre/post) colonial memory and in the context of our diverse democratic, constitutional and legal mechanisms of accountability.

A key part of the Observatory project is the updated Africa Policy Tool which aggregates AI-relevant policy activity across all African countries and by regional bodies. Also see our earlier Featured Policy & Governance posts covering highlights of activity from the database.

Africa-Asia AI Policymaker Network

PAN is part of the ongoing Network task force which convenes the Africa-Asia AI Policymaker Network. This included the launch in Cape Town during 2022, organising and presenting at sessions during the Rwanda AfricAI conference in 2023 and a third in-person meeting held in Kenya during October 2024. Network members have contributed to the design of the Observatorythe Policy & Governance Map as a shared resource for the community.

The HSRC has also initiated a AI Policymaker Network Journal Club as an ongoing, virtual activity to discuss emerging technology developments and governance responses to AI. During 2024, the Journal Club meetings have covered the following topics:

  • Regulation of large language models (LLMs)
  • AI and regulatory sandboxes
  • Comparative analysis of AI strategies
  • Competition authorities in AI

 

Photo by Shalom Mwenesi on Unsplash

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