The real question isn’t Do Africans want chatbots?
It’s: Do our technologies deserve African voices?
Let’s design AI that listens before it speaks — rooted in Ubuntu, co-created with our communities, and driven by generosity and shared purpose.
#AfriCHI2025 #AI #HCI #Africa #Ubuntu #DSFSI 4/
At DSFSI, we’re already building that bridge:
💬 Advancing multilingual NLP for African languages
🎙️ Collecting 3 000+ hours of local speech via the ZA–African Next Voices project
⚖️ Creating fair dataset licensing frameworks
🤝 Partnering with Masakhane, Deep Learning Indaba 3/
AI and HCI must meet in the middle.
AI drives scale and automation.
HCI ensures empathy, usability, and trust.
To make AI truly work for Africa, we need bridges between those who build and those who design for people.
#HumanCenteredAI #TechForGood #AfriCHI2025 2/
At #AfriCHI2025, our lead @vukosi.bsky.social asked a the question:
👉🏾 Do Africans really want chatbots?
For us at, it’s a reminder that Africa’s AI future isn’t just about building smarter systems, it’s about building technologies that listen, understand our languages, and reflect our values.
1/
For those at MBZUAI in Abu Dhabi, I will be giving a seminar talk tomorrow (13 Oct 2025)
Introducing Kesego Mokgosi: Visiting PhD Researcher with the AI4D African Languages Lab open.substack.com/pub/dsup/p/i...
New work out of the Data Science Law Lab at UP - @DataLawAfrica
Working to answer -> Are data scientists in Africa allowed to use copyrighted news broadcasts to train AI and develop technologies for local languages?
Watch -> youtu.be/p-zFzlbhUw4
Paper -> doi.org/10.1080/1360...
Huge congratulations again to Dr. Mpho Mokoatle on her PhD in Computer Science from UP! 🎓 So proud her groundbreaking cancer research and inspiring journey are featured by the Weekend Argus. Her work in DNA analysis for early detection is truly life-changing!
iol.co.za/weekend-argu...
My Inaugural Lecture is now online 🎥
Beyond the Symbols: Natural Language Processing as an Adaptive Problem
I reflect on my journey in advancing AI & NLP for African languages, tackling data scarcity, building communities & imagining inclusive futures.
👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwef...
Next was an excellent talk by @vukosi.bsky.social on natural language processing for low resource languages and the importance of Africans developing their own solutions at @dsfsi.bsky.social youtu.be/hwefANMnSxo?... (5/8)
Key message: AI in education must reflect the plurality of learners – their tongues, their stories, their right to be heard.
Computer science + education can (and must) work together to make this happen.
#AI #Education #UNESCO #AfricanLanguages @unesco.org
Our chapter – Ensuring Inclusive, Contextualized AI in Education – looks at:
* The promises and pitfalls of AI in classrooms
* Risks of excluding African languages & knowledge systems
* The need for grounded, community-led innovations
We’re excited to share that members of our Data Science for Social Impact Lab at UP contributed to UNESCO’s new global report: AI and the Future of Education: Disruptions, Dilemmas and Directions.
🔗 unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/p...
@unesco.org
The day began with the AI Policy Breakfast (Partnership on AI), connecting policymakers and researchers.
Day 4 proved once again: African AI is not only technically vibrant — it is leading on global conversations around policy, ethics, and equity. 🚀
Resources for those who want to go deeper:
📄 AUDA-NEPAD White Paper on AI in Africa: 1drv.ms/f/s!At9WNpyX...
🔑 NOODL License: licensingafricandatasets.com
🔑 Esethu License: aclanthology.org/2025.acl-lon...
Another highlight: the AI Policy panel with Jane Munga, Virginia Dignum & Barbara Glover.
We explored how Africa can chart its own path in AI governance, infrastructure, and inclusion.
We were honoured to have @vukosi serve as a keynote panelist in the AI Policy for Africa session, opened by AU Commissioner H.E. Lerato Mataboge.
Her message on Urunana (hand in hand) was powerful: solidarity & responsibility in advancing AI.
🎥 Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu-6...
The poster session was electric ⚡ — showcasing the vibrancy of the African AI community.
DSFSI contributions came from:
• Thapelo
• Nontokozo
• Idris
• Takura
(plus work from Seani & Dawit )
Day 4 at the #DeepLearningIndaba was an inspiring mix of research, policy, and community building. 🌍 #DLI2025
We also had a faculty panel discussing opportunities & challenges facing academics in AI across the continent, plus breakout sessions on Data, Startups, and community-building. A busy and inspiring day, showcasing the depth, ambition, and impact of Africa’s AI research community. 🚀 #DLI2025 5/5
This achievement was led by @ANKahira with contributions from UP’s own Lesego Makhafola — building on mentorship from Prof @Vukosi who has coordinated poster sessions and non-archival proceedings in recent years. 🙌 4/n
Highlight of the day: the Indaba’s first-ever conference proceedings 🎉
* 100 submissions
* 19 accepted papers
* 7 presented on Day 3
A major step in growing African-led AI research.
3/n
We began with an insightful keynote by Prof. @SamniKoyejo: Beyond Benchmarks: Building a Science of AI Measurement.
📝 Notes here: docs.google.com/document/d/1... 2/n
Day 3 at the #DeepLearningIndaba was another milestone moment for African AI. 🌍 #DLI2025 @deepindaba 1/n
This seminar was made possible by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP), and hosted by DSFSI, AfriDSAI, the Dept. of Computer Science, and the Faculty of Health Sciences @ University of Pretoria
#AI4Good #HealthEquity #AfricanInnovation
Dr. Gichoya explores how Africa can go beyond basic chatbots—focusing on context-specific AI, building diverse datasets, addressing bias, and nurturing local data science talent. Vital for anyone interested in #AI, #healthcare, and #Africa.
🌍 Excited to share a powerful seminar by Dr. Judy Gichoya (Emory Univ): “AI for African Healthcare: Beyond Chatbots Toward Contextually Informed Innovation.”
🎥 Watch: youtu.be/c8b7JjszYi0?...
UP is breaking the language barrier in academia!
Join the launch of the Translation of Abstracts Project—bringing research to Sepedi, isiZulu, and Afrikaans.
12 Aug, 09:00–12:00, Javett Auditorium or online.
Info: www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/library...
RSVP: up-za.libcal.com/event/14796230
🎧 Also, check out the NotebookLM podcast for broader reflections on language and inclusion in tech.
🔗 notebooklm.google.com/notebook/0f0...
