Africa's AI Future: Avoiding Colonial Data Extraction

AI development risks perpetuating global inequalities, with billions potentially excluded due to underrepresentation of diverse languages and cultures. Kate Kallot, founder of Amini, a company building AI infrastructure across Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America, warns against a future where poorer nations primarily supply data for AI systems developed elsewhere.

Kallot draws parallels to historical colonial patterns, where regions were exploited for resources without retaining value. She stresses the urgent need for the Global South to actively shape the future of artificial intelligence, ensuring that its own knowledge and data are valued and that its people benefit from the technology's advancement.