I use Bernard Matolino’s lenses on modernity and development to reflect on and discuss the challenges that Africa will face in adapting to Responsible AI. Matolino looks at the relationship between values and technological developments in an African context. He defines technological development as an ongoing human episode that signifies development and innovation. Matolino proposes two perspectives on modernity to define it. The first definition is that modernity is an actual transition that happens when people’s lives and systems shift from one mode to another. The second definition concerns the spirit behind these developments. He calls this spirit the “value base of society”. Matolino bemoans that Africans, particularly in the modern era, have not been recognizable innovators and their participation in technology has been limited to that of end users or consumers. Africa has consistently been a bad performer in all measurable indices of human development. I argue that to address this and related challenges, it is imperative to establish the spirit, ‘value base of the African society’ and the direction of flow of this spirit. I will argue that the process of establishing the direction of flow of this spirit can indeed be actualized through a design approach that accounts for human values such as in the VSD. I will show how this is attainable through a consideration of ethical issues that arise from stakeholders during the implementation of AI technologies in our societies to ensure responsible AI.

Part of the panel Rethinking AI Ethics in, for and from sub-Saharan Africa