Research Forum: Sharing New Research on the Impacts of AI in Eastern Africa
- Venue: British Institute in Eastern Africa
- Hybrid (online; Nairobi) on 27 September 2024
- Organisers: Prof Sharath Srinivasan (Cambridge), Dr Stephanie Diepeveen (KCL)
From Eritrea and Sudan to Rwanda and Zimbabwe, how are the innovations and disruptions brought about by Artificial Intelligence (AI), most recently with so-called Generative AI applications, being deployed, experienced, shaped and resisted in the Eastern African region?
An area of dynamic and burgeoning research, researchers working in and on the region are exploring diverse topics, such as: labour and the political economy of global AI value chains; state uses of AI for surveillance and control; misinformation, disinformation and the impacts of AI applications on democratic politics; education, AI, and politics of knowledge; the role of AI applications in social and cultural production; the environmental impacts of data intensive AI systems; and many more.
Within the global and often western-focused studies of AI and people’s lives, Scholars working on the region can benefit from more visibility of each others’ work, and opportunities to forge new directions in individual and collaborative research.
This hybrid knowledge sharing and networking event is an opportunity for researchers across eastern Africa, and those working on the region from elsewhere, to share a little on their work, learn about the work of others, and connect with researchers across the region.
Cutting across disciplines, geographies, themes and approaches, the organisers aim to also bring to light the rich variety of research and thinking on the impact of AI in the eastern African region.
Researchers conducting grounded empirical research on AI in eastern Africa are invited to attend, and/or to contribute. Contributors will be asked to give a 4 minute (strictly enforced) ‘flash talk’ on their work and its future directions. Alongside the ‘flash talks,’ there will be a generous opportunity for moderated discussion to discuss one another’s work and explore intersecting areas of interest.
All attendees should sign-up here: https://forms.gle/5gaoG8ZJMvygMJNC6
All are welcome. Any question can be directed to the event organisers: [email protected].
