Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant frontier reserved for laboratories and tech giants in Silicon Valley. It is here, evolving rapidly and weaving itself into the fabric of our everyday lives—from how we communicate and conduct business to how we access education, healthcare, and even justice. In Africa, where digital transformation is both an ongoing challenge and an immense opportunity, AI presents a double-edged sword. On one hand, it offers tools for accelerating development, streamlining services, and solving age-old problems. On the other hand, it brings along a new wave of threats, unseen and largely unregulated, that could severely impact communities, economies, and democratic institutions across the continent.

This is not just a technical issue. It’s a deeply human one. The risks of AI are not abstract theoreticals; they are real, and they have consequences for real people. Biased algorithms can deny a young woman in Nairobi access to a job because her demographic was underrepresented in the training data. Deepfakes can sow chaos in an election, destabilizing fragile political systems. Automated surveillance tools can infringe on civil liberties without oversight or recourse. The question is no longer whether AI will shape Africa’s future, but how and whether African societies will have the tools, policies, and protections needed to ensure that future is inclusive, just, and secure.

While African countries may not be leading the charge in AI development, their vulnerability to its misuse is acute. The stakes are high, and the time to act is now. Mitigating AI risks in Africa is not simply about catching up with the rest of the world. It is about reclaiming agency in the digital age, about ensuring that technology serves humanity, not the other way around. To do this, we must approach AI not just as a technical innovation, but as a social force—one that must be guided by human values, ethical reasoning, and a commitment to the common good.

The promises of AI are dazzling: precision farming, predictive healthcare, personalized learning, efficient governance. Yet, these promises are shadowed by growing risks, including algorithmic bias, misinformation, digital surveillance, and job displacement, that could disproportionately affect Africa. As AI systems become embedded in critical sectors like finance, law enforcement, education, and national defense, even small errors or oversights can have cascading impacts. In regions already grappling with inequality, weak institutions, and underdeveloped legal frameworks, the fallout can be devastating.

AI bias is among the most pressing concerns. Because AI systems learn from historical data, they can easily replicate and amplify the biases of the societies they reflect. A hiring algorithm trained predominantly on Western data might favor candidates from certain socioeconomic or ethnic backgrounds, reinforcing systemic exclusion. In countries where the legal recourse for discrimination is weak or inaccessible, the harm is compounded.

Meanwhile, the proliferation of AI-generated misinformation, especially deepfakes and synthetic media, poses a major threat to democratic institutions. In places where trust in government is already low and elections can be hotly contested, even a single piece of convincing fake content could ignite conflict. The same tools that are used to spread disinformation can also be used to monitor and suppress dissent, creating new avenues for authoritarian control.

Cybersecurity threats are another growing concern. Sophisticated AI models are being used to develop advanced phishing techniques, execute complex financial fraud, and conduct large-scale cyberattacks. African countries, many of which have under-resourced cybersecurity agencies and outdated infrastructure, may find themselves particularly vulnerable.

The global AI arms race also means that leading nations are increasingly prioritizing their own national interests, restricting access to powerful AI tools through export controls and proprietary systems. This creates a new kind of digital divide—not of connectivity, but of capability—where Africa is left behind in developing, understanding, and governing the very technologies that will shape its future.

Although open-access AI tools offer a glimmer of hope for leveling the playing field, they are not a panacea. Africa faces a host of systemic challenges that limit its ability to harness these tools effectively and safely:

Despite these challenges, there are concrete steps that African countries can take to reclaim agency and protect their digital futures.

Governments and development partners must recognize that AI safety is not a luxury concern but a core component of digital transformation. By framing AI safety within the context of sustainable development goals—highlighting its impact on poverty, education, public health, and governance—it becomes possible to attract broader support. Ministries responsible for ICT and innovation should incorporate AI risk management into their national digital strategies.

Africa’s diversity and geographic spread can be a strength. By creating regional alliances, whether through the African Union or more localized partnerships, countries can pool resources, share data, and standardize protocols. Initiatives similar to Europe’s AI safety networks can provide platforms for peer review, open collaboration, and coordinated response to emerging threats. These networks can also provide mentorship opportunities and shared computing infrastructure.

Rather than trying to match global leaders in every area of AI, African researchers can carve out niches. For example, Africa’s linguistic diversity provides a unique opportunity to become a global leader in multilingual AI safety evaluation. Similarly, its varied social, cultural, and infrastructural contexts make it an ideal testbed for robustness testing. By identifying and owning these niches, African AI experts can become indispensable to global AI safety conversations.

African countries must assert their right to be part of global AI decision-making bodies. Participation in international forums such as the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) or the UN's AI Advisory Body is essential. Governments should push for global norms that support benefit-sharing, open collaboration, and technology transfer. The goal is not charity, but justice, ensuring that the benefits of AI are shared and that no country is left to bear its risks alone.

The future of artificial intelligence is being written today. For Africa, the challenge is not just to catch up, but to lead in areas that matter most for its people. That means putting AI safety at the heart of its digital agenda. It means investing in research, infrastructure, and partnerships that prioritize ethical use, human dignity, and inclusive progress. And it means demanding a voice in global governance, to ensure that Africa's future is not determined in boardrooms and parliaments oceans away.

AI will shape the contours of the 21st century. Africa cannot afford to be a passive observer. By taking bold, informed, and humane steps today, it can help build a digital future that is not only smarter, but safer, for everyone.