Toward an African Agenda for AI Safety

Samuel T. Segun; Rachel Adams; Ana Florido; Scott Timcke; Jonathan Shock; Leah Junck; Fola Adeleke; Nicolas Grossman; Ayantola Alayande; Jerry John Kponyo; Matthew Smith; Dickson Marfo Fosu; Prince Dawson Tetteh; Juliet Arthur; Stephanie Kasaon; Odilile Ayodele; Laetitia Badolo; Paul Plantinga; Michael Gastrow; Sumaya Nur Adan; Joanna Wiaterek; Cecil Abungu; Kojo Apeagyei; Luise Eder; Tegawende Bissyande

arXiv · 2508.13179

Toward an African Agenda for AI Safety

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Abstract

This paper maps Africa's distinctive AI risk profile, from deepfake fuelled electoral interference and data colonial dependency to compute scarcity, labour disruption and disproportionate exposure to climate driven environmental costs. While major benefits are promised to accrue, the availability, development and adoption of AI also mean that African people and countries face particular AI safety risks, from large scale labour market disruptions to the nefarious use of AI to manipulate public opinion. To date, African perspectives have not been meaningfully integrated into global debates and processes regarding AI safety, leaving African stakeholders with limited influence over the emerging global AI safety governance agenda. While there are Computer Incident Response Teams on the continent, none hosts a dedicated AI Safety Institute or office. We propose a five-point action plan centred on (i) a policy approach that foregrounds the protection of the human rights of those most vulnerable to experiencing the harmful socio-economic effects of AI; (ii) the establishment of an African AI Safety Institute; (iii) promote public AI literacy and awareness; (iv) development of early warning system with inclusive benchmark suites for 25+ African languages; and (v) an annual AU-level AI Safety & Security Forum.

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Samuel T. Segun, Rachel Adams, Ana Florido, Scott Timcke, Jonathan Shock, Leah Junck, Fola Adeleke, Nicolas Grossman, Ayantola Alayande, Jerry John Kponyo, Matthew Smith, Dickson Marfo Fosu, Prince Dawson Tetteh, Juliet Arthur, Stephanie Kasaon, Odilile Ayodele, Laetitia Badolo, Paul Plantinga, Michael Gastrow, Sumaya Nur Adan, Joanna Wiaterek, Cecil Abungu, Kojo Apeagyei, Luise Eder, Tegawende Bissyande. 2025-08-12. Toward an African Agenda for AI Safety. https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.13179

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