As artificial intelligence technologies proliferate in use and advance in capabilities, many countries in Africa risk falling behind. Here, Chinasa T. Okolo, a researcher and policy advisor on AI and digital technologies, outlines Africa’s current position in the broader geopolitical competition for AI dominance, examining how Western powers, China, Russia, and others are vying for influence in the continent. She argues that African leaders must balance the local technological development, foreign investment, and national independence.

What does digital support for global-majority organizations look like? In this interview, Just Tech Program Officer Ever Bussey talks with Paola Mosso and Lesedi Bewlay, executive director and deputy director at the Engine Room, respectively, a nonprofit organization that provides technical and data research support to civil society groups in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. Here, they discuss their work and why it’s important to focus on the global majority world.

Join Just Tech and NEW INC at the New Museum on April 16 at 6 p.m. ET for a panel discussion on “From Studio to Study: Artistic Research on AI and Society.” Just Tech Fellows Romi Morrison, Dorothy Santos, and Lauren Lee McCarthy, and NEW INC member X.A. Li will address how artists are engaging artificial intelligence through experimentation, performance, and design. The panel will be moderated by Mozilla Foundation Executive Director Nabiha Syed.

After a visit to the University of Michigan’s Laboratory for Progress (Perceptive Robotics and Grounded REasoning SystemS), 2023 Just Tech Fellow Jay Cunningham interviewed Odest Chadwicke “Chad” Jenkins, professor of robotics and electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan, about his research and thoughts on robotics and AI, the role ethics play in novel technologies, and educating and mentoring the new generation of technologists.