The role of the African value of Ubuntu in global AI inclusion discourse: A normative ethics perspective

Abstract

Historically, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been excluded from the benefits of the previous industrial revolutions, as its people and their resources and aspirations have been objectified through foreign domination, and its culture has either been fragmented or appropriated. While artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to generate vast amounts of wealth, its application could lead to further social and economic exclusion of SSA due to a lack of access to technological advancements and the historical injustice and exclusion based on protected characteristics. Through an examination of the concept of inclusion, this paper explores how to improve the terms on which African populations and subpopulations and their concerns are included in the global AI ethics discourses. Specifically, it is argued that the SSA value of Ubuntu could be of immense value in AI applied normative ethics, particularly toward an inclusive approach for the implementation of the universal AI ethics principles and guidelines.