Category: An African Studies Approach to AI

Smart Methods? WhatsApp, Ethics, and Inclusive Knowledge Production

Catherina Wilson September 21, 2026
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Digital tools, such as WhatsApp, have offered methodological opportunities for connection, data collection, and the democratization of knowledge production, in part because they are easily accessible and affordable. These advantages notwithstanding, we must critically reflect on the limitations and ethical implications of these digital platforms (Leurs, 2023; Lintner, 2025; Mavhandu-Mudzusi et al., 2022). This is especially true regarding concerns about data sensitivity, data surveillance, and data security and storage by third-party providers (Leurs, 2023; Tomás & Bidet, 2024). Given the heightened ethical scrutiny surrounding the use of social media as tools of research, it is likely that scholarship and ethics committees will continue to critically assess the use of platforms such as WhatsApp, despite its accessibility to many (Lavorgna & Sugiura, 2022; Wilson et al., 2026). (read more...)

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Automating Language, Losing Relationality: Feminist Reflections on African Language AI

Mpho Primus, Siri Lamoureaux July 28, 2026
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A grandmother pauses before answering a child. The meaning of her words lies not only in the words themselves, but in tone, shared history, the relationship between speaker and listener, the setting, and even the silence that precedes the response. None of these become part of the training data for today’s large language models (LLMs). (read more...)

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