UBUNTU AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: RETHINKING HUMAN-TECHNOLOGY INTERACTION FROM AN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE
Francis Ogonyi Ekaya 1, Esther Orok Ironbar 2 & Francis Eworo Agantem 3
Department of Philosophy, University of Calabar, Nigeria 1, 2 & 3
Corresponding Email: ogonyifrancis@yahoo.com 1
Abstract
This paper explores the intersection of Ubuntu philosophy and Artificial Intelligence (AI), offering an African-centered rethinking of human-technology interaction. As AI systems increasingly shape social, economic, and cultural realities, there is an urgent need to engage indigenous philosophies that emphasize communal values, ethical responsibility and human dignity. The philosophy of Ubuntu, rooted in the principle “I am because we are”, provides a relational framework that challenges the hyper-individualism and a worldview which emphasizes technology and places it at the center of decision-making, problem-solving and societal development. By focusing on concepts such as interdependence, communal well-being and respect for life, Ubuntu offers a regulatory ethical lens through which AI technologies can be developed and deployed in ways that preserve and promote African cultural values. This paper argues that integrating Ubuntu into AI policy, design and applications, can help mitigate cultural erosion, digital colonialism and the marginalization of African voices in global technological discourse. Ultimately, this approach calls for a reimagining of AI not as a tool of domination or efficiency alone, but as a relational partner in advancing shared human flourishing in harmony with African philosophical traditions.
Keywords: Ubuntu, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Interaction, African.
