Socially, the impacts include job displacement due to automation, which exacerbates poverty and inequality in already fragile African economies. There is also digital divide which further complicates matters, as many Africans lack access to technology and the internet, reinforcing existing disparities. Additionally, there is a rise in technology-based surveillance and erosion of privacy undermining creative freedom.

Politically, intelligent technologies can foster authoritarianism, with governments leveraging AI for social control, censorship, and repression. This contributes to digital colonialism, where wealthier nations exploit the Global South. AI also facilitates data-driven propaganda, manipulating public opinion and undermining democratic processes. Furthermore, AI profiling and surveillance threaten civil liberties, while resource extraction and waste from these technologies create environmental challenges, particularly affecting rural communities reliant on their environment for survival.

In the Global North, regulatory measures have been implemented to address the social and political risks associated with intelligent technologies, supported by extensive research. However, similar adverse impacts in the Global South are often neglected, with mitigation strategies frequently developed by policymakers from the North. Hence, there is a lack of research focusing on the implications of AI in Africa from local perspectives, which hampers effective policy-making. The social and political consequences of these technologies call for a broader interdisciplinary dialogue involving both humanities and social science scholars in Africa and beyond.

This Collection therefore seeks to address the following questions:

• What are the effects of automation on traditional jobs in African economies? How do these changes worsen poverty and inequality, and what mitigation strategies can be employed?
• How does limited access to technology and the internet in Africa widen the digital divide? What strategies can help bridge this gap?
• How do intelligent technologies, like AI surveillance systems, affect civil liberties and rights in Africa, especially under authoritarian governance? What strategies can be implemented to mitigate these issues?
• What interdisciplinary strategies can address the environmental effects of intelligent technologies in Africa, particularly regarding resource extraction and waste management?

We welcome research from disciplines within the humanities and social sciences that address the foregoing questions and wide range of themes related to this collection, including but not limited to the following:

• Socio-Economic Impacts of Job Automation: Examining job displacement and economic inequality due to technological advancements in Africa.
• Digital Divide and Access to Technology: Investigating disparities in technology access and internet connectivity in Africa, and their effects on social equity and indigenous knowledge systems.
• Surveillance and Civil Liberties: Analyzing how AI and surveillance technologies undermine individual rights and contribute to authoritarianism in Africa.
• Environmental Consequences: Exploring the ecological impacts of resource extraction and technological waste in African contexts.
• Digital Colonialism: Investigating how wealthier nations exploit technology to marginalize the Global South.
• Non-Western Ethical Perspectives: Evaluating the ethical implications of intelligent technologies in Africa, focusing on consent and accountability.
• Interdisciplinary Approaches: Developing inclusive policy-making strategies that integrate insights from the humanities and social sciences.

This Collection welcomes submissions from scholars around the globe, including Africa, Asia, Latin America, the United States, Australia/New Zealand, and Europe. Submissions are also open to scholars from a wide range of disciplines, including the humanities, social, natural and applied sciences, that address questions related to the above themes, and provide advice on policymaking proximate.