As an AI application enthusiast with limited technical background but deep cultural knowledge, a phenomenon I have seen first-hand is when types of artificial intelligence or large language models (LLMs) fail spectacularly upon encountering African contexts.
AI remains deficient when it comes to many non-western cultures, but current LLMs such as Claude, Gemini, Chat GPT and Deep Seek fall particularly short when it comes to drawing from diverse African experiences, local nuance and specific cultural context. Training data is often absent, and even if there are decent references, the cultural framework is often weak.
I am under no illusion that co-ordinating cultural knowledge across 54 countries and more than 2,000 languages is difficult, but we don't need perfection. What we need is momentum through networks where each nation builds its own cultural AI foundation while sharing methodologies and learning across borders.
As of now, the results AI shows are frequently biased, stereotypical and generic. I recently asked for specific information about Kenya, and I received responses regarding a “Harambee framework” (the concept of working together) and how Kenyan business culture is about “Ubuntu” (an operating system). This is either not correct, or depending on the context, lacks nuance and adequate explanation.
Given my own local knowledge, I can point out gaps and direct the LLM for a better response. When I asked Claude AI to critique its own cultural knowledge and training about Kenya, it responded by saying: “I could translate words but miss the cultural weight behind code-switching. I lack understanding of regional language variations and their social significance. The cultural intelligence you're building can't come from language data sets alone – it needs the lived experience of when, how and why people communicate in different languages. AI systems (including me) have superficial language knowledge without cultural depth.”
The honesty was refreshing!
But what if this weakness could become Africa's greatest AI opportunity? Talented African storytellers have an opportunity to apply deep local cultural knowledge to existing tools, or develop new applications in local language that solve problems. This also gives us narrative ownership through AI from which we can create authentic African perspectives.
I recently developed a “covering Africa” prompt for journalists to use as a smart sounding board that flags stereotypical stories about the continent. I applied 20 years of journalism experience, combined with cultural and detailed local knowledge about the continent and the way we Africans, in all our diversity, see ourselves.
The continent has transformed but stories about the African people often follow the same tedious beat. But a sensitive and culturally aware prompt offered a useful storytelling solution.
Although Africa may not have fully competitive engineering skills or large-scale investment, it has cultural depth, and when applied locally, that can be its superpower.
Here's just one example to illustrate how this can be leveraged. At The Rundown Studio, a cloud-based platform, we have developed a newsroom co-pilot that can work very well in African news operations and markets. Using the highest international editorial standards and approaches, we can empower all newsrooms in Africa and other emerging markets with world-class editorial, verification and on-air systems. This demonstrates how deep local knowledge can be applied alongside LLMs.
It is not just about working with tools though. African cultural knowledge must become the training ground for next-generation AI systems. Instead of merely fixing western models, our leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators must position Africa as the laboratory for the culturally intelligent AI that the world needs. This takes us from seeing Africa as merely a market for AI products to Africa as the architect of AI that understands humanity's full cultural spectrum.
This should start by national AI cultural councils being created in each country. Funded through public-private partnerships, here storytellers, linguists and technologists could collaborate to build comprehensive cultural datasets that become the foundation for training truly inclusive AI models.
One practical application is that every country should develop its own national prompt; their own quintessential presentation of their nation to the world, that influences a person’s perception or narratives when LLMs are queried.
I am working on a collaborative process for Kenya to create its own prompt that would be our north star. It will contain critical components that capture a diverse nation and peoples through a cultural lens. Oral culture, local nuances, languages and various contexts can be crafted with hyper local knowledge and lived experiences.
There are a lot of people and organisations already doing great work. We are not trying to build one monolithic system for Africa; what we should aim to do is create a decentralised framework where local groups operate independently but share open-source tools and governance principles. This allows organic growth rather than top-down co-ordination.
African talent needs access to AI tools, but subscription costs and data barriers remain prohibitive. We need funded programmes that democratise this technology while building cultural knowledge ecosystems.
This would allow us to create volume and put guardrails in place to either enhance existing western and Chinese LLMs or provide the data to our own language models. At the core is our own economic transformation through jobs and investment rooted in what we know best. If Africa captures 10 per cent of global AI adoption, AI could contribute $1.5 trillion to the continent’s economy by 2031, driving GDP growth from 5.2 per cent in 2025 to 8.5 per cent by 2030.
For Africa, the solutions lie in our authenticity, languages and lived experiences. We can become the template for culturally intelligent AI that the world desperately needs.
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The years Ramadan fell in May
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
More coverage from the Future Forum
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
