By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Kenya’s Special Envoy on
Technology, Ambassador Philip Thigo, has called for artificial intelligence
systems to be developed and governed in ways that protect human agency,
strengthen accountability and ensure communities in the Global South have a
role in shaping the future of AI.
Thigo made the remarks as a
lead discussant at “Human Dignity in the Age of AI: A Global South
Perspective,” convened on the margins of the 81st United Nations General
Assembly.
He was invited to
participate in the discussion by Binaifer Nowrojee, President of the Open
Society Foundations, with the conversation examining the implications of
artificial intelligence for human dignity and governance.
The discussions explored
which decisions should remain fundamentally human, what governments, companies
and international institutions owe people affected by AI, how to address
unequal access and capacity, and what genuinely global AI governance should look
like.
According to Thigo, the
conversation underscored the need for AI systems to be developed and governed
in ways that protect human agency and strengthen accountability.
He also stressed the
importance of ensuring that communities in the Global South are not merely
subjects of technological change but active shapers of its future.
The discussion further
examined unequal access to AI capabilities and the differing levels of capacity
across countries and regions, highlighting the need for approaches to AI
governance that take these disparities into account.
Thigo also used the
engagement to reconnect with comrades Don Deya and George Kegoro, as well as
others who have spent years advancing rights, accountability and human dignity
across Africa.
