African AI Reporting: Challenging Hype & Western Bias
News media play a pivotal role in shaping public understanding of artificial intelligence, influencing how societies interact with these rapidly evolving technologies. This is particularly salient in Africa, where historical legacies and uneven technological transfers significantly impact AI’s adoption and interpretation. Consequently, the way African news outlets frame and represent AI carries substantial weight in guiding public discourse and policy.
To better understand this dynamic, media researchers undertook a comprehensive analysis of 724 news articles on AI, published between June 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023, across 26 English-speaking African countries. The study specifically aimed to identify the prevalence of “AI hype” – a phenomenon characterized by exaggerated excitement, inflated expectations, and often sensationalized claims about AI’s capabilities. This hype frequently stands in contrast to the concept of an “AI winter,” a cyclical period of diminished interest and investment that has sporadically affected the field since its inception in the 1950s. Media portrayals, whether optimistic or pessimistic, can profoundly influence public perception, investment, and policy decisions concerning new technologies.
The research unveiled clear patterns in both the placement and authorship of AI-related articles. The majority of these pieces, 36%, appeared in publications’ technology sections, followed by general news at 24%, and business sections at 19%. This distribution suggests a predominant focus on AI as a practical tool for problem-solving and economic opportunity, often highlighting its utility and potential benefits while largely neglecting its broader social or ethical ramifications. Crucially, discussions around issues such as employment, inequality, and cultural values were conspicuously absent.
In terms of authorship, while African journalists, news entities, and content creators contributed approximately 29% of the articles, Western-based news entities (21%) and journalists (5%) exerted considerable influence. Global news agencies like AFP (15%) and Reuters (6%), alongside tech news providers such as Research Snipers (13%), were frequent contributors. Strikingly, only a mere 4% of the articles were penned by researchers, indicating that the voices of those directly engaged in AI research and development within Africa were largely muted, despite their critical role in fostering a locally informed understanding.
Further analysis of the language used in these articles revealed a strong Western bias. The frequent mention of Google, Microsoft, and ChatGPT underscored the dominance of Western tech giants in the global AI landscape. Disturbingly, masculine pronouns like “he” and “his” appeared with high frequency, while feminine pronouns were absent from the most common words, pointing to a potential gender bias in the narrative. Moreover, the scarcity of terms such as “Africa,” “African,” or “African countries” suggested that the coverage seldom addressed the continent’s specific needs and challenges, effectively overlooking Africa’s burgeoning AI ecosystem.
Three primary themes emerged from the coverage: AI’s transformative potential across sectors like agriculture, administration, healthcare, and economic growth; concerns about AI’s potential negative effects, its unknown aspects, and disruptive nature; and a smaller proportion of articles that offered a more balanced perspective, aiming to demystify AI tools and explain developments.
The implications of these findings for Africa are significant. The prevailing technical and economic framing, often driven by Western voices, risks steering policy decisions towards uncritical adoption without adequate local consultation or ethical oversight. This could lead to policies that merely reflect global hype rather than addressing community-specific needs. The overemphasis on AI as “tools” and “solutions” risks obscuring its broader effects on employment, social inequality, and cultural values. Furthermore, the limited use of Afrocentric terminology in reporting contributes to a symbolic exclusion, marginalizing Africa’s unique needs and opportunities within the global AI discourse.
To cultivate a more responsible and locally relevant AI journalism in Africa, it is imperative to empower African journalists and researchers to report on and analyze this technology with greater depth and nuance. This necessitates broadening the range of voices to include local researchers, policymakers, and communities directly experiencing AI’s effects. Ultimately, African media must strive for a balanced narrative that extends beyond AI’s economic potential, dedicating sustained attention to its profound social, cultural, and ethical implications, thereby resisting one-dimensional hype and fostering a more inclusive and socially responsible conversation around artificial intelligence.