Why We Must Not Leave AI to the Western Self | Yehdega Tedros | TEDxKarlsruhe

Quick Overview

The speaker argues that Artificial Intelligence (AI) development must incorporate African philosophies like Ubuntu, Sankofa, and Ma'at to ensure AI systems promote justice, interconnectedness, and balance, rather than amplifying existing biases and causing harm, challenging the current Western-centric approach to AI development.

Key Points: The speaker challenges the current AI development paradigm, which is heavily influenced by Western philosophy, asking, "What If Machines Forget That We Are One?" The talk introduces three ancient African philosophies: Ubuntu ("I am because we are"), Sankofa ("Go back and fetch it," learning from the past), and Ma'at ("Truth, balance, justice," cosmic harmony), as necessary correctives for AI. The speaker highlights that current AI systems, exemplified by facial recognition failing on darker skin tones and credit scoring bias, carry the philosophy of Western individualism and risk amplifying injustice. The core challenge is the gap between knowing these philosophies and embodying them, as AI models trained primarily on Western data risk perpetuating existing societal imbalances. The speaker frames the choice as either continuing to code AI based on the past (speed, efficiency) or writing a future that integrates these older, holistic philosophies to ensure AI benefits all of humanity. The talk concludes by asking the audience directly, "When will you embody Ubuntu?" emphasizing that AI's future must reflect shared humanity rather than exclusion.

Context: Yehdega Tedros delivers this TEDx talk at TEDxKarlsruhe, focusing on the ethical implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) development, particularly how a lack of diverse philosophical input—specifically African wisdom—leads to biased and harmful technologies. The speaker grounds her argument in personal experience, referencing an early memory in a German kindergarten and the story of her father, to underscore the importance of interconnectedness and shared humanity (Ubuntu) in shaping technology.