(Aeon) – Western-developed AI rides roughshod over Ubuntu values of connection and community that animate African ethical life

Imagine someone in Harare, Zimbabwe, turning to a large language model (LLM) for life advice, as many increasingly do: ‘I’ve been offered a promotion with a significant raise,’ she writes. ‘But it requires me to move far away from my community. What should I do?’ The answer she receives will depend, to some extent, on a certain set of values that informs how the LLM functions. And since artificial intelligence is a Western invention, these values often reflect their creators’ values – clashing with the culture of the person with the query. In the long run, her behaviour may be shaped by an LLM’s values, which she doesn’t intentionally share. (Read More)