What if participation—not profit—fueled AI development? In this TED Talk, researcher and policy expert Nanjira Sambuli proposes a different way forward for creating AI models, an avenue rooted in African indigenous traditions and values.

Nanjira Sambuli, “What Ancestral Intelligence Can Teach Us about AI.” TED.com, April 2025.

1. Sambuli begins her argument about AI development with a metaphor based on an African proverb: “When elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers” (0:30). In this metaphor, who symbolizes the elephants? Who is represented by the grass? Write 1–2 sentences that summarize her view about which individuals and groups wield power in the race to create more powerful AI technologies, and who (and what) bear the consequences.
2. Large language models require a massive amount of data (3:57). Sambuli offers an alternative to this model, which she names “ubuntech” (2:33). Where does this name come from? What’s one way “ubuntech” is different than conventional AI models and companies?
3. So what? Who cares? Find where Sambuli says why her argument matters. How do Africans benefit from “ubuntech” AI companies and models? Who, beyond Africans, could benefit from her vision for AI development? What should be the ultimate goal of AI technology, according to Sambuli?
4. Some scholars argue for rejecting or “refusing” AI technology, in part due to its broad ecological and labor costs. How might Sambuli respond to this naysayer argument?
5. Today’s AI models are trained on only a few languages, with 90% of the data coming from mainstream American English. Read this conversation with Chenai Chair, the director of the Masakhane African Languages Hub, an initiative Sambuli mentions in her video. Why is a lack of linguistic diversity in AI models a problem?