DIGITAL GRIOTS: AI AND THE AESTHETICS OF YORUBA ORAL PERFORMANCE

Yoruba oral traditions renowned for their fluidity, adaptability, and interactivity offer fertile ground for exploring the dual role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as both a creative collaborator and a potential disruptor in performative storytelling. This research investigates AI’s integration into Yoruba storytelling genres such as Ewi (poetry), Ijala (hunter’s chant), Alarinjo theatre, and Egungun masquerade, examining how AI-driven improvisation can both enrich and challenge these deeply rooted cultural forms. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study unfolds in three interrelated stages: the development and training of AI systems modeled on Yoruba performance aesthetics; experimental live performances integrating AI-generated content; and comprehensive analysis of audience and performer responses. Through these methods, the research assesses AI's capacity to augment the narrative and performative depth of Yoruba traditions while critically examining its limitations and potential cultural dissonance. Findings suggest that AI can stimulate innovation and audience engagement by adapting performances in real time, enhancing interactivity and accessibility. However, the study also uncovers tensions where algorithmic logic risks distorting the spiritual, ethical, and cosmological foundations that underpin Yoruba performance traditions. This ambivalence foregrounds crucial questions about authorship, agency, and authenticity in AI-mediated storytelling. Through situating AI within a culturally specific framework, the research contributes to interdisciplinary debates on the ethical deployment of technology in the arts and cultural preservation. Ultimately, the study calls for a culturally sensitive and ethically grounded approach to AI integration—one that safeguards the integrity of indigenous traditions while embracing the creative possibilities of human-machine collaboration. Keywords: Yoruba Mythology, Artificial Intelligence, Performance Aesthetics