Governance of AI Ethics: Perspective from the Global South (Africa)

The literature on artificial intelligence (AI) ethics is dominated by a Global North outlook, despite AI ethics not being uniform across societies. The aim of this exploratory study is to contribute to the literature on AI ethics by offering a governance perspective from the Global South. The study uses a qualitative methodology and semi-structured interviews to explore the views and proposals of South African-based AI practitioners and associated experts on mechanisms, methods, and measures to govern AI. The study identifies themes relevant to the governance of AI ethics for organisations in South Africa, focusing on external and internal measures that influence AI ethics. The study finds that organisations can take a range of measures to address AI ethics. Additionally, the study highlights differences between how AI ethics is approached in South Africa and the Global North.