#AfricaMonth: The Case for Africanising AI in public relations
Americanisation of AI tools
However, finding the right balance required to leverage digital tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an African PR practitioner can prove to be a challenge because of the extensive Americanisation of AI tools.
Becoming resolute in introducing localised content that is easily adaptable for AI tools in the form of press releases, news articles, social media posts and campaigns to refine the dialect, narrative and vocabulary of machine learning to secure Africa’s position in the ever-changing and transitory world of AI systems is a good place to start building.
The cultural imperialism of the West poses a serious risk of embedding cultural norms, linguistics and biases in mainstream AI systems, however there is still an opportunity for us to provide a Pan-African context to the training data powering these models, through a subtle immersion of African cultural references and the use of our own storytelling rhythms based on oral traditions, nuances and multilingual nuances.
African communication styles centre community, collectivism and relationship building.
Therefore, our technology must reflect those value systems amplifying human competences, for the purpose of producing credible, authentic, emotionally charged communication products that our audiences can connect with domestically. Prioritising a multi-lingual context to suit African audiences by integrating regional languages such as Yoruba, isiXhosa, Swahili or Amharic will have far greater impact because of the
embodiment of the audiences’ lived experience and linguistic diversity.
The brand messages will feel more organic and authentic. Digital consumers are more averse to highly curated content these days. The new trend is creating real-life, user-generated content that feels relatable, more natural and not so “Americanised” or “salesy” with measurable impact. Therefore, tech should be used to enhance and not replace human interactions. AI should be used for optimisation or digitisation of communication outlets through cultural editing.
African storytelling has a specific style based on a preference for local idioms, emotional cadence, and moral framing – elements AI cannot translate unaided. Framing our tech to use “Ubuntu” as a principle creates relational transparency and community. Engagement with tech should not be viewed as one-sided either but rather based on two-way communication where African audiences feel seen and heard. AI then, becomes a model driven by collective credibility rather than Western ideals.
Digital sovereignty
As experts in the field it is our duty to highlight African innovation, leadership and narratives that can feed the global AI machine. PR campaigns must reflect the local landscape and rebalance the representation in digital tools. Since AI models learn from the data its fed, predictive text and image generation will be able to depict a more accurate representation and not based on out-dated racial stereotypes.
Local AI tools can then be used to solidify digital sovereignty, while encouraging PR outputs to remain contextually grounded. Humanising AI enhances day-to-day activities by prioritising our cultural experiences. Africanising AI in PR is not about completely rejecting Western tools, instead it is about reclaiming and refining authorship using our own cultural intelligence.
By feeding AI localised data we will be able to generate communication materials that sound genuinely African and not based on a Western script. With this in mind, we need to remember to act ethically as digital communication experts and be transparent when using AI.
Plagiarism is still unprincipled, transparency on how data is used is currency required for building trust within our communities. As Pan-Africanists we understand the importance of respecting traditional hierarches.
Africanising AI means we will have communication frameworks that respect local customs, historical sensitivities and cultural protocols.
Technology must speak for us, in a familiar voice grounded in Pan-African values, dignity and relevance.
