Ethical AI Development in Kenya: The Role of Ethical Data Sourcing and Governance

Report Summary

This report explores how Kenya can foster ethical and inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) by prioritising ethical data sourcing and governance. It examines how exploitative practices such as data extraction, use of copyrighted works, and weak consent undermine privacy, compromise ownership, reinforce bias, and perpetuate digital colonialism. Through case studies of Techworker Community Africa, Masakhane, and Mozilla’s Common Voice, the report highlights community-driven and rights-based approaches that place transparency, inclusivity, and benefit-sharing at the core of AI innovation. It further considers the challenges surrounding unregulated open data systems, and persisting regulatory gaps, hence offering recommendations to strengthen data protection, ensure equitable benefit-sharing, and build an AI ecosystem that advances Kenya’s social and economic priorities while upholding human dignity.