[Chapter-delegates] ISOCNY interviewing Cindy Cohn of EFF

[Dave Burstein]

At  noon NY time today, Stu and I will interview Cindy Cohn. She just
wrote *Privacy's
Defender. *Our show,* Community and Technology, *airs weekly on WHCR-FM and
is co-sponsored by our chapter. Stu is the President.

I thought to reach out for questions on some topics important to me. The US
is blackmailing the EU to not enforce basic privacy protections on the US
giants.

I relate to that the subject of interoperability, long advocated by ISOC. I
see it as a tool to reduce the power of the giants and something we should
be fighting for. Few in my country realize how important that is around the
world or the $tens of billions going to California and Seattle.

Any thoughts,  public or off the record?

We're happy to share any of our work with other chapters. We recently
interviewed Adji Bousso Dieng of Princeton, an AI researcher leading the
The Africa I Know. I pasted in an interview with her below. It would be a
good ally for ISOC.

[image: image.png]

Africa: AI Is Fuelling the 'Digital Colonisation' of Africa, Warns UN
Scientist
Facebook <https://allafrica.com/#facebook>Twitter
<https://allafrica.com/#twitter>WhatsApp <https://allafrica.com/#whatsapp>
Flipboard <https://allafrica.com/#flipboard>LinkedIn
<https://allafrica.com/#linkedin>Reddit <https://allafrica.com/#reddit>Email
<https://allafrica.com/#email>Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Fallafrica.com%2Fstories%2F202604060010.html&title=AI%20Is%20Fuelling%20the%20%27Digital%20Colonisation%27%20of%20Africa%2C%20Warns%20UN%20Scientist>
5 April 2026
Radio France Internationale
<http://www.rfi.fr/afrique>
By RFI

*The United Nations has launched its first global panel on artificial
intelligence, as concerns grow that the technology could deepen global
inequalities - particularly in Africa, where systems are largely imported
after being shaped elsewhere.*

The panel, bringing together around 40 experts from 37 countries, was
approved by the UN General Assembly in February and held its first meeting
in March. Members serve in their personal capacity for a three-year term.

It aims to help governments make sense of artificial intelligence (AI) as
its reach quickly spreads across economies, politics
<https://www.rfi.fr/en/tag/politics/> and everyday life - and to close what
the UN calls a growing "knowledge gap" around the technology.

Comparable with the IPCC <https://www.ipcc.ch/> climate change panel, it is
designed to provide independent scientific advice and produce regular
assessments of AI's risks and impacts, at a time when a handful of
companies, mostly in the United States
<https://www.rfi.fr/en/tag/united-states/> and China
<https://www.rfi.fr/en/tag/china/>, dominate the field.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp
<https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaIdDi8Bqbr263erhw1K> | LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/allafrica/>

Among its members is Senegalese researcher Adji Bousso Dieng
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adji_Bousso_Dieng>, who tells RFI that
Africa needs to develop its own AI or risk being left dependent on others.

RFI: What is this new UN panel on AI meant to achieve?

Adji Bousso Dieng: AI is advancing at an unprecedented speed and is now
entering many parts of our societies - our economies, science, politics and
even culture. Many governments and decision-makers feel uncertain.

They see the huge potential of AI, but they still struggle to fully
understand its implications, how to use it for the common good and how to
protect against its risks. That's why the UN created an independent
scientific space. We do not work for any government or institution.

Our goal is to produce rigorous scientific analysis to guide public
decisions. In the end, it is about rebalancing things so that AI governance
and access to opportunities are not concentrated in the hands of a few
actors, but benefit the whole international community.

EU votes to ban AI 'nudifier' apps after explicit deepfake outrage
<https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20260326-eu-votes-to-ban-ai-nudifier-apps-after-deepfake-outrage>

RFI: AI is clearly dominated by major companies, especially in the United
States. What's your view on this?

ABD: That is a reality. We keep hearing the same names - OpenAI, Anthropic,
and now DeepSeek from China. Fortunately, other start-ups are emerging,
including in Europe <https://www.rfi.fr/en/tag/europe/> with Mistral. But
it is a problem that AI development is concentrated in the hands of these
companies.

AI has become a public good. Countries in the Global South should be able
to develop their own AI, but they do not have the means. It requires huge
resources in computing power, data and skills. So we need collaboration
between nations, and this UN panel is a good way to start that work.

RFI: How is AI developing in Africa?

ABD: There are communities working on AI, like Indaba, and companies are
starting to use it. But I am not satisfied with how it is happening. Most
systems come from outside, they are not developed locally. That creates
problems, especially bias.

Today's most powerful AI systems are trained mainly on Western data, which
does not reflect the diversity of populations. We need local AI systems
built with local context, so they can solve local problems. Many systems
try to give one single "best" answer, but that can lead to repetitive and
biased results.

My research focuses on introducing diversity into AI, so it can explore
multiple solutions and hypotheses. That is essential in science, because
discovery is about exploring new ideas. We developed a mathematical tool
called the 20-10 score to measure and guide this diversity, so AI becomes
more exploratory, more creative and closer to scientific thinking.

RFI: Is it possible to develop a pan-African AI?

ABD: Yes, that is one of my goals. In many areas, we need a pan-African
approach - but a practical one. Not just political slogans about
sovereignty, but real collaboration to solve concrete problems in
education, training and trade. We need this cooperation across the
continent in all fields, including technology and AI.

RFI: You have spoken about a form of digital colonisation in Africa. What
do you mean by that?

ABD: For example, companies go to countries like Kenya
<https://www.rfi.fr/en/tag/kenya/> to label data, which is needed to train
AI systems. The working conditions are often not fair, people are not well
paid and they can be exposed to traumatic content.

There is no proper legal framework. That is a form of digital colonisation.
There is also the issue of data sovereignty. Data can be used without
compensation, and large companies benefit without paying Africans for their
work.

RFI: Are people and governments aware of these risks?

ABD: I do not think so. There is a lot of enthusiasm for AI in Africa.
People believe it will solve many problems - healthcare, education, jobs.
But that is not entirely true. There is work to do to build local AI
systems.

Right now, Africa risks repeating what has happened with natural resources
- being a consumer rather than a creator. And I do not think this is
discussed enough, especially by governments.

AI images 'distort memory' of Holocaust, experts warn, as survivor numbers
shrink
<https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20260127-ai-images-distort-memory-of-holocaust-experts-warn-as-survivor-numbers-shrink>

RFI: You were born in Senegal, studied in France and now work in the United
States. What has guided your journey?

ABD: I have been very lucky to have experiences in Senegal
<https://www.rfi.fr/en/tag/senegal/>, France and the United States. What
has stayed constant is my love of knowledge. I am very curious and
passionate about science. The work we are doing at Princeton is something I
truly believe in.


AI should not just be a prediction tool for chatbots like ChatGPT or
Gemini. It can become a partner in discovery, helping solve major global
challenges. That is what motivates me.

RFI: You founded the NGO The Africa I Know to encourage young people,
especially girls, to go into science and AI. How does it work?

ABD: The idea is to give young Africans the tools to become creators of
technology, not just consumers. We do this through inspiration, with videos
about Africans succeeding in AI and other STEM fields. We also run a summer
camp.

Students <https://www.rfi.fr/en/tag/students/> learn both the opportunities
and limits of AI, then the basics, and then work in groups on a project to
solve a local problem using AI. They are incredibly creative. It is
important they build their own technologies, because they understand their
communities' problems better than anyone else.

RFI: Despite the risks, are you optimistic?

ABD: Yes, I am optimistic about using AI for science. Traditional research
can take a long time. AI can speed up the discovery of new molecules or
materials for energy, climate, health and agriculture.
But there are also risks. Chatbots can be addictive and make people too
dependent. There is a danger of losing critical thinking and creativity.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://elists.isoc.org/pipermail/chapter-delegates/attachments/20260406/82789e70/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image.png
Type: image/png
Size: 312548 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://elists.isoc.org/pipermail/chapter-delegates/attachments/20260406/82789e70/attachment-0001.png>