Shorter-form thinking on how AI is landing in African contexts — adoption patterns, infrastructure constraints, language gaps, and what the evidence actually shows. Closer to the ground than research briefs, but held to the same standard of rigour.
Most AI products are built for broadband environments. When they reach low-bandwidth, high-latency African markets, the performance degradation isn't a minor inconvenience — it's a structural failure mode that invalidates the core use case.
The standard technology diffusion models assume infrastructure that doesn't exist, institutions that don't behave the same way, and consumers whose risk calculus is fundamentally different. What actually drives AI uptake in African markets — and what blocks it.
With over 2,000 languages spoken across the continent and most large language models barely covering a handful, the localisation gap in AI is an access gap — one that will determine who benefits from the AI transition and who gets left out.
All three pieces are currently in progress. Check back soon or follow the research at spek.world.