The essay argues that AI systems developed in the West embed Western ethical assumptions that can conflict with Hunhu/Ubuntu, the dominant moral tradition of sub-Saharan Africa, summarized in the proverb ‘a person is a person through other persons.’ Using an example of a Zimbabwean woman seeking career advice from a language model, the authors illustrate how such systems can nudge users toward individualist values rather than the communal, interconnected principles central to Hunhu/Ubuntu. The piece calls for AI development that incorporates Indigenous African ethical frameworks rather than treating Western values as a universal default.
