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AI in Africa: A Landscape Study

Rachel Adams, Fola Adeleke, Leah Junck, Samule Segun, Ayantola Alayande, Selamawit Abdella, Mark Gaffley, Fabio Andres Diaz Pabon, Funbi Salami

Global Center on AI Governance; African Observatory on Responsible AI (2025), 44 pp.

"Though comprehensive AI regulation is still nascent in Africa, there is an increased focus on national AI strategies, ethical guidelines and international collaborations. Over 40 countries have already established data protection and privacy laws, creating opportunities for harmonised regulations a ... nd a supportive environment for AI innovation. Key continental governance instruments and initiatives also include the African Union’s AI Strategy, the African Continental Free Trade Area and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. This report found that the increasing application of AI in key sectors across Africa, such as health, education, finance, agriculture, public services and the environment, necessitates a collaborative approach to ethical AI development and use. This requires addressing persistent infrastructural gaps, developing regional regulatory frameworks, investments in AI research and capacity building efforts as well as promoting multi-stakeholder AI governance initiatives. Key strategies identified include joint investment and funding, pooling resources and supporting sustainable and fair open-source projects, which will help direct efforts toward innovation and regional independence. Open Source AI models are particularly important in Africa where local tech startups can leverage global open-source initiatives to build context-specific solutions. However, concerns regarding data ownership, privacy and ethical AI deployment call for more robust policies for open source AI on the continent. To foster responsible AI innovation, African countries should establish comprehensive AI governance frameworks while adhering to existing laws as well as strengthen regulatory institutions to provide oversight over AI technologies. Regulatory sandboxing also offers a viable approach to enable sage experimentation with appropriate oversight. Regional and international cooperation as well as leveraging public-private partnerships can promote funding for expanding AI research and development initiatives, resolve talent shortages and promote infrastructure development. Africa has a unique opportunity to leverage AI, along with its resources and local young talent, for socioeconomic development. However, to ensure inclusivity and sustainable innovation, it is essential to address infrastructure challenges and establish regulatory frameworks that protect societal wellbeing. Embracing collaborative efforts, including open source initiatives, regional and international partnerships are critical for achieving the continent’s ambitious goals without leaving anyone behind." (Executive Summaty, page 3) more

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State of digital development and trends in the Africa region: Challenges and opportunities

Geneva: ITU (2025), iv, 49 pp.

"This publication reveals that the gap between ambition and reality remains wide. Mobile broadband coverage has expanded rapidly, offering most of the population the possibility of going online. And yet, only 38 per cent of the population currently uses the Internet—the lowest rate among all ITU r ... more

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State of digital development and trends in Asia and the Pacific: Challenges and opportunities

Geneva: ITU (2025), iv, 53 pp.

"[...] While mobile broadband covers over 95 per cent of the population, disparities persist. High-income economies lead in 5G deployment and innovation, while lower-income countries face infrastructure, affordability, and digital literacy gaps. The urban-rural divide remains, and women and marginal ... more

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An Autonomy-Based Classification: AI Agents, Liability and Lessons from the Automated Vehicles Act

Lisa Soder, Julia Smakman, Connor Dunlop, Oliver Sussman

Berlin: Interface; Ada Lovelace Institute (2025), 28 pp.

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State of digital development and trends in the CIS region: Challenges and opportunities

Geneva: ITU (2025), iv, 47 pp.

"This publication offers a comprehensive overview of digital development in the CIS region. The data reveal a region where nine in ten people are online—well above the global average—and where mobile broadband networks now cover virtually the entire population. These are important milestones. At ... more

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Governing the Digital Society: Platforms, Artificial Intelligence, and Public Values

José van Dijck, Karin Van Es, Anne Helmond, Fernando van der Vlist (eds.)

Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press (2025), 261 pp.

"Governing the Digital Societypresents a range of governance approaches, focusing on online platforms, artificial intelligence, and the public values that underpin these technologies. The authors position themselves at the forefront of their disciplines, offering perspectives from law, critical data ... more

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Big Tech Must Go! Digital Giants are Destroying our Democracies and Economies. We will stop them
Deep Insights

Martin Andree

Frankfurt; Chicago: Campus Verlag; University of Chicago Press (2025), 285 pp.

"Digital monopolies shape ever larger parts of our lives. The platforms are increasingly controlling the public formation of political opinion and at the same time abolishing our free market economy. Digital expert Martin Andree shows in detail how far the hostile takeover of our society by the tech ... more

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Information Ecosystems and Troubled Democracy: The State of Knowledge on News Media, AI, and Data Governance

Robin Mansell, Flavia Durach, Matthias C. Kettemann, Théophile Lenoir, Rob Procter, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Emily Tucker

Göteborg: Nordicom, University of Gothenburg; Observatory on Information and Democracy (2025), 305 pp.

"A critical assessment of why today’s information ecosystems are troubling for democracy, this book, based on research in the Global North and Global Majority World, examines changes in news media, artificial intelligence, and data governance. It focuses on measures to improve the quality of publi ... more

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State of digital development and trends in the Americas region: Challenges and opportunities

Geneva: ITU (2025), v, 51 pp.

"This publication provides an in-depth look at digital development across the region, revealing both substantial progress and areas where challenges persist. Internet use is widespread, with nearly nine in ten people online. In a milestone achievement, the Americas is the only region to have fully b ... more

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Los caminos regulatorios para la IA en América Latina: Recopilación de estudios de caso en Brasil, México, Perú y Colombia

AlSur (2024), 24 pp.

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Measuring the Emissions & Energy Footprint of the ICT Sector: Implications for Climate Action

Washington, DC; Geneva: World Bank; ITU (2024), vi, 45 pp.

"The objective of this report is two-fold. First, the report breaks down the energy and emissions profile of the sector and assesses the 30 highest emitting countries for telecommunications while providing global estimates for other ICT sector segments. The report uses a key framework for categorizi ... more

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Collaborative digital regulation country review: South Africa’s digital transformation and collaborative regulation

Janet Hernandez, Jeff Bernstein

Geneva: ITU (2024), vii, 43 pp.

"As South Africa adopts reforms to further strengthen its economy across multiple sectors, this country review presents the policy, legislative, and governance frameworks that are enabling South Africa’s digital transformation. It includes a review of key institutions and collaborative digital reg ... more

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Online Content Regulation in the Asia-Pacific: Limiting Civil Society’s Capacity to Hold Governments Accountable

Bangkog: Asia Centre (2024), v, 37 pp.

"Governments have updated penal codes and national security laws, enacted fake news and cybersecurity laws as well as laws that govern internet service providers and technology companies. These laws have widely been used to block and remove online content that call out blind spots in government poli ... cies and to intimidate and prosecute these content creators through hefty fines and jail time. Efforts to hold political office holders and government officials accountable for their policies are increasingly penalised. These government actions have significantly impacted civil society actors in numerous ways. First, individuals and organisations utilising the online sphere to hold government officials and policies accountable have come under intense scrutiny, resulting in the criminalisation of critics and the blocking and removal of online content deemed sensitive by state authorities. Second, the effectiveness of civil society in holding governments accountable is compromised, as state authorities routinely direct internet service providers and technology companies to block or remove online content considered sensitive or illegal. Consequently, individuals and organisations increasingly find their digital content at risk of being blocked or removed, succumbing to government directives to internet service providers and technology companies. This diminishes civil society’s calls for accountability. Third, on several instances, governments have imposed internet shutdowns - particularly during elections and politically sensitive periods - to disrupt the information flow. Ultimately, this has limited civil society’s ability to send and receive communications effectively to mobilise people to hold governments publicly accountable during politically important instances. Fourth, troll ng has surfaced as a mainstream strategy to harass and intimidate individuals and organisations who seek to hold governments accountable. Typically orchestrated by organised groups or cybertroopers, these digital attacks increasingly involve online hate speech directed at women who call out blindspots in government policies. Fifth, the ways of working of INGOs and CSOs have changed, leading many organisations to restrict the scope and assertiveness of their communications to shield themselves from government retribution and trolling. Some entities have opted to remove the visibility of their organisations, incorporating measures such as disallowing the use of their logos or the publishing of videos, photos and text by local partners in order to distance themselves from particular activities and contents of knowledge products. Given these developments, the principal recommendation is that key stakeholders, including international organisations, governments, ISPs and technology companies, and civil society actors, should recognise that criticism of government policies and officials is a legitimate activity and a vital form of expression for civil society. Hence, any measures, whether legal or non-legal, that interfere with or criminalise this legitimate activity should be rescinded or disallowed. Instead, measures should be put in place to ensure that civil society is empowered to call out the blind spots in government policies." (Executive summary) more

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Countering violent extremism through internet intermediaries: A typology for cross-country comparison

Vincent Pak-Hong Wong

Global Media and Communication, volume 20, issue 1 (2024), pp. 3-22

"This paper examines the counter-violent extremism and anti-terrorism measures in Australia, China, France, the United Kingdom and the United States by investigating how governments leveraged internet intermediaries as their surrogate censors. Particular attention is paid to how political rhetoric l ... more

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AI as a Public Good: Ensuring Democratic Control of AI in the Information Space. Policy Framework

Forum on Information & Democracy (2024), 140 pp.

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Governing AI for Humanity
Deep Insights

High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence

United Nations (2024), 100 pp.

"This report outlines a blueprint for addressing AI-related risks and sharing its transformative potential globally, including by: urging the UN to lay the foundations of the first globally inclusive and distributed architecture for AI governance based on international cooperation; proposin ... more

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Consultation Paper on AI Regulation: Emerging Approaches Across the World

Juan David Gutiérrez

Paris: UNESCO (2024), 49 pp.

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The Nexus of Digital Authoritarianism and Religious Populism

Ihsam Yilmaz

Religions, volume 14, issue 747 (2024), 19 pp.

"This paper delves into the intricate relationship between religious populism and the legitimization of digital authoritarianism in Turkey. Specifically, it investigates how the ruling party, AKP, has strategically linked Islamist values to state policies as a means of justifying its repressive cont ... more

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Mapping Actions to Combat Online Violence against Female Journalists across the OSCE Participating States

Carla Agha Ebrahim, Annemarijn Johanna Cozijnsen

Regional Academy on the United Nations (RAUN) (2024), 56 pp.

"This paper presents an exploratory study aimed at systematically mapping the public actions taken by OSCE participating States to combat online violence against female journalists. Adopting a qualitative large N research design, the study examines national policies and initiatives across all 57 OSC ... more

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Challenges and opportunities for using universal service funds to bridge the digital divide

Geneva: ITU (2024), 10 pp.

"This document presents the joint interim (annual) deliverable for Question 4/1, “Economic aspects of national telecommunications/ICTs”, and Question 5/1, “Telecommunications/ICTs for rural and remote areas”. It concerns the challenges and opportunities associated with using universal servic ... more

Big Tech Must Go! Digital Giants are Destroying our Democracies and Economies. We will stop them Deep Insights

Governing AI for Humanity Deep Insights

Big Tech Must Go! Digital Giants are Destroying our Democracies and Economies. We will stop them
Deep Insights

Governing AI for Humanity
Deep Insights