Report: Kenyan creatives embrace AI but wary of its bias and threats

In Kenya, the creative economy accounts for about 5.3 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the tech sector contributes seven per cent to the country’s GDP.

The country has been touted as Africa's "Silicon Savannah" (the continent’s answer to Silicon Valley) and it is home to a growing tech revolution that makes it ripe for a discussion about AI in the African context.

The ARTificial Intelligence in Africa: Investigating the Impacts of AI on the Creative Community in Kenya study looked at how artists use AI tools and also the opportunities and threats they pose to the creative industry.

It explored how the creative community engages with technologists and policymakers—about AI— and provides recommendations for the ethical and responsible implementation of AI in Kenya. Over 100 creatives, AI developers and intellectual property litigators, largely drawn from Nairobi, contributed to the study through a survey, focus group discussions, and interviews.

Through a survey, two focus group discussions and 15 interviews with key stakeholders in the creative industry and AI sector in Kenya, 130 creatives were engaged in the study. 

Research participants also included state department representatives from two national government ministries, one representative from a National Commission, and two tech builders or AI developers. 

“As creatives, we cannot escape technology. Instead, we must harness it to our advantage, blending our artistic visions with technological innovations to enhance and expand our cultural expressions,” said Founder and Managing Director of Creatives Garage Liz Kilili.

Among the key findings are that creatives are adopting AI but say it’s not a “silver bullet.” Kenyan creatives have a high awareness and adoption of generative AI tools.

Most of the 130 creatives engaged use AI tools in their creative work or business. Over 75 per cent of them said they use AI tools for image generation, graphic design, video creation, photo and copy editing and presentations. Creatives used a total of 55 AI tools majorly developed in the US and other Western countries.

None of the AI tools Kenyan creatives use are locally made.