Students & Practitioners in Nigeria - AI Entering Everyday Life Pilot
What happens when AI leaves the classroom and enters everyday life?
I am currently working with Trevor Jeyaraj, Ph.D. and the Culture Lab / 3600 Seconds of Ethics × AI initiative to explore a possible West African pilot, beginning from Nigeria.
I have been thinking about this question a lot lately. We often talk about AI ethics, AI governance, AI safety and responsible AI in rooms filled with researchers, engineers, policymakers and technology professionals.
Those conversations matter. But what happens when we bring the conversation into a different room? A room where an AI researcher sits beside an AI practitioner. Where a student speaks with an activist. Where a policymaker listens to a community member. Where a mother, parent, worker or ordinary user of AI can say:
“This is how this technology is actually affecting my life.”
That is the kind of experiment I am interested in exploring.
The idea is deliberately simple:
One question. A small group of people. Different ways of knowing. One meaningful conversation. And something useful that comes out of it.
We want to explore what becomes possible when AI is discussed not only as a technical system, but also as a social, cultural, institutional and human phenomenon.
And importantly, we don't want this to become another jargon-heavy AI conversation. If someone has never studied philosophy, AI governance or computer science, they should still be able to participate.
Sometimes, the knowledge we need most is the knowledge we don't normally invite into the room.
I am therefore looking to connect with a small group of people in Nigeria and across Africa:
🎓 Students & early-career learners
People exploring AI, technology, governance, philosophy, policy or related fields.
💻 AI/technology practitioners
People building, deploying, implementing or working with AI and automation in real-world settings.
📚 Academics & researchers
Especially those working across AI, philosophy, law, governance, social science, technology and society.
🌍 Civil-society actors, activists & community organisers
People working on rights, development, digital inclusion, public interest technology or community issues.
👥 Everyday users & people with lived experience
At this stage, I am simply building an initial pool of interested people who would be willing to participate in a small, low-commitment pilot conversation.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in contributing to, or if you know someone whose perspective should be in the room, please comment below or send me a DM.
I'd particularly love to hear from people working across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and other Global South contexts.
The first experiment may be small, but that's the point. We aim to start with one question. Bring the right people into the room. Listen carefully. Learn.
PS: I have deliberately used AI to draft this too to portray the extent AI can go in everyday life too. Kindly repost this to reach the right people. Thanks.