Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the most influential forces shaping economies, societies and information ecosystems around the world.

Yet while conversations about AI dominate boardrooms, government policy discussions and technology conferences, a fundamental question remains: how are these developments being explained to the public?

A new study by the Centre for Information Integrity in Africa (CINIA), supported by DW Akademie and led by Karen Allen from Karen Allen International (KAI), explores how AI is being covered in Kenyan and South African media. The findings offer valuable insight not only into journalism’s relationship with emerging technologies, but also into how African societies are making sense of a rapidly changing digital landscape.

The research analysed five years of reporting and interviewed journalists working across both countries. What emerged was not simply a picture of how AI is reported, but a broader reflection on how societies understand technological change, who shapes the narrative, and whose interests are represented in the conversation.

AI is no longer a technology story

One of the report’s most significant findings is that AI is still largely treated as a specialist subject.

Coverage tends to be confined to technology, business or cybersecurity reporting. Stories frequently focus on product launches, investment announcements, deepfakes, cybercrime or regulatory developments. While these issues are important, they often fail to capture the wider societal implications of AI.

The reality is that AI is no longer simply a technology story.

It is a governance story. A labour story. A development story. A security story. An education story. Increasingly, it is also a democracy story.

As governments explore AI-enabled service delivery, businesses automate processes, political actors experiment with new forms of influence, and citizens encounter AI-generated content in their daily lives, the technology is becoming deeply embedded in society. Reporting that treats AI as a niche topic risks missing its broader significance.

Watch Karen Allen discuss the report at the recent International Journalism Festival in Perugia, where it was officially launched:

The narratives shaping public understanding

The study identified several dominant themes that are shaping how AI is understood across Kenya and South Africa.

Many stories reflect optimism. AI is frequently presented as a tool that can support development, improve access to healthcare and education, strengthen financial inclusion and help address long-standing social challenges. These narratives align closely with broader aspirations around digital transformation and economic growth.

At the same time, concerns are growing around the role of AI in information manipulation, fraud, surveillance and political influence. The rise of generative AI has amplified concerns about trust, authenticity, and citizens’ ability to distinguish genuine from fabricated content.

As information ecosystems become more complex, the challenge of maintaining public trust grows.

Other themes emerging from the research include data sovereignty, digital dependence, workforce disruption, AI governance, environmental impact and the growing concentration of technological power in the hands of a relatively small number of global actors.

Taken together, these themes reveal a technology that is reshaping far more than workflows and productivity. It is reshaping power relationships, access to information and the future trajectory of development.

The risk of importing someone else’s conversation

Perhaps one of the most striking observations from the study is how heavily AI reporting continues to be influenced by narratives originating outside the continent.

Coverage often mirrors debates taking place in the United States, Europe and China, focusing on technological competition, investment races and regulatory developments. While these conversations are undoubtedly important, they do not always reflect African realities.

Africa’s AI journey is unfolding within a very different context.

Questions around digital access, infrastructure, language representation, data governance and digital sovereignty remain central to the continent’s development trajectory. For many African countries, AI is not simply about innovation. It is also about ensuring that technological transformation does not reinforce existing inequalities or create new forms of dependency.

The research suggests that there is a growing need for reporting that is grounded in local realities and informed by African priorities.

This is not simply a media challenge. It is a strategic challenge.

The stories societies tell about technology influence policy decisions, investment priorities and public trust. If those stories are imported wholesale from elsewhere, important local perspectives risk being overlooked.

Journalism’s role in an AI-driven world

The study also highlights a tension that exists within many newsrooms.

Journalists recognise the significance of AI but often face practical barriers to covering it effectively. Resource constraints, limited specialist expertise and intense competition for newsroom attention mean that AI stories can be difficult to commission unless linked to a major event or controversy.

At the same time, many journalists are already using AI tools in their work, creating a complex relationship between reporting on the technology and adapting to it.

This matters because journalism plays a critical role in helping societies navigate periods of technological change.

The task is not simply to report on new tools or emerging risks. It is to ask deeper questions about accountability, transparency and power. Who benefits? Who is excluded? Who bears the cost? And what safeguards are needed to ensure that innovation serves the public interest?

These are questions that extend far beyond technology reporting.

Looking ahead

AI will continue to transform African societies in ways that are both visible and invisible.

Some changes will be celebrated as breakthroughs. Others will raise difficult questions about governance, ethics, labour rights and information integrity. Most will involve a combination of opportunity and risk.

What this research makes clear is that Africa needs a richer, more nuanced conversation about AI – one that moves beyond both technological hype and technological fear.

That conversation requires stronger journalism, deeper expertise and greater investment in understanding how these technologies are shaping our societies.

Most importantly, it requires African voices, African experiences and African priorities to be at the centre of the discussion.

The future of AI in Africa is not simply a question of technology.

It is a question of how we govern, communicate, innovate and build resilient societies in an increasingly digital world.

Read the full report: