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Wakanyi Hoffman 

Wakanyi Hoffman is an author, public speaker, scholar, and folklorist renowned for her ability to weave the ancestral threads of African indigenous wisdom into the algorithmic codes of modern technological knowledge. Her pioneering work is at the forefront of integrating the African Ubuntu philosophy into AI systems, leveraging it as an ethical framework to ensure these technologies promote human flourishing. This approach highlights how the principles of interconnectedness and compassion inherent in Ubuntu can guide AI to reflect Indigenous ways of knowing, fostering inner well-being and supporting the health of communities and the planet. As a researcher at the Inclusive AI Lab within the Centre for Global Challenges (UGlobe) at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, Wakanyi is in charge of responsible and sustainable AI design. Her work in this area emphasizes the profound insights that Ubuntu wisdom can offer in awakening AI's potential to unite humanity along shared moral values. In addition to her academic contributions, Wakanyi is the founder of the Humanity Link Foundation, which houses her flagship project, The African Folktales Project, a curated database of African indigenous folktales that contain Ubuntu wisdom. Wakanyi is also the author of several children's books, including "Sala, Mountain Warrior," the first children's book capturing the lives of Samburu people, indigenous to Northern Kenya. Her storytelling continues to inspire young and old readers to reflect deeply on the values that promote humanity's capacity to evolve together as one community of life, which includes more-than-human beings.