In a profound session recorded for the 2025 Fintry Trust Summer School Retreat, public speaker, scholar and folklorist Wakanyi Hoffman posed a vital question for our time: “Who are we becoming when we use AI technologies?”
As the Head of the Sustainable AI Lab at Utrecht University, Wakanyi is at the forefront of researching responsible and inclusive AI design. In this talk, she weaves together the ancient threads of African indigenous wisdom with the high-tech fabric of modernity, advocating for Ubuntu as the essential ethical framework for our digital future.
The philosophy of ‘becoming human’
At the heart of the talk is the concept of Ubuntu, the classic African philosophy often summarised by the tenet: “I am because we are.” Hoffman expands on this, defining Ubuntu not just as a static state of being, but as the active process of becoming human.
While Western philosophy is often rooted in the Cartesian “I think, therefore I am,” Ubuntu offers a more interconnected view. Wakanyi introduces Ubuntu 2.0: a framework that recognises our individual thoughts and feelings emerge from a shared, evolving field of collective intelligence—a field that AI is now making visible.
AI as a community garden
Wakanyi suggests we move away from seeing AI as a distant black box and start viewing it as a community garden.
- The Seeds: Our data, posts, and stories are the seeds we have planted.
- The Weeds: Harmful biases and extractive narratives are weeds that require careful, ethical removal.
- The Stewardship: We are all gardeners. A healthy AI garden requires diverse contributions and ethical weeding to ensure it reflects the best of our collective wisdom.
Five design principles for inclusive AI
How do we build systems that support planetary health and inner well-being? Wakanyi’s work at the Sustainable AI Lab focuses on five core principles:
- Interconnectedness: Systems must acknowledge that individual actions have collective consequences.
- Purpose-Driven Interaction: Algorithms should help users discover meaningful purposes rather than just chasing engagement.
- Collective Wisdom Access: AI should provide a diversity of perspectives, ensuring indigenous ways of knowing are not erased.
- Dignity Preservation: Respecting human agency and avoiding manipulative digital patterns.
- Dialogical Design: Creating systems that foster genuine dialogue and mutual learning.
The ‘three-legged stool’ of wise parenting
As an author of children’s books—including Sala, Mountain Warrior—Wakanyi is deeply concerned with how we raise children in an automated world. She uses the metaphor of the three-legged stool to describe the balance children need to navigate the AI field:
- Physical Body: Mastery of the physical self.
- Emotional Intelligence: Moving beyond the constant pursuit of happiness to understand the full spectrum of feelings.
- Intellect: Unlocking the multiple intelligences required to make sense of the world.
Cultivating the sacred ordinary
Reflecting on her childhood at the edge of the Nairobi forest, Hoffman warns of a crisis of attention. By focusing on digital spectacles, we lose the sacred ordinary—the simple, daily experiences that ground us.
As a member of the Supervisory Board for the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) initiative, Wakanyi emphasises that technology must nurture our inner well-being. By practicing narrative composting—letting go of life-draining stories and planting regenerative ones—we can ensure that AI becomes a partner in our evolution rather than a tool for our division.
Wakanyi Hoffman is a scholar, public speaker, and the author of Sala, Mountain Warrior (Otter-Barry Books UK). She lives in the Netherlands where she continues to advocate for technology that honours community and planetary health.
Future events
We invite you to join us for the Fintry Trust 2026 Summer School: The Art of Awakening.
Thursday 23rd July – Sunday 26th 2026 at Fintry, Surrey
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