On 14-16 April 2025, Jovan Kurblaija participated in GITEX Africa in Marrakech, Morocco. He participated in the panel on AI and delivered the master briefing ‘Demystifying AI for Diplomacy and Development’ at the Swiss pavilion at GITEX. Here you can find his event diary.
Reflections from GITEX Africa
Event Diary by Jovan Kurbalija
Last week, I stepped out of my comfort zone (and my usual aversion to mega-events) to attend my first GITEX in Marrakech—a vibrant hub for Africa’s tech future. Here are my raw takeaways as an outsider looking in:
🔑 Africa’s tech moment
Africa is brimming with AI and digital potentials. In a world increasingly bogged down by irrational geopolitics, Africa has a unique chance for tech leapfrog.
🤝 Navigating mega-events
With 40,000+ attendees, GITEX felt like a labyrinth of missed connections. A smarter conference AI—not just talking about AI—could curate meaningful meetups and sessions. Imagine AI matchmaking for ideas and people!
📉 AI becomes a commodity
Hundreds of GITEX pavilions touted “AI-powered” solutions. But when everything is AI, does anything stand out? Unlike financial inflation, this one is good as it makes AI an affordable commodity.
⚖️ Regulatory common sense
I challenged the default call for new AI laws. Why not leverage centuries of existing legal frameworks (yes, even Hammurabi’s Code!)? For example, developer liability isn’t new. It’s timeless, spanning from ancient builders of houses to modern developers of AI models.
🤖 To clean or not to clean bias
The dominant narrative: “Bias is AI’s fatal flaw.” But bias is also human—shaped by culture, age, and identity. Should we erase it, or transparently label it? A “Ministry of Truth” for AI sounds scarier than bias itself.
🌱 Bottom-up AI as human-centred AI
Imagine personal agents owned by you and built on your data, ethics, and biases—technically feasible and ethically urgent. Sadly, GITEX panel’s clock cut this thread short to discuss why bottom-up AI is technologically feasible, financially affordable, and ethically desirable.
🚩 Demystifying AI through national flags
At GITEX Africa, I randomly asked experts at AI pavilions to explain how AI functions. The answers were often vague or technical. Demystifying AI is about stripping away jargon and explaining it in simple terms. At the Swiss Pavilion, we used national flags as metaphors to explain AI simply. GITEX might consider adding a “Explaining AI to a 5-Year-Old” track to future events. Let’s make AI accessible to everyone and spark informed discussions.
At the Swiss Pavilion, we used national flags as metaphors to explain AI simply. GITEX might consider adding a “Explaining AI to a 5-Year-Old” track to future events. Let’s make AI accessible to everyone and spark informed discussions.
📜 AI’s ancient roots in the Islamic Golden Age
Did you know the word algorithm traces back to Al-Khwārizmī, a 9th century Islamic polymath. His name, latinized to Algoritmi, became the term we use daily in AI, coding, and beyond. Algebra, probability, and other mathematical concepts behind AI can be traced back to Al-Khwārizmī and other thinkers of the Islamic golden age. c
🧠 AI and cultural code
AI needs more diverse cultural and philosophical inputs. How to inbuild Ubuntu’s “I am because we are” into AI code? What about African philosophies and religious traditions and current AI debates?
💃 The pause for reflections
At the event dinner, a Dervish-style spiritual dance performance reminded us of need to step back, reflect, and connect beyond in order to answer simple question, ‘How to preserve our core humanity in the AI era?’
🙏 Gratitude
To the Swiss Embassy in Rabat, Moroccan hosts, GITEX organisers, fellow panellists, and many new friends—thank you for the debates, the dance, and the reminder that Africa’s tech story is just beginning.
Event Announcement
Dr Kurbalija also addressed the following session:
Ethical Standards at the Crossroads of Gen AI and Human Rights (15th April 2025)
A careful balance between innovation and human rights must be kept top of mind when navigating the ethical complexities of gen AI. Mitigating algorithmic bias, safeguarding data privacy and ensuring equitable access for all are paramount. With a significant number of African countries actively exploring AI and implementing data protection measures, a strong foundation is being laid. The development of AI in Africa must be guided by principles of transparency, accountability, and inclusivity, ensuring that the benefits of this transformative technology are equitably distributed across the region
