African creatives have been advised to view Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool to enhance creativity and innovation rather than a threat to originality and human imagination.
Stakeholders in Africa’s creative ecosystem gave the advice at the second edition of the Forum CréationAfrica, which continued on Friday in Lagos.
The forum, organized by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in partnership with MansA, focuses on the growth of creative and cultural industries across the African continent.
The session, themed “African Minds, Global Machines: What Does AI Really Mean for Creatives on the Continent?”, brought together digital artists and tech innovators to explore the ethical, cultural, and artistic implications of AI in Africa’s creative space.
Senegalese digital artist Hussein Dembel described AI as both an opportunity and a moral test for creatives, noting that it could transform imagination into reality faster than ever before.
“If you can think it, you can make it. AI allows us to bring imagination to life faster than ever before,” he said.
Dembel explained that AI tools were already improving filmmaking processes such as visual effects and green-screen editing, making creative production more efficient.
He, however, cautioned that the rapid growth of AI also raised complex ethical questions about originality and copyright.
“We are heading toward a world where films can be made 100 per cent by AI. It’s frightening because some of that technology already exists,” he said.
“However, will audiences pay to watch content without the human touch? We are so in tune with human emotion that resistance will definitely come.”
Dembel added that protecting copyright in the AI era was becoming increasingly difficult as the line between human and machine-generated work continued to blur.
On his part, Hammed Arowosegbe, Founder of Swift XR, said the future of African creativity in the AI era would depend largely on education and responsible use.
He emphasized that Africa must leverage AI to tell its own stories in its own voice.
“Education is crucial. We need to go from being consumers of technology to creators.
The more context and precision you give AI, the more powerful your output becomes. Don’t outsource your mind to AI or delegate your autonomy,” he said.
Arowosegbe predicted that society might initially over-rely on AI but would eventually rediscover the irreplaceable value of human creativity.
“The best works today are a fusion of AI and human creativity,” he added.
He also called for policy interventions to address ethical concerns around copyright, identity, and digital ownership, urging African governments to invest in homegrown AI models that reflect local languages, values, and cultures.
“The government should have a research programme to build our own AI systems that understand our realities. Control must also be ensured over how our digital likeness is used, especially with the rise of deepfakes and identity theft,” Arowosegbe said.
Audience members at the session shared similar views, noting that mainstream AI systems often fail to recognize African cultural contexts and expressions.
They agreed that creativity continues to evolve and that responsible use of AI could strengthen—rather than diminish—African innovation.
