This talk examines what is at stake in the power to define “computation,” “intelligence,” and “technology.” Drawing on the West African Ifá knowledge system, I argue that dominant definitions of computation (rooted in machines, code, and formal mathematics) exclude long-standing intellectual traditions that organise knowledge through rule-governed symbolic practice and interpretation. Approaching Ifá as a computational epistemology reveals alternative ways of thinking about authority, responsibility, and ethical judgement in systems that guide action. The discussion places these insights in conversation with contemporary AI systems, asking how epistemic exclusion shapes technological futures and whose knowledge is authorised in debates about ethics and innovation. Rather than treating African knowledge systems as cultural artefacts, the talk positions them as active intellectual resources for rethinking computation and ethical responsibility today.

Date: Thursday, 16 April 2026 
Time: 15:00 - 16:00 SAST 
Venue: Online via MS Teams | Register Here

 

Meet Our Speaker:

Uyiosa Omoregie is a researcher and analyst whose work examines computation, AI ethics, and knowledge systems from African and philosophical perspectives. He is co-author of Misinformation Matters: Online Content and Quality Analysis (Taylor & Francis, 2023) and has written on Ifá binary computation as a structured knowledge system with implications for contemporary debates on computation, interpretation, and digital governance.