Faith-AI Covenant Roundtable: Faith & Tech Leaders Gather in Nairobi

Faith-AI Covenant Nairobi Roundtable Gathers Faith and Technology Leaders to Address Human Dignity, Youth Resilience and African Voices in the Age of AI

NAIROBI, KENYA, October 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Senior faith leaders, technology companies, policymakers and academics from across Africa and beyond gathered in Nairobi on Tuesday for the third roundtable in the Faith-AI Covenant series, a global initiative aimed at shaping the values that guide the development of artificial intelligence.

The convening brought together representatives of major Christian, Muslim and interfaith networks, alongside African technology organisations, academics and civil society experts. Discussions focused on the stakes for a continent where the median age is under 20 and mobile connectivity has leapfrogged older infrastructure. Key questions included how AI can reinforce social cohesion rather than accelerate radicalisation, and how African languages, communal ethics and local ownership can be reflected in systems largely trained elsewhere.

The Faith-AI Covenant was established by the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities (IAFSC) in partnership with Precognition, to place faith leaders, technologists and policymakers in direct dialogue as AI increasingly shapes how people seek knowledge, guidance and meaning. It draws on the United Arab Emirates’ model of pairing ambitious investment in artificial intelligence with a sustained commitment to religious moderation, interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence.

Co-chaired by Dana Humaid, Chief Executive of IAFSC, and Baroness Joanna Shields OBE, CEO of Precognition, the roundtable examined generative tools that can translate extremist recruitment material into Swahili, Somali and coastal dialects, algorithmic amplification of grievance, and the limits of content removal and moderation. Participants also considered Kenya’s National AI Strategy 2025–2030 and the practical task of embedding ethics and human oversight in African contexts.

“The United Arab Emirates has shown that technological leadership and a commitment to religious moderation and interfaith cooperation can successfully advance together,” said Dana Humaid, Co-Chair of the Faith-AI Covenant and Chief Executive of IAFSC. “That Emirati example has guided the Covenant’s vision from the start. In Nairobi, African faith leaders and technologists made clear that the same balance must also be established across the continent, so that AI serves young people seeking belonging and personal development rather than those who would exploit division and fear.”

The Nairobi meeting built on gatherings in New York and Paris. Insights from each regional convening will inform the Covenant’s next steps, with the final convening taking place in Abu Dhabi in 2027. Nairobi participants included Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja; Bishop Fred Sheldon Mwesigwa, Bishop of Ankole; Amb. Mussie Hailu of the United Religions Initiative for Africa; Imam Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa of the Interfaith Mediation Centre, Kaduna; Dr. Mustafa Yusuf Ali of Arigatou International - Nairobi; representatives of the All Africa Conference of Churches and the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya; and technology and policy specialists from IBM Research Africa, Qhala, Indigenius AI, Vambo AI, the Africa AI Council, AFRICA AIGN and universities across the region.

The discussion centred on two key themes, exploring how faith communities and the technology sector can work together to address the risks of AI. The first session explored how interactive digital environments influence young people’s identity and moral development, including the risk of AI being used to facilitate radicalisation, and the moral, technical and pastoral interventions that faith leaders, platform developers and civil society can jointly develop to address it. The second session focused on AI’s impact on children’s growth and emotional wellbeing, exploring the ethical, technical and faith-based safeguards needed to ensure educational AI supports healthy emotional development. Participants highlighted the shared responsibility of faith communities, educators, technology developers and civil society in putting these safeguards into practice.

“AI is advancing faster than our institutions and communities can adapt” said Baroness Joanna Shields OBE, Co-Chair of the Faith-AI Covenant. “AI is reshaping how we, as human beings, understand ourselves — our work, our purpose, our place in the world. History will remember the technologies we created. But our true legacy will be defined by the choices we make to protect our humanity, our values, and our responsibility to one another in a world transformed by those technologies. The purpose of this Covenant is not to slow innovation, but to ensure it is guided by conscience. African voices are critical in helping define the values these systems carry, so dignity and resilience are designed in from the outset.”

The Faith-AI Covenant seeks to develop principles and voluntary commitments that protect human dignity, strengthen social trust and serve the common good. Further convenings will be held in Asia later this year before the launch in Abu Dhabi in 2027.

About the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities
The IAFSC empowers faith leaders to work for community safety on issues including extremism, radicalisation and human trafficking, building bridges between faith communities, NGOs and institutions.

About Precognition
Precognition is a London-based firm providing guidance for organisations operating at the frontier of AI and emerging technology.
www.precognition.com

The Faith-AI Covenant
The Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities
media@iafsc.org

The Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities
The Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities
media@iafsc.org
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