Nigerian film explores transformational power of AI

Makemation, a new film produced by a Nigerian AI-developer-turned-filmmaker, is being screened internationally following a successful run in theaters across Nigeria. The story centers on a young girl named Zara, who grew up in an economically deprived community on the outskirts of Lagos. Despite her limited access to technology and scientific education she wins a year-long scholarship to a prestigious tech institute where she learns to use AI not just for herself, but as a tool to transform the lives of the people around her. Much of the narrative surrounding AI is focused on tech companies or the race for AI supremacy between China and the US, Harvard professor Tinashe Mushakavanhu wrote in The Conversation. Makemation shows that “the future of AI can also be imagined, contested and built on the African continent.”