Critical Design in Civic Tech in Southern Africa

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in civic tech, augmenting the solutions in this domain with machine learning affordances. However, the interaction between AI and the civic space is more than just technical; there are complex socio-technical dynamics and implications for AI’s design, development, and use in civic tech. These implications are because civic tech is more than just technology applied in the civic context; it is about a relational process embedded in a socio-technical ecosystem. However, research and practice around the field still point to more technical aspects in the design and implementation of civic tech—with a focus on the outcome of the platform to support political outcomes rather than the design and development of civic tech platforms being a political process itself. Unearthing these opportunities and challenges in civic tech implementation can work towards framing the realities to identify where and how AI in civic tech can work and the governance frameworks essential across all stakeholder systems encompassing these initiatives. The MobiSAM and MobiSAfAIDS initiatives in Southern Africa present cases that explore the dynamics of power and trust in shaping the design and implementation of civic tech. Using a critical pragmatist approach, the chapter aims to structure the realities experienced in these projects, where this philosophical approach enables us to highlight significant differences between practical processes of dialogue, debate, and negotiation.