Sovereign AI and Epistemic Justice: Reclaiming Sustainable Computation

8. April 2026

Organised by Louis Fendji (STIAS/University of Ngaoundere), Rachel Smith (HIAS/AIAS), Gertraud Koch (AIAS/Univeristy of Hamburg), Winston Ojenge (ACTS AI Institute), and Serge Fdida (DIGITAfrica EU Horizon Project). Hosted by Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in collaboration with Hamburg Institute for Advanced Study (HIAS), ACTS AI Institute, Aarhus Institute for Advanced Studies (AIAS), DIGITAfrica Horizon Project, and University of Ngaoundere (EGCIM-CREP).

Date:

Wednesday, 8 April 2026

Location

STIAS Wallenberg Research Centre & Online

RSVP

RSVP now

Hosted by Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in collaboration with Aarhus Institute for Advanced Studies (AIAS), Hamburg Institute for Advanced Study (HIAS), ACTS AI Institute, DIGITAfrica Horizon Project, and University of Ngaoundere (EGCIM-CREP).

Thematic Framework

Following the foundational NetIAS debate in Hamburg on Computational Practices for Pluriversal AI, which challenged the universalist and extractive paradigms of dominant artificial intelligence, the dialogue now moves to the Global South. In Stellenbosch, we confront the next urgent frontier: the intersection of AI sovereignty, epistemic justice, and planetary survival. The current trajectory of AI is characterised by massive, energy-intensive models, data colonialism, and a logic of infinite scaling. But this trajectory is fundamentally at odds with the principles of sustainable and equitable development. This debate asks: What would it mean to reclaim computation as a sustainable, just, and sovereign practice? How do we move beyond AI that merely optimises within a broken system, towards computational paradigms that empower communities, honour diverse knowledge systems, and operate within ecological limits? "Sovereign AI" is not about nationalistic competition, but about self-determination in the digital age. It demands infrastructures, models, and practices that are locally governable, ecologically accountable, and epistemically just. "Epistemic Justice" compels us to ask whose knowledge counts in the design of these systems, confronting the active marginalisation of Indigenous, Southern, and situated ways of knowing. "Sustainable Computation" requires a radical re-imagining of our hardware, software, and priorities, away from extraction and towards regeneration. We invite scholars, practitioners, and students to join a critical conversation that connects the technical to the political, the ecological to the philosophical. We seek position papers that bridge theory and praxis, offering bold critiques and tangible pathways forward.

Call for Abstracts

We invite abstract submissions that engage deeply with one or more of the following interconnected themes:

The Architectures of Power & Knowledge: Who designs the digital infrastructures of the future, and which epistemologies are embedded by default? Can we build sovereign AI systems that do not replicate colonial hierarchies of knowledge?
The Data of Place vs. The Model of the World: How can computation move beyond universalising "world models" to instead valorise localised, contextual, and embodied data? What technical and ethical frameworks support this shift?
The Justice in the Loop: How do we operationalise epistemic justice, from dataset curation and annotation practices to model evaluation and governance, ensuring it is a design principle, not an afterthought?
The Ethics of Limits & Liberation: Is the pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI) compatible with ecological limits and epistemic pluralism? How does sovereign, sustainable computation become a practice of liberation rather than a new form of constraint?
Selected authors will give a 10-minute presentation, followed by direct engagement with participants.

Submission Guidelines

Format: Title of the presentation; Author name(s), affiliation(s), and email contact; Abstract (max. 300 words) outlining the core argument, its critical perspective, and its relevance to the debate themes; Short biographical note (max. 100 words).
Submit to: Click here
Deadline: 17 March 2026, 23:59 SAST

Organisation of the Event

The debate will be structured as an intensive one-day forum combining curated presentations with focused roundtable discussions.

Morning Sessions (09:00 - 13:00)

Session 1: Visions of Sovereignty: Selected papers interrogating the political, technical, and social dimensions of sovereign AI.
Session 2: Practices of Justice: Selected papers and dialogues exploring concrete methodologies for embedding epistemic justice and sustainability in computational design

Afternoon Roundtables (14:00 - 17:00)

Roundtable 1: Epistemic Justice and African National AI Strategies: A critical examination of emerging AI policies and national strategies across Africa. How can these frameworks move beyond economic competitiveness to actively centre epistemic justice, cognitive diversity, and community-led innovation? What models of governance can prevent new forms of digital dependency?
Roundtable 2: Green by Design and Design by Inclusion: A practical dialogue on merging ecological and social imperatives. How do we build AI systems that are inherently low-power, circular, and sustainable ("Green by Design") while being fundamentally shaped by inclusive, participatory processes from the ground up ("Design by Inclusion")? This session seeks actionable principles for simultaneously addressing the climate crisis and the justice crisis in AI
The day will conclude with a synthesis plenary, integrating insights from all sessions.

Participation & Registration

For Presenters: Accepted authors will be notified and receive complimentary information for online registration.
For Online Participation: Non-presenting participants may register for online participation here.