Adji Bousso Dieng
The Africa I Know (TAIK)

Born into a family in Kaolack, Senegal, Adji Bousso Dieng rose from scholarship student to one of the world’s leading researchers in artificial intelligence and statistics. In 2021, she became Princeton University’s first Black female faculty member, where she established an AI research laboratory dedicated to the natural sciences. Beyond academia, Dieng founded The Africa I Know (TAIK), an initiative that encourages young Africans to pursue careers in science, technology and research. A committed Pan-Africanist, she warns of “a form of digital colonisation,” arguing that Africa’s technological future cannot remain dependent on platforms and infrastructures dominated by Western and Chinese corporations. She also highlights the dangers of algorithmic bias. Because many AI models are trained primarily on Western datasets, they frequently reproduce stereotypes and fail to represent African societies accurately. For Dieng, building African AI means creating technologies grounded in the continent’s own knowledge, data and lived realities.