Speaker: Kauna Ibrahim Malgwi, NGO Executive Director and Founder @mentalhealthmatterslove_malgwi

Abstract: As artificial intelligence continues to shape the digital landscape, the human labor behind AI remains largely invisible. For over four years, I worked as a Facebook content moderator, witnessing firsthand the emotional and psychological toll of moderating harmful content. This experience fueled my advocacy for fair wages, mental health support, and ethical AI practices in Africa’s digital workforce. In this talk, I will shed light on the realities of content moderation, the urgent need for ethical AI that prioritizes human well-being, and the fight for fair labor conditions in Africa’s data and technology sectors. I will also explore how we can professionalize digital work, ensuring that AI development does not come at the expense of the mental health and dignity of its human contributors. My journey, recognized by Time magazine and BBC News, highlights the resilience of African tech workers and the power of collective action in shaping a fairer digital future. 

Bio: Kauna Ibrahim Malgwi is a clinical psychologist, trauma survivor, and leading advocate for the mental health and rights of content moderators and data workers in Africa. A former Facebook content moderator, she turned her lived experience of trauma into activism and advocacy, founding the Digital and Mental Health Initiative and chairing the steering committee of, African Content Moderators Union (Nigeria Chapter)/Gammayyar African Tech Workers Cooperative(GTechCoop). Recognized by TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI (2024) and BBC’s 100 Women, Kauna now advances trauma-informed, ethical AI and fair digital labour practices through research, advocacy, and healing-centered frameworks.

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IPaT: GVU Lunch Lecture Series