As artificial intelligence redraws the architecture of global power, diplomacy is no longer confined to embassies and treaty rooms. It is unfolding in data centers, corporate boardrooms, and multilateral forums where algorithms increasingly shape economies and societies. But who should govern this new frontier, and can traditional diplomatic frameworks keep pace with technologies that evolve faster than the policies meant to regulate them?
On the Cause Effect 4.0 podcast, Celina Lee sits down with Ambassador Philip Thigo, Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology, whose work places him at the intersection of statecraft and innovation. From advising the president on critical technologies to helping shape conversations within the United Nations, Thigo argues that tech diplomacy must bridge governments, companies, and civil society while grounding digital progress in values of community and inclusivity.
If AI represents a new form of power, the conversation shifts from who builds it to who sets the rules and whose interests those rules ultimately serve. The stakes extend far beyond any single nation. As Africa moves between being a rule-taker, a co-author, and at times a challenger in global AI negotiations, the push for a more inclusive international order grows louder.
Can the world create governance models that distribute the benefits of AI rather than concentrate them, and will emerging voices reshape the norms before they harden into another unequal system?
Listen.
