Satyagraha and Ubuntu in the Age of AI: Gandhian and Mandela’s Principles of Non-Violence as a Foundation for Ethical AI and Responsible Digital Governance

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@article{1724865,
      author = {Xoliswa Mazibuko},
      title = {Satyagraha and Ubuntu in the Age of AI: Gandhian and Mandela’s Principles of Non-Violence as a Foundation for Ethical AI and Responsible Digital Governance},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2026},
      volume = {10},
      number = {5},
      pages = {1467-1475},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1724865.pdf},
      abstract = {The rapid proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies has raised urgent questions about ethics, accountability, and human dignity in governance frameworks worldwide. While technical and regulatory approaches to AI ethics dominate current discourse, this paper argues that enduring philosophical traditions rooted in non-violence offer an underexplored yet valuable foundation for responsible digital governance. This study undertakes a comparative analysis of Mahatma Gandhi's principle of Satyagraha (truth-force) and Nelson Mandela's philosophy of Ubuntu (shared humanity and interconnectedness), examining how these frameworks of non-violent resistance, reconciliation, and moral restraint can inform contemporary debates on ethical AI and data governance. Gandhi's emphasis on truth, transparency, and non-harm (Ahimsa) resonates with growing demands for algorithmic accountability, explainability, and the prevention of AI-driven harm to individuals and communities. Similarly, Mandela's Ubuntu philosophy—"I am because we are"—offers a relational, community-centered ethic that challenges purely individualistic or profit-driven approaches to data privacy and technological deployment, advocating instead for inclusive, human-centered governance structures. Both leaders' commitment to reconciliation over domination further provides a moral compass for addressing power asymmetries inherent in AI systems, including concerns around surveillance, data colonialism, and unequal access to digital resources between the Global North and Global South. Employing a qualitative, comparative-analytical methodology, this paper draws on primary writings, speeches, and secondary literature on Gandhi and Mandela, mapping their core principles onto contemporary frameworks of ethical AI and responsible digital governance. The study contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship by bridging political philosophy, ethics, and technology governance, proposing a values-based model that complements existing regulatory and technical approaches. It argues that revisiting non-violent leadership traditions can offer policymakers, technologists, and institutions a more humane, accountable, and globally inclusive foundation for navigating the ethical challenges of the AI era.},
      keywords = {Satyagraha; Ubuntu; non-violence; ethical AI; digital governance; Gandhi; Mandela},
      month = {November},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/ire1724865}
  }