AI, Humanities and Social Sciences

An 8 week fellowship on intersections of AI and Humanities and Social Science Research

About

Lune AI.Humanities.SocialSciences Fellowship will provide Nigerian graduate and postgraduate students in humanities and social sciences with an exploration of artificial intelligence through assignments, research projects, and coursework in NLP, machine learning, creative computing, learning technologies, and AI ethics. The program will offer remote delivery and data stipends. Fellows, through the support of expert facilitators and personalized mentors, will examine the development, implementation, social implications, and real-world impacts of AI technologies to develop interdisciplinary approaches and critiques for region-specific research, methodologies, and tools in low-resource graduate education settings focusing on intersections between AI and linguistics, literary and creative arts, communication and digital media, public interest research, education, community engagement, and legal frameworks. The fellowship aims to establish a post-fellowship collaborative network of Nigerian graduate students conducting technology-focused humanities and social sciences research.

Program courses

From February-April 2025, fellows would participate in various sessions and activities to deepen their understanding of AI intersections with their research. 

Module 0
Introduction to AI. Humanities. Social Sciences

Facilitator: Ololade Faniyi

Focus: Setting the groundwork for interdisciplinary approaches

Key themes: interdisciplines in a disciplinary academy, humanities-forward & social-sciences forward, theoretical groundwork & critical perspectives on AI integration

Module 1
Ethical Considerations in AI Research

Facilitator: Chinasa T. Okolo (Ph.D)

Focus: Ethical framework for AI implementation

Key themes: Responsible AI development, AI ethics, Decolonizing AI

AI + Community Engagement

Facilitator: Ayantola Alayande

Focus: Community-centered AI applications

Key themes: Stakeholder engagement, local context

AI + Legal Frameworks

Facilitator: Nelson Olanipekun

Focus: Legal implications and governance

Key themes: Regulations, policy development, rights

Module 2
Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Humanities and Social Sciences

Facilitator: Tejumade Afonja
Focus: Core ML concepts applied to humanities research

Key themes: Basic algorithms, data analysis, pattern recognition

 

Fundamentals of Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Facilitator: Olanrewaju Samuel

Focus: Language processing fundamentals

Key themes: Text analysis, linguistic computing, Yorùbá language applications

Module 3
AI + Literary, Creative and Language Arts

Facilitator: Frank (Onyeka) Ọnụ

Focus: Quantitative Literary analysis + AI

Key themes: prompt engineering, Black digital humanities, creative computing

AI + Communication/Digital Media

Facilitator: Timilehin Durotoye

Focus: Digital communication analysis

Key themes: Media effects, digital platforms

AI + Public Interest Research

Facilitator: Joy Victor

Focus: Social impact applications

Key themes: Data visualization, Data analysis for public good

AI + Education

Facilitator: Najeeb G. Abdulhamid, Ph.D

Focus: Educational applications and implications

Key themes: Ethnographic approaches, learning technologies

Program structure

The program will offer remote delivery and data stipends.

Faculty

An experienced panel of facilitators and mentors

Chinasa T. Okolo, PhD

Fellow, The Brookings Institution (AI Governance)

Olanrewaju Samuel
Olanrewaju Samuel

Phonology, computational linguistics doctoral researcher and data engineer

Timilehin Durotoye
Timilehin Durotoye

Doctoral Researcher, Political Communication, Emerging Media Effects & Artificial Intelligence, Penn. State University

Najeeb G. Abdulhamid, Ph.D.
Najeeb G. Abdulhamid, PhD

Ethnographic Researcher, Microsoft Research

Tejumade Afonja
Tejumade Afonja

Cofounder, AI Saturdays Lagos | Doctoral Researcher, CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security

Ayantola Alayande

Researcher, Global Centre on AI Governance

Kauna Malgwi
Kauna Malgwi

Chairperson, Nigeria chapter, African Content Moderators Union

Nelson Olanipekun
Nelson Olanipekun

Founder, Citizens' Gavel and PodusAI

Frank (Onyeka) Ọnụ
Frank (Onyeka) Ọnụ

Doctoral Researcher on Infodemics and (Black) Digital Humanities, University of Lethbridge

Joy Victor
Joy Victor

Data Analyst at DataedX Group | Co-lead Tableau + AI User Group

Ololade Faniyi
Ololade Faniyi

Doctoral Researcher of African feminist technology studies and digital cultures, Emory University

Paschal Ukpaka

Researcher, University of Johannesburg Metaverse Research Unit

Ridwan Oloyede
Ridwan Oloyede

Director, Center for Law and Innovation, Certa Foundation

Samuel Segun
Samuel Segun, PhD

Senior Researcher, Global Center on AI Governance

Abiodun Modupe
Abiodun Modupe, PhD

MIT Big Data Science Coordinator/Lecturer, Department of Computer Science, University of Pretoria