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
Phonology, computational linguistics doctoral researcher and data engineer
Timilehin Durotoye
Doctoral Researcher, Political Communication, Emerging Media Effects & Artificial Intelligence, Penn. State University
Najeeb G. Abdulhamid, PhD
Ethnographic Researcher, Microsoft Research
Tejumade Afonja
Cofounder, AI Saturdays Lagos | Doctoral Researcher, CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
Ayantola Alayande
Researcher, Global Centre on AI Governance
Kauna Malgwi
Chairperson, Nigeria chapter, African Content Moderators Union
Nelson Olanipekun
Founder, Citizens' Gavel and PodusAI
Frank (Onyeka) Ọnụ
Doctoral Researcher on Infodemics and (Black) Digital Humanities, University of Lethbridge
Joy Victor
Data Analyst at DataedX Group | Co-lead Tableau + AI User Group
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
Director, Center for Law and Innovation, Certa Foundation
Samuel Segun, PhD
Senior Researcher, Global Center on AI Governance
Abiodun Modupe, PhD
MIT Big Data Science Coordinator/Lecturer, Department of Computer Science, University of Pretoria