Recorded live at Online Educa Berlin, this episode of Great Minds on Learning explores AI and the Global South through history, hard lessons, and contemporary debate. John Helmer and Donald Clark examine early techno-utopian experiments, the ethics wars around AI, and newer perspectives rooted in language, power, and lived experience. From Negroponte and Mitra to Gebru, Arora, Manyika, and Mugane, the conversation asks who AI is really for—and who gets to decide.

Timestamps

00:57 – Intro

01:58 – Introduction to AI & the Global South

14:11 – Nicholas Negroponte

17:38 – Sugata Mitra

24:11 – Global South takes on AI

28:11 – Timnit Gebru

32:27 – Payal Arora

37:39 – James Manyika

43:12 – John Mugane

54:49 – Summing up

58:41 – Q&A

About the Show

Great Minds on Learning explores 2,500 years of learning theory—from the Greeks to the geeks. Hosted by John Helmer and Donald Clark, the podcast connects historical ideas to today's debates in education, technology, and society.

Connect

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer
X: @johnhelmer
Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social
Website: https://learninghackpodcast.com

AI Learning and the Global South (an episode of the Great Minds on Learning podcast)