What might technological innovation contribute to governance when it is treated as one form of knowledge among many rather than as a replacement for local experience and judgement?

In his new Cambridge Element, Pitshou Moleka explores this question through the context of complex socio-ecological systems in Africa.

Transformative Governance for Complex Socio-Ecological Systems brings artificial intelligence into conversation with Indigenous knowledge, adaptive governance, cultural values, and community institutions.

Moleka proposes the idea of hybrid intelligence, in which predictive technologies work alongside ecological knowledge, ethical reasoning, and locally grounded ways of understanding change.

Drawing on examples including water governance, agroforestry, pastoralism, forest management, and climate adaptation, the book adds an important perspective to current debates about where AI might support transformation and where human and situated knowledge remain essential.