The world premiere of what’s been billed as the first photorealistic, AI-generated feature film in the Yoruba language fizzled out last week when user demand overwhelmed the servers of Docuth, the streaming platform that hosted the launch. After months of hype building to the release of “Asiri Ilu Awon Osu” (Mystery of Osu Land), the film’s Nigerian producers, Mysterious Tech Studio, took to social media to apologize for the glitch, telling their followers: “To everyone at home and abroad who has tried to watch and could not get through, please do not be offended or discouraged.” The episode felt somehow symbolic for this moment in the history of AI in Africa, where excitement over the technology’s transformative potential for the continent’s filmmakers often runs counter to the practical realities on the ground. As African industry professionals convened at this year’s Durban FilmMart, both the potential and pitfalls of artificial intelligence were high on the agenda.
Among the chief concerns for many stakeholders are the barriers to entry. AI tools that are widely available elsewhere in the world face unique challenges in reaching African consumers, from high data costs and low broadband speeds to payment-processing headaches. Tamara Dawit, of Ethiopian Canadian production company Gobez Media, noted that those challenges represent significant “systemic barriers” to the adoption of the latest tech tools on the African continent.
It’s very Western,” he said. We took it upon ourselves to build models that serve our market and our geography.” In some instances, the rapid adoption of AI technology has had unintended consequences that aren’t unique to Africa. Earlier this year, the South African government drafted an ambitious AI policy that was summarily withdrawn when journalists discovered that at least six of its 67 academic citations were the by-products of AI hallucinations, referring to journals and authors that did not exist.
The drafters appeared to have used a large-language model to compose the policy without verifying its claims. While the blunder was a PR disaster for South African policymakers, Amilcar Patel, who serves as co-chair of the South African Screen Federation (SASFED), noted that there are more pernicious dangers lurking for Africans when it comes to using AI tools developed in the Global North. Biases are already built into the AI systems,” added Samantha Kaine, of the Independent Media Producers Assn. of Creative Talent (I.M.P.A.C.T.).
Backed by partners including the World Bank, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Nvidia, the event is built around a billion-dollar AI initiative that’s designed to accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence across the continent. In the meantime, African filmmakers will continue to find uses for AI tools, even as the continent’s digital infrastructure and policy frameworks are forced to play catch-up. One week after the failed rollout of “Mystery of Osu Land,” Kafilat Yusuff, of Mysterious Tech Studio, told Variety that after “viewers experienced intermittent access due to high traffic at launch,” the platform “has now been stabilized.” The film, which incorporated roughly 80% AI-assisted scenes with 20% live-action scenes utilizing real actors and their voices, is now available to stream on Docuth.
So our focus now is festivals, wider press and securing a stable global streaming release so everyone who wants to see it can,” she said.
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