AI in the Age of the Metanomic: Behold Ubuntu!

Abstract

AI in the Age of the Metanomic: Behold Ubuntu! is an autoethnographic reflection at the intersection of theology, technology, and sociology. Drawing on personal ministry formation, womanist theologies, African cultural ethics, and critical race theory, this paper interrogates the emergence of the Metanomic Era—a period marked by the convergence of high-end computing, AI, and genomic sciences. It explores how these technologies reshape human identity, relationships, and community, raising ethical, spiritual, and socio-political questions. Anchoring this inquiry in African philosophical constructs, including Ubuntu and Maat, the study emphasizes relationality, wisdom, and communal intelligence as frameworks for engaging AI. Through historical, pedagogical, and theological lenses, the paper examines the moral, epistemological, and societal challenges posed by AI, deepfakes, and digital inequities. It advocates a Pan-African and Black theopraxis approach, affirming that true intelligence is measured through wisdom-in-action and the ethical cultivation of human flourishing in an era increasingly mediated by machines.