The potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to solve seemingly insurmountable challenges to better health and wellbeing is an exciting prospect for organisations working in health in Africa.

Yet the potential for AI to cause harm, infringe on human rights and waste resources is equally real. As is its potential to show a poor return on investment when it comes to impact. Critical to avoiding this is Responsible AI, a robust and established set of principles central to minimising the risk of AI causing harm. However, for AI to have real impact in African contexts, Responsible AI must do more than commit to ethical, lawful and transparent practices that minimise the risk of bias and harm. It must also commit to making the most of scarce resources, and to not allowing the use of AI to increase inequalities.