The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Transmission and Preservation of the African Oral Tradition

The study examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the preservation and transmission of African oral tradition, focusing on its gradual transition from the oral means that lack documentation to the digital means which paves way for documentation, archiving and dissemination of oral narratives across generations and geographical boundaries. The objective of the study is to address the differences, challenges and effects of Artificial intelligence on African oral tradition. The problem associated with the study is that despite the richness of Africa oral tradition, many forms face extinction in recent times due to modernization and declining oral transmission. The study adopts the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) theory, which states that storytellers, communities and elders choose digital technology for transmission, transcription and archiving. The qualitative approach was adopted for the study, drawing on interviews, textbooks and journals. Findings reveal that digital platforms such as audio and visual digitalization, automatic transcription and translation, metadata creation and classification enhance accessibility and inter-generational transmission of oral narratives. The study suggests that AI is a good complementary tool for preserving, transmitting and archiving the oral tradition but requires in-depth knowledge and communal ideology to ensure originality and authenticity.