Nairobi, April 28 -- In recent conversations with investors, business and policy leaders, it is clear how deeply artificial intelligence ("AI") is already embedded in operations: from credit scoring and customer analytics to logistics and procurement systems.

But there is a structural problem few decision-makers are confronting: the systems powering this shift are not locally controlled.

Across Kenya and the wider region, firms are rapidly adopting AI-enabled tools built on foreign cloud infrastructure, proprietary models and offshore data systems.

The AI adoption has enabled speed and scale, but has also introduced a new form of dependency, one that carries legal, financial and operational consequences.

Much of the conversation aroun...