Nairobi, May 10 -- The buzz surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) in East Africa's financial sector is undeniable. Yet, when I speak with regional banking leaders, there is a subtext of caution. While the excitement for efficiency is real, there is a growing realisation that for AI to work in our unique context, the ground beneath it must be solid, ethical and deeply rooted in the local reality.

The most urgent question facing East African banking today is not how quickly we can automate, but how responsibly we can embed these technologies into our institutions.

In a region where banking is built on hard-won trust and personal relationships, AI must be an augmentation tool rather than a substitution strategy. This is not just an ethi...