A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF YORÙBÁ ROBOTIC INNOVATION AS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AI-LIKE

Abstract

This study undertakes a comparative analysis of Yoruba robotic innovation as AI-like systems and contemporary robotic artificial intelligence, arguing that the history of intelligent machines has been narrowly framed within Western epistemologies while marginalising indigenous technocultural traditions such as those of the Yorùbá. It foregrounds mythological and ritual constructs like Ọ̀sanyìn and Ère Ìbejì as culturally embedded “automata” that encode principles of automation, algorithmic reasoning, and adaptive response, thereby functioning as proto-robotic, AI-like entities within Yoruba knowledge systems. Methodologically, the study combines primary and secondary data: in-depth interviews with purposively selected Ifá and Ọ̀sanyìn priests explore the ontological and operational characteristics of these figures, while textual analysis of relevant books, academic articles, and curated digital materials deepens the examination of Yorùbá mythology in relation to modern AI discourse. Transcribed data are interpreted through the lens of transculturalism, drawing on Ortiz (1947) and Welsch (1999), to illuminate how Yoruba robotic imaginaries and contemporary AI co-constitute a fluid field of intercultural exchange rather than discrete, “pure” traditions. The analysis demonstrates that Yoruba robotic innovation, understood as the design and ritual programming of AI-like agents, offers conceptual resources for rethinking embodiment, agency, and ethics in modern robotic AI, particularly in the areas of human–machine interaction, creativity, and problem-solving. The study ultimately argues that recognising Yoruba mythological and ritual automata as foundational to AI-like thinking expands global AI historiography and underscores the value of indigenous knowledge systems for more culturally inclusive and socially responsive AI development.