Technopolitics from Below: AI, Huawei, and the Smart City in Kenya

Research talk on AI-powered smart city infrastructure in Kenya and the interaction between global technology providers, local politics, and digital governance.

The Digital Governance Research Colloquium at the Hertie School welcomes Dr. Stephanie Diepeveen, Senior Lecturer in Global Digital Politics at King's College London, for a presentation on “Technopolitics from Below: AI, Huawei, and the Smart City in Kenya.”

The talk examines how political power is shaped through AI-enabled smart city infrastructure, using Kenya as a case study. It considers the role of Huawei in developing technological infrastructure, including fibre-optic networks, CCTV systems, and real-time data integration and analysis.

Drawing on ethnographic research, interviews, and media and documentary analysis, Diepeveen explores how these technologies interact with local histories, political structures, and existing relations of power. The presentation highlights why understanding the political implications of AI requires looking beyond technology providers to the contexts in which their systems are deployed, adapted, and used.

Date: November 18, 2026
Time: 12:00–1:00 PM (CET)
Location: Online via Microsoft Teams
Organizer: Centre for Digital Governance, Hertie School
Series: Digital Governance Research Colloquium
Speaker: Dr. Stephanie Diepeveen, Senior Lecturer in Global Digital Politics at King's College London
Admission: Registration required
Audience: Researchers, digital governance professionals, and people interested in AI, smart cities, and the politics of digital infrastructure
Focus: AI, smart cities, digital governance, technological infrastructure, political power, Huawei, Kenya
Research methods: Ethnographic walk-throughs, interviews, and media and documentary analysis
Program: Research presentation on the political dimensions of AI-enabled smart city infrastructure