AI Cyberattacks, Regulatory Differentials, and Institutional Justice

Gbadebo Odularu ()
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Gbadebo Odularu: Howard University, Department of Economics

A chapter in Behavioral Cybersecurity and Ethical AI in Relational Economics Context, 2026, pp 1-32 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Digital infrastructure can serve as a critical enabler of Africa's inclusive growth agenda; however, persistent disparities in its development across countries and regions generate uneven exposure and vulnerability to AI-enabled cyber threats, resulting in heterogeneous impacts. As AI–powered cyberattacks pose sophisticated risks to national business resilience and development trajectory across Africa, the rapidly emerging, disproportionate effects of these AI agents provide a compelling rationale for this chapter and the overarching research question that drives this study. Furthermore, this introductory chapter outlines the structure of the study by articulating selected artificial intelligence–driven behavioral cybersecurity (AI–BC) applications, interconnections, and interpersonal experiences among African populations, as well as the processes, platforms, and professions. Addressing these challenges requires multidisciplinary approach that bridges AI regulatory differentials, the acute shortage of secure cyber–physical systems, and the inherent policy gaps related to AI and behavioral cybersecurity across various socioeconomic and political domains on the continent. Based on the continent’s unique context, rapid digitalization, regulatory diversity, ethical AI methodologies, adaptive socioeconomic models, robust policy frameworks, and inclusive institutional justice mechanisms are essential to safeguarding Africa’s digital and economic future. African governments must continually identify and reassess potential threats and vulnerabilities to implement protective strategies that safeguard their national systems within the digitally porous and cyber inequitable continental context. Interdisciplinary integration (including edge computing, ML with blockchain or federated learning combination), strong governance, and human oversight are essential for designing equitably effective, nationally pertinent and continent-wide interventions in the face of increasingly ethical concerns (privacy, adversarial attacks, data quality issues, and algorithmic bias in lack of cultural sensitivity context).

Keywords: Behavioral cybersecurity; Emerging AI Methodologies; Federated AI models; Lightweight AI models; Explainable AI models; Artificial Intelligence; Africa; Trust; Fairness; Equity; Threats; Safety; Cyber Frontiers; Capacity Building; Trust; Money Laundering; Sanctions; Compliance; Governance; Violations; Digital Divide; Security; Regulatory Differentials; Institutional Justice; Cyber Vulnerabilities; Socio–Cyber–Physical Systems; South Africa’s Cybercrimes Act; Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-01214-2_1

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