Prof. Mpho Primus

Prof. Mpho Primus is an NRF-rated researcher, associate professor and co-director at the Institute for Artificial Intelligence Systems, UJ. Her work sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, linguistics, and ethics, with a strong focus on African language technologies, low-resource NLP, and equitable AI systems. Recognised for her contributions to computational linguistics and digital inclusion, Prof. Primus has worked with teams on datasets, models, and frameworks that centre African languages in global AI research and applications. Her current scholarship critically examines how large language models engage with tone, pragmatics, and cultural nuance, addressing issues of representation, personhood, and epistemic justice.