Joseph JTR Mugauri
Speaker at AMLD Africa 2026
Joseph JTR Mugauri is an Intellectual Property Consultant and a Doctor of Laws candidate at the University of Pretoria, focusing on AI governance, data regulation, and intellectual property (IP) law. His current doctoral research explores the standardisation of AI explainability and alignment through legal frameworks, with a sector-specific lens on South African industries. He holds a Master of Laws from the University of Cape Town, where he examined the intersection of blockchain, AI, and copyright enforcement, earning distinction and scholarships for academic excellence. Joseph has contributed to key research initiatives, including the Open AIR project under the SARChI Chair in IP, Innovation, and Development. He also completed an AI Safety Governance Fellowship at the Equiano Institute of Research. His practical experience spans legal research, compliance analysis, and digital learning development, having led course design and migration projects at UCT’s Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching. With a strong legal practice and digital innovation foundation, Joseph brings a transdisciplinary perspective to the challenges and opportunities of AI in Africa. His work aims to shape policy and legal standards that promote responsible innovation, ensure human rights compliance, and build resilient IP ecosystems for Africa’s digital future.
At AMLD Africa
WITS University, Johannesburg, South Africa
Bridging the Liability Gap: Artificial Intelligence Accountability and Legal Reform in South Africa
As AI systems increasingly diagnose patients, allocate credit, and manage critical infrastructure, the question of who bears the burden of harm when these systems fail has transitioned from theoretical speculation to an urgent policy imperative.
AI Panel with Bienvenu Agbokponto SOGLO , Barbara Glover, Christelle Onana and Joseph JTR Mugauri
Interoperability, Not Uniformity: Making Africa’s AI Policies Work Together
