Abstract
This research critically examines ethical challenges in Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) in Sub-Saharan Africa, including algorithmic bias, digital literacy gaps, and the systemic inequities that underscore AI's potential as an equitable educational tool. It investigates whether existing AI ethical frameworks effectively promote substantive educational freedoms or instead reinforce barriers to inequity in digital education. This inquiry directly engages with the challenge of AI value alignment, questioning whether prevailing approaches in AIED adequately align with ethical principles that ensure equitable educational outcomes. To test the alignment of Amartya Sen's Capability Approach (1993) with Paulo Freire's (2000) pedagogical methods (problem-posing and development of critical consciousness) as a supported ethical framework for AIED, this research argues that access to digital technologies is not enough; it must be supplemented with critical thinking skills and enhancement of digital literacy skills, especially for marginalized students in Sub-Saharan Africa. This research shows that to achieve alignment with AI governance and policies, such as the Human Rights Approach, in conjunction with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education), a combined approach maintains universal standards while incorporating culturally pluralistic influences to advance equitable and inclusive AIED.