Decolonization and Knowledge

One particular mode of political analysis of AI has become quite popular. Calls are coming to decolonize AI and establish a more human-centered version (Auernhammer 2020; Ehn 2017). Some critics are arguing that technology, and AI in particular, is a product of the West and is undermining local cultures around the globe (Mhlambi 2022). In this regard, Abeba Birhane (2019) contends that “tech evangelism” has occurred, whereby worship of these devices has pushed aside other values and customs. The phrase that has been used to describe this trend is “algorithmic colonization.”