Can artificial intelligence be decolonized?
Abstract
AI is altering not only local and global society, but what it means to be human, or, to be counted as such. In the midst of concerns about the ethics of AI, calls are emerging for AI to be decolonized. What does the decolonization of AI imply? This article explores this question, writing from the post-colony of South Africa where the imbrications of race, colonialism and technology have been experienced and debated in ways that hold global meaning and relevance for this discussion. Proceeding in two parts, this article explores the notion of de/coloniality and its emphasis on undoing legacies of colonialism and logics of race, before critiquing two major discontents of AI today: ethics as a colonial rationality and racializing dividing practices. This article develops a critical basis from which to articulate a question that sits exterior to current AI practice and its critical discourses: can AI be decolonized?
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Uncritically adopted AI systems are new carriers of an old coloniality of knowledge.
“uncritically adopted AI systems are new carriers of an old coloniality of knowledge”
From Beyond prompt literacy: Towards a critical epistemological framework for artificial intelligence literacy in higher education (2026) · cites this paper as Adams (2021)
The concerns raised in the article are not speculative extrapolations from Northern critical theory but are being actively theorised from within African critical technology studies.
“This scholarship strengthens the article's decolonial commitments by demonstrating that the concerns raised here are not speculative extrapolations from Northern critical theory but are being actively theorised from within African critical technology studies.”
From Beyond prompt literacy: Towards a critical epistemological framework for artificial intelligence literacy in higher education (2026) · cites this paper as Adams 2021
Adams argues that both AI systems and the ethics discourses surrounding them are embedded in colonial rationalities that reproduce racialised hierarchies of knowledge and personhood.
“Writing from South Africa, Adams (2021) asks whether AI can be decolonised, arguing that both AI systems and the ethics discourses surrounding them are embedded in colonial rationalities that reproduce racialised hierarchies of knowledge and personhood.”
From Beyond prompt literacy: Towards a critical epistemological framework for artificial intelligence literacy in higher education (2026) · cites this paper as Adams 2021
AI literacy coincides with the larger project of building an epistemically just university.
“It coincides with the larger project of building an epistemically just university”
From Beyond prompt literacy: Towards a critical epistemological framework for artificial intelligence literacy in higher education (2026) · cites this paper as Adams 2021
Decoloniality as a strategy emphasizes that decolonization is a situated critical response to the particular form of colonial power at work within a specific context.
“First, decoloniality as a strategy emphasizes the idea that decolonization is a situated critical response to the particular form of colonial power at work within a speci fi c context (Adams 2021).”
From A decolonial approach to AI in higher education teaching and learning: strategies for undoing the ethics of digital neocolonialism (2023) · cites this paper as Adams 2021
Digital technologies and their algorithms have altered local and global society and what it means to be human.
“In recent years, digital technologies, and their algorithms in particular, have altered not only local and global society, but also what it means to be ' human ' and especially what counts as such (Adams 2021; Lim 2020).”
From A decolonial approach to AI in higher education teaching and learning: strategies for undoing the ethics of digital neocolonialism (2023) · cites this paper as Adams 2021
The assumed universality of ethical concerns in AI ethics is unfounded and grounded in Western-centric ethical values that assimilate the ethics of other communities.
“However, as Adams argues, these assumptions are deeply problematic not only because the assumed universality is unfounded, but also because it is grounded in Western-centric ethical values that assimilate the ethics of other communities.”
From A decolonial approach to AI in higher education teaching and learning: strategies for undoing the ethics of digital neocolonialism (2023) · cites this paper as Adams 2021
AI ethics is rooted in a set of assumptions that there is a universality of ethical concerns that can be objectively measured and addressed.
“For example, AI ethics is rooted in a set of assumptions that there is a universality of ethical concerns that can be objectively measured and addressed (Adams 2021).”
From A decolonial approach to AI in higher education teaching and learning: strategies for undoing the ethics of digital neocolonialism (2023) · cites this paper as Adams 2021
Algorithmic coloniality continues to produce digital technologies that exclude, delimit and degrade other ways of knowing, living and being that are not rooted in Eurocentric thinking.
“the ethics of algorithmic coloniality that continues to produce digital technologies that exclude, delimit and degrade other ways of knowing, living and being that are not rooted in Eurocentric thinking (Adams 2021)”
From A decolonial approach to AI in higher education teaching and learning: strategies for undoing the ethics of digital neocolonialism (2023) · cites this paper as Adams 2021
Decolonial approaches to AI design advocate for technologies that are co-created with African communities to address specific challenges, such as digital exclusion and resource constraints.
“Decolonial approaches to AI design advocate for technologies that are co-created with African communities to address specific challenges, such as digital exclusion and resource constraints [2, 23, 65, 66, 77].”
From Designing Responsible AI with Indigenous Communities: Towards Participatory AI with ovaHimba and San People in Namibia (2026) · cites this paper as [2]
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Asiedu, M., Haykel, I., Dieng, A., Kauer, K., Ahmed, T., Ofori, F., Chan, C., Pfohl, S., Rostamzadeh, N., & Heller, K. (2025) · ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAccT) · doi:10.1145/3715275.3732160 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Nemorin, S., & Bonami, B. (2026) · AI & Society · doi:10.1007/s00146-026-02935-9 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Social participation as an ethical criterion for AI governance in public administration
De Carvalho, L. L., Buchbinder, F., Da Hora, D. A. B., Ferreira, V. B., & De Carvalho, D. M. (2026) · AI and Ethics · doi:10.1007/s43681-026-01010-9 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Paci, B. (2024) · Thesis Eleven · doi:10.1177/07255136241292366 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Digital African Literatures and the Coloniality of Data
Yékú, J. (2022) · The Cambridge Journal of Postcolonial Literary Inquiry · doi:10.1017/pli.2022.19 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
von Lucke, J., & Frank, S. (2024) · Digital Government Research and Practice · doi:10.1145/3665333 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
AI and the Epistemologies of the South
Santos, B. D. S. (2024) · Journal of World-Systems Research · doi:10.5195/jwsr.2024.1291 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Social justice considerations in developing and deploying AI in Africa
Mengesha, G. H., Belay, E. G., & Adams, R. (2024) · Data & Policy · doi:10.1017/dap.2024.73 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Decolonial Turn in Forensic Anthropology
Go, M. C. (2025) · American Journal of Biological Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.70003 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
The Dignity Lens: Advancing Human‐Centred Protective and Proactive Algorithmic Responsibility
Ruster, L. P., Oliva‐Altamirano, P., & Daniell, K. A. (2025) · Information Systems Journal · doi:10.1111/isj.12601 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Mhasakar, M., Baker-Ramos, R., Carter, B., Helekahi-Kaiwi, E.-B., & Hester, J. (2025) · Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3706599.3720282 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Burkhardt, A. (2025) · RaumFragen: Stadt - Region - Landschaft · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-74846-2_6 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
'Socheton': A Culturally Appropriate AI Tool to Support Reproductive Well-being
Sultana, S., Chowdhury, H. M., Sultana, Z., & Verdezoto, N. X. (2025) · Designing Interactive Systems Conference · doi:10.1145/3715336.3735725 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Artificial Intelligence and New Voices in Environmental Campaigning
Muncie, E. (2025) · Environmental Communication · doi:10.1080/17524032.2025.2554988 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Adams, R., Adeleke, F., Junck, L. D., Alayande, A., Gupta, A., Aneja, U., Segun, S. T., Parkes-Ratanshi, R. M., Abdella, S., Gaffley, M., et al. (2026) · Nature Computational Science · doi:10.1038/s43588-026-00960-8 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Self-citationBroadhead, L.-A. (2024) · Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching · doi:10.37074/jalt.2024.7.2.9 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Pataranutaporn, P., Archiwaranguprok, C., Bhongse-tong, P., Maes, P., & Klunchun, P. (2025) · CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA) · doi:10.1145/3706599.3719859 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Is data material? Toward an environmental sociology of AI
Pieper, M. (2025) · AI & Society · doi:10.1007/s00146-025-02444-1 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Towards Refusing as a Critical Technical Practice: Struggling With Hegemonic Computer Vision
Pereira, G. (2021) · A Peer-Reviewed Journal About · doi:10.7146/aprja.v10i1.128185 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Garcia, M. B., Rosak-Szyrocka, J., Yılmaz, R., Metwally, A. H. S., Acut, D. P., Ofosu‐Ampong, K., Erdoğdu, F., Fung, C. Y., & Bozkurt, A. (2025) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.5250120 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Acceptance of Professional Service Robots: A Cross-Cultural Study
Jembere, S. T., Moodley, P., & Kiliswa, N. G. (2023) · African Journal of Inter/Multidisciplinary Studies · doi:10.51415/ajims.v5i1.1162 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Akkem, Y., Biswas, S. K., & Aruna, V. (2025) · Journal of Experimental & Theoretical Artificial Intelligence · doi:10.1080/0952813x.2025.2595024 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Emancipatory Information Retrieval
Mitra, B. (2025) · Information Retrieval Research · doi:10.54195/irrj.24531 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Geographical diversification of educational leadership research: Gaps in our understanding
Campbell, P., & Mertkan, Ş. (2025) · Management in Education · doi:10.1177/08920206251407030 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Algorithms, policing, and race
Ugwudike, P. (2023) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781003176619-16 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Fırıncı, Y. (2024) · Marmara Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi · doi:10.15370/maruifd.1565884 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Social justice and translator training and education in a time of (non-)equitable tech
Desjardins, R., & Florentin, V. (2024) · Linguistica Antverpiensia New Series – Themes in Translation Studies · doi:10.52034/lans-tts.v23i.786 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Gender in a stereo-(gender)typical EU AI law: A feminist reading of the AI act
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Burkhardt, A. (2025) · AI & Society · doi:10.1007/s00146-025-02577-3 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Correa, T., Luco, F., Humeres, M., Cotorás, D., Davidoff, A., Hernández-Estrada, Y., Oyarzún-Merino, I., & López, C. (2025) · Communication and Change · doi:10.1007/s44382-025-00012-1 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
The Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in the South African E-Commerce Space: A Systematic Review
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A Bibliometric Analysis of Virtual Influencer
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Mahdiyin, K. A., & Tholchah, M. (2025) · Al Ulya Jurnal Pendidikan Islam · doi:10.32665/alulya.v10i2.4544 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Philosophical leadership in education: Rethinking pedagogy in an AI-driven world
Márquez, F. O. S., Ortiz, G. E. R., & Meruvia, H. R. T. (2026) · Social Sciences & Humanities Open · doi:10.1016/j.ssaho.2026.102699 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Technical Considerations for Designing, Developing, and Implementing AI Systems in Africa
Mengesha, G. H., Belay, E. G., & Adams, R. (2024) · Advances in IT standards and standardization research (AISSR) book series/Advances in IT standards and standardization research series · doi:10.4018/978-1-6684-9962-7.ch005 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
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Moudgalya, S. K., Palileo, C., Patil, S., Linder, R., & Swaminathan, S. (2025) · Proceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1 · doi:10.1145/3641554.3701898 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Repenser l’innovation sociale à travers le prisme de la décolonisation
Harvey, J., Alalouf-Hall, D., Zhegu, M., & Coulombe, C. (2025) · Revue Organisations & territoires · doi:10.1522/revueot.v34n1.1918 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
- Authors
- Adams, R.
- Affiliations
- Human Sciences Research Council (ZA)
- Corresponding author
- Adams, Rachel
- ORCID
- Adams, Rachel
- Venue
- Interdisciplinary Science Reviews
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2021-03
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 1-2
- Pages
- 176-197
- ISSN
- 0308-0188 (ISSN-L)
- 1743-2790
- OpenAlex
- W3134114820
- Cited by
- 194
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 51 · 2025: 68 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 5
- FWCI
- 23.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Interdisciplinary Science Reviews (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Decolonial Thought and Epistemologies
- Social Sciences › Education › African cultural and philosophical studies
- Keywords
- coloniality, colonialism, race, AI ethics, postcolonialism, South Africa, human counting, critical AI studies
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