Decolonizing the algorithm

True decolonization of AI demands action on multiple fronts.

- ANNA MAE YU LAMENTILLO

Digital colonization isn’t a metaphor — it’s an unfolding reality encoded in every algorithm that shapes our lives.

As artificial intelligence systems permeate decisions on credit, policing, health-care, hiring, and beyond, they risk entrenching the same inequities and power imbalances that defined historical empires. Left unchecked, these digital systems standardize norms drawn from narrow cultural, racial, and socioeconomic perspectives, effectively “coloniz-ing” minds, markets, and societies around the globe.

At its core, digital colonization describes the extraction of data—often from the Global South or marginalized communities—to fuel AI models designed and owned by a small cadre of Western tech giants. These systems are trained on vast troves of online content that over-represent English-speaking, affluent voices while under-representing indigenous languages, non-binary identities, and vernacular traditions. The consequences extend far beyond awkward translations or mislabelled selfies; they reshape reality in the image of the powerful few, reinforcing the cultural and economic dominance of those who already hold sway.