A decolonial approach to AI in higher education teaching and learning: strategies for undoing the ethics of digital neocolonialism

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to use decolonial thinking, as applied in the field of AI, to explore the ethical and pedagogical implications for higher education teaching and learning. The questions driving this article are: What does a decolonial approach to AI imply for higher education teaching and learning? How can educators, researchers and students interrogate the coloniality of AI in higher education? Which strategies can be useful for undoing the ethics of digital neocolonialism in higher education? While there is work on decolonial theory in AI as well as literature on the decolonization of higher education, there is not much theorization that brings those literatures together to develop a decolonial conceptual framework for ethical AI in higher education teaching and learning. This article offers this conceptual framing and suggests decolonial strategies that challenge algorithmic coloniality and colonial AI ethics in the context of higher education teaching and learning.

KEYWORDS:

• Decolonial theory
• ethics
• artificial intelligence
• algorithmic coloniality
• higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Timnit Gebru has become one of the most well-known advocates for diversity in technology. She used to be Senior Research Scientist in Google, co-leading the Ethical Artificial Intelligence Team, but her employment ended in December 2020 under circumstances that are disputed. Her departure from Google has received considerable coverage in the media, highlighting some of the issues discussed here such as data colonialism and the importance of understanding the historical and political factors that disadvantage certain groups who are subjected to automated decision tools.

2 For an example of such an effort in higher education see the interdisciplinary research center in Cyprus dedicated to algorithmic transparency at https://www.cycat.io/.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michalinos Zembylas

Michalinos Zembylas is Professor of Educational Theory and Curriculum Studies at the Open University of Cyprus, Honorary Professor at Nelson Mandela University, South Africa, and Adjunct Professor at the University of South Australia. He has written extensively on emotion and affect in relation to social justice pedagogies, intercultural and peace education, human rights education and citizenship education. His recent books include: Affect and the rise of right-wing populism: Pedagogies for the renewal of democratic education, and Higher education hauntologies: Living with ghosts for a justice-to-come (co-edited with V. Bozalek, S. Motala and D. Hölscher). In 2016, he received the Distinguished Researcher Award in ‘Social Sciences and Humanities’ from the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation.