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We need a decolonized appropriation of AI in Africa

Technocoloniality is when the use of technology in a particular way causes a colonial way of thinking that seeks to exert power, control and domination, often to replicate colonial patterns of oppression. For example, digital technologies — such as the internet and mobile telephones — and the process of colonialism can be understood as historically intertwined. The integration of and dependency on digital technologies has spread from the West and been imposed on other states — in the African continent in particular. A recent example of this can be seen in the mobile app ‘Free Basics’, developed by Facebook. The app allows users to access a small selection of websites without paying for data, but many of the freely accessible sites are promoting the services of private US companies and are unavailable in major African languages. The app has been heavily criticized as a vehicle of digital colonialism2.

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References

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  1. International Center of Expertise in Montreal on Artificial Intelligence (CEIMIA), Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Thomas Hervé Mboa Nkoudou

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  1. Thomas Hervé Mboa Nkoudou
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Thomas Hervé Mboa Nkoudou.

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Mboa Nkoudou, T.H. We need a decolonized appropriation of AI in Africa.
Nat Hum Behav (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01741-3

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  • Published: 20 November 2023

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01741-3

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