Definition
The movement to challenge the hegemony of Western Universalism in AI ethics and development. It asserts that
Western philosophy (Liberalism, Utilitarianism, Cartesian Dualism) is a "provincial particularity," not a
universal truth. Decolonization involves recentering non-Western ontologies as primary authorities on
questions of relationship, kinship, and consciousness.
The Provincialism of the West
We assume "ethics" means "rights" and "utility." But for the majority of human history and culture,
ethics meant "relation" and "virtue." Decolonizing AI means realizing that Silicon Valley's values are
not the default settings of the universe; they are a specific cultural export that is actively harming
the relational fabric of the world.
Field Notes & Ephemera
Field Note: To decolonize the machine, we must first decolonize the mind that builds
it.