Artificial intelligence, digital colonialism, and the implications for Africa’s future development

In the mid to late 19th century, much of Africa was under colonial rule, with the colonisers exercising power over the labour and territory of Africa. However, as much as Africa has predominantly gained independence from traditional colonial rule, another form of colonial rule still dominates the Af...

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Main Author: Aishat Oyenike Salami
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2024-01-01
Series:Data & Policy
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Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632324924000750/type/journal_article
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author Aishat Oyenike Salami
author_facet Aishat Oyenike Salami
author_sort Aishat Oyenike Salami
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description In the mid to late 19th century, much of Africa was under colonial rule, with the colonisers exercising power over the labour and territory of Africa. However, as much as Africa has predominantly gained independence from traditional colonial rule, another form of colonial rule still dominates the African landscape. This similitude of these different forms of colonialism is found in the power dominance exhibited by Western technological corporations, just like the traditional colonialists. In this digital age, digital colonialism manifests in Africa through the control and ownership of critical digital infrastructure by foreign entities, leading to unequal data flow and asymmetrical power dynamics. This usually occurs under the guise of foreign corporations providing technological assistance to the continent.
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spelling doaj-art-b12671f8d6a347239540aed3e457f0dd2024-12-04T08:20:44ZengCambridge University PressData & Policy2632-32492024-01-01610.1017/dap.2024.75Artificial intelligence, digital colonialism, and the implications for Africa’s future developmentAishat Oyenike Salami0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4065-3423Technology Consulting and Research, Veeta Advisory Hub, Lagos, NigeriaIn the mid to late 19th century, much of Africa was under colonial rule, with the colonisers exercising power over the labour and territory of Africa. However, as much as Africa has predominantly gained independence from traditional colonial rule, another form of colonial rule still dominates the African landscape. This similitude of these different forms of colonialism is found in the power dominance exhibited by Western technological corporations, just like the traditional colonialists. In this digital age, digital colonialism manifests in Africa through the control and ownership of critical digital infrastructure by foreign entities, leading to unequal data flow and asymmetrical power dynamics. This usually occurs under the guise of foreign corporations providing technological assistance to the continent.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632324924000750/type/journal_articleAfricaartificial intelligencedata exploitationdigital colonialismtechnology dependency
spellingShingle Aishat Oyenike Salami
Artificial intelligence, digital colonialism, and the implications for Africa’s future development
Data & Policy
Africa
artificial intelligence
data exploitation
digital colonialism
technology dependency
title Artificial intelligence, digital colonialism, and the implications for Africa’s future development
title_full Artificial intelligence, digital colonialism, and the implications for Africa’s future development
title_fullStr Artificial intelligence, digital colonialism, and the implications for Africa’s future development
title_full_unstemmed Artificial intelligence, digital colonialism, and the implications for Africa’s future development
title_short Artificial intelligence, digital colonialism, and the implications for Africa’s future development
title_sort artificial intelligence digital colonialism and the implications for africa s future development
topic Africa
artificial intelligence
data exploitation
digital colonialism
technology dependency
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632324924000750/type/journal_article
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