AI, Power, and the Politics of Knowledge: Why Representation Is More Than Data
M ost of us don’t design algorithms or train large language models. Yet every day, through our stories, our languages, and our curiosity, we influence what gets amplified and what gets buried. In today’s AI landscape, what gets amplified is disproportionately shaped by the Global North. This imbalance is not simply technical. It is structural. Globalization: Neocolonialism or Enrichment? Globalization is often framed as a force for integration and growth. But its effects are uneven. While it can enrich, it frequently replaces local narratives with globally dominant ones. From food and fashion to language and education, global systems often normalize Western standards. For instance, global media disproportionately center Western perspectives. Over time, this creates a subtle but powerful shift: people in the Global South become more familiar with Western stories and ways than their own. AI systems, trained on this skewed representation, then reinforce the cycle. Globalization and...
