Ethics, Identity and Algorithmic Decoloniality in Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The ethical dimensions in the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are significantly influenced by cultural identity and coloniality, particularly within algorithmic decision-making processes. Cultural identity shapes how individuals interact with AI: while individualistic cultures may perceive AI as an external entity that infringes upon personal autonomy, collectivist cultures may interpret it as an extension of the self, affecting notions of privacy and conformity. This chapter analyzes the interrelation between ethics, identity, and algorithmic decoloniality in the context of artificial intelligence (AI). It examines how algorithmic technologies reproduce historical structures of power and knowledge rooted in colonial modernity, thereby influencing the recognition of cultural and epistemic identities in Latin America, with a particular focus on the Ecuadorian case. From a philosophical, critical, and applied perspective, it proposes a decolonial evaluation methodology for the ethical development of algorithmic systems, aiming to foster a more just, transparent, and plural AI. The analysis concludes that algorithmic ethics must incorporate distributive justice, epistemic pluralism, and data sovereignty as fundamental principles for the responsible governance of artificial intelligence in the Global South.