Toward an algorithmic coloniality framework: analyzing artificial intelligence governance in postcolonial Indonesia

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to address the gap in understanding how artificial intelligence (AI) governance in postcolonial states reproduces historical power structures. This study develops the “algorithmic coloniality” framework to analyze how Indonesia’s AI initiatives digitally reconfigure colonial and patrimonial hierarchies through centralized data platforms and uneven infrastructure. Design/methodology/approach Using qualitative critical discourse analysis, this study examines Indonesia’s national AI strategy, smart city blueprints and related policy documents. The study operationalizes the three dimensions of algorithmic coloniality, epistemic, institutional and spatial to trace how these initiatives reinforce historical inequalities. Findings This analysis demonstrates that AI governance initiatives marginalize local knowledge systems such as musyawarah mufakat (deliberation and consensus), entrench Java-centric patrimonial power via centralized data platforms and widen spatial inequalities through uneven digital infrastructure, thereby automating rather than mitigating historical inequities. Research limitations/implications This study is limited by its textual focus on policy documents rather than implementation practices. Future research should examine how algorithmic coloniality manifests through lived experiences of communities affected by AI governance systems. Practical implications Policymakers must integrate local wisdom into AI design, decentralize data governance and ensure equitable infrastructure investment to prevent algorithmic systems from reinforcing colonial-era inequalities in Indonesia’s digital transformation. Social implications Algorithmic coloniality risks marginalizing communities through epistemic exclusion, reinforcing center-periphery hierarchies and creating digital divides. This perpetuates social injustice by automating historical inequities rather than empowering diverse local voices in Indonesia’s AI future. Originality/value This study introduces a novel, empirically grounded framework algorithmic coloniality bridging digital governance and postcolonial theory. It offers critical insights for policymakers and scholars seeking to develop decolonial and equitable AI governance in Indonesia and other postcolonial contexts.

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