Is AI the new colonialism?
SINGAPORE, July 21, 2026 – (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) – Artificial Intelligence in the Global South: Power, Policy and Progress, a new book by Singapore-based technologist and AI ethicist Sudhir Tiku was launched today at World Scientific’s offices, with H.E. Madiepetsane Charlotte Lobe, High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa to Singapore, as Guest of Honour, before an audience of diplomats and figures from Singapore’s academic and technology sectors.
The book poses an uncomfortable question: who is really powering the boom in artificial intelligence, and who is being left out of it? Tiku argues that the systems now remaking the world economy run on data and hidden human labour drawn largely from Asia, Africa and Latin America, even as the regions supplying them sit at the far edge of the value they create. He sets the old colonial extraction of raw materials beside a newer kind: the mining of data, of cheap computing work, and of the “ghost work” that quietly trains and moderates AI systems.
The book does not stop at diagnosis. Tiku points to where the balance is already shifting, from local start-ups to home-grown regulation, and argues that the Global South can still claim authorship of its digital future. Drawing on mythology and philosophy as readily as on economics, he closes with a call to build fairer “digital moats” so that the next technological revolution is not simply coded elsewhere.
Dr Chi Wai (Rick) Lee, General Manager of World Scientific Publishing, said: “Artificial intelligence presents unprecedented opportunities, but its long-term success depends on ensuring that innovation is inclusive, responsible and accessible to all. This publication makes a valuable contribution to one of the most important global conversations of our time.”
“Artificial intelligence should not simply be developed for the Global South — it should be developed with the Global South. This book is an effort to empower businesses, academia and civil society to rethink how AI can empower communities, strengthen digital sovereignty, accelerate sustainable development and ensure that innovation benefits every nation, not just a few. The future of AI will be stronger when every region has a voice in shaping it.”, said Sudhir Tiku, Author of the book.
Artificial Intelligence in the Global South is available from World Scientific, as well as on Amazon and other online platforms.
About the Author
Sudhir Tiku is a Technical Philosopher and Automation Expert based in Singapore, with more than two decades of experience inside global multinational corporations. A regular TEDx speaker, he addresses international conferences on AI ethics and the Global South. He graduated from REC Kurukshetra with a major in Electronics, holds a Master’s in Finance from NMIMS Mumbai and a Master’s in Ethics from the Rome Business School, and is an AI Ethics badge holder from the London School of Economics. He is also a climber and a contributing writer, and can be reached on LinkedIn.
About World Scientific Publishing Co.
World Scientific Publishing is a leading international independent publisher of books and journals for the scholarly, research and professional communities. World Scientific collaborates with prestigious organisations like the Nobel Foundation and US National Academies Press to bring high quality academic and professional content to researchers and academics worldwide. The company publishes about 600 books and over 180 journals in various fields annually. To find out more about World Scientific, please visit www.worldscientific.com. For more information, contact WSPC Communications at communications@wspc.com.
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