AI and the Global South

Frameworks and user studies for Responsible AI in the Global South.

Publications

1. A. Ghoshal, M. Brandao, R. Abu-Salma, and S. Modgil, “Embodied AI at the Margins: Postcolonial Ethics for Intelligent Robotic Systems,” in AAAI/ACM Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Society (AIES), 2025. [Abstract] [PDF]

   As artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robots increasingly permeate global societies, critical questions emerge about their ethical governance in diverse cultural contexts. This paper interrogates the adequacy of dominant roboethics frameworks when applied to Global South environments, where unique sociotechnical landscapes demand a reevaluation of Western-centric ethical assumptions. Through thematic analysis of seven major ethical standards for AI and robotics, we uncover systemic limitations that present challenges in non-Western contexts - such as assumptions about standardized testing infrastructures, individualistic notions of autonomy, and universalized ethical principles. The uncritical adoption of these frameworks risks reproducing colonial power dynamics in which technological authority flows from centers of AI production rather than from the communities most affected by deployment. Instead of replacing existing frameworks entirely, we propose augmenting them through four complementary ethical dimensions developed through a postcolonial lens: epistemic non-imposition, onto-contextual consistency, agentic boundaries, and embodied spatial justice. These principles provide conceptual scaffolding for technological governance that respects indigenous knowledge systems, preserves cultural coherence, accounts for communal decision structures, and enhances substantive capabilities for Global South communities. The paper demonstrates practical implementation pathways for these principles across technological life cycles, offering actionable guidance for dataset curation, task design, and deployment protocols that mitigate power asymmetries in cross-cultural robotics implementation. This approach moves beyond surface-level adaptation to re-conceptualize how robotic systems may ethically function within the complex social ecologies of the Global South while fostering genuine technological sovereignty.

2. A. Ghoshal, M. Brandao, and R. Abu-Salma, “Value Alignment in the Global South: A Multidimensional Approach to Norm Elicitation in Indian Contexts,” in ICLR 2025 Workshop on Bidirectional Human-AI Alignment (BiAlign), 2025. [Abstract] [PDF]

   This paper addresses critical gaps in artificial intelligence (AI) value alignment research concerning historically marginalized communities in the Global South, with a specific focus on Dalits and Adivasis in India. We propose a multidimensional approach that integrates B.R. Ambedkar’s and Amartya Sen’s theoretical frameworks for social justice with Clifford Geertz’s thick description methodology to develop context-sensitive norm elicitation processes. By examining how deeply entrenched sociopolitical hierarchies influence these communities’ agency to process and express information about their own values, we demonstrate that conventional approaches to value alignment inadequately address the unique challenges faced by these communities. Our framework emphasizes the role of Indian AI missions in creating culturally relevant scenarios for norm elicitation, ensuring meaningful participation of marginalized communities in AI alignment processes. This approach not only advances the discourse on inclusive AI development, but also provides practical strategies for implementing value alignment methodologies that acknowledge and address historical power dynamics.

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