Introduction
In many universities today, educators are trying to balance the rapid rise of artificial intelligence with longstanding efforts to create more inclusive and decolonised learning spaces. These two conversations are often treated as separate; however, my work in higher education demonstrates that they can intersect meaningfully. When used thoughtfully, AI tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, and Perplexity AI, among many others, can support students as they participate more confidently in learning environments that value diverse voices, critical reflection, and collaborative knowledge creation.
This blog presents practical ways in which AI can serve as a partner, rather than a replacement, for human insight, thereby creating space for broader forms of knowledge and participation.
Broadening learning materials and perspectives
One of the persistent challenges in decolonising pedagogy is the narrow range of texts and perspectives that often dominate curricula. Academic materials often reflect Western epistemologies while overlooking the voices of the Global South, indigenous knowledge systems, and non-Western intellectual traditions. AI tools can help educators widen this landscape.
When preparing or revising modules, educators can utilise platforms like Perplexity AI or ChatGPT to uncover readings, public scholarship, case studies, or examples from culturally diverse contexts that are often hidden from traditional search engines, providing traceable sources. The aim is not to outsource curriculum design to AI but to use these tools as companions that broaden the search. Educators still make the final decisions about quality and relevance; yet, AI can surface insightful resources that may not appear through traditional searching.
It is essential to also acknowledge that AI tools are trained on datasets that may reflect existing social biases. In the absence of critical oversight, these tools have the potential to reproduce gendered, racial, or cultural stereotypes. Consequently, AI should be employed with caution and reflexivity, with educators actively interrogating whose knowledge is prioritised and whose perspectives may be marginalised. This approach enriches course content and makes it more reflective of the diverse knowledge systems and lived experiences that students bring to the classroom.
Supporting collaboration and critical awareness
Decolonised pedagogy emphasises learning that is participatory, relational, and dialogic. In my teaching experience, I have seen how students use tools like ChatGPT and other large language models to prepare for group work or seminar discussions. Instead of struggling silently with unfamiliar readings or complex theories, they can clarify ideas, test their understanding, or draft early reflections before contributing to collective learning. This scaffolding helps them enter collaborative spaces with greater confidence.
AI can also support group tasks by helping students organise shared documents, brainstorm arguments, or reflect on their collaborative process. In these cases, AI strengthens human interaction rather than replacing it. Students learn to treat AI as one resource among many, useful, but not authoritative. This enhances student agency and aligns collaborative learning with the principles of decolonised pedagogy.
At the same time, AI can help students develop critical thinking skills. When examining an issue with the help of AI, students can reflect on why the tool provides the answers it does. Which assumptions guide its responses? Whose knowledge is prioritised? Whose perspectives are missing? These questions prompt important discussions about data bias, algorithmic inequality, and the digital replication of colonial patterns. Such reflections deepen students’ understanding of how knowledge is produced and how they can challenge or expand those boundaries.
Fostering equity through intentional integration
AI can make significant contributions to equity when introduced as a supportive scaffold rather than a solution in itself. Students who struggle with academic writing, linguistic barriers, or unfamiliar academic conventions often benefit from using AI tools to organise their thoughts, understand assignment expectations, or practise expressing their ideas. Tools such as Grammarly or explanation features in ChatGPT can help students refine language without diminishing their intellectual contributions.
This approach communicates to students that their ways of thinking and expressing knowledge are valid, and that support is available without judgment or penalty. It reinforces the idea that AI is a partner in learning, not an enforcer of rigid academic norms. At the same time, it is essential to acknowledge that access to paid AI tools may be uneven, potentially reproducing existing inequalities. For decolonised pedagogy, this makes intentional, institutionally supported use of AI especially important, ensuring that support enhances rather than overrides students’ voices.
For AI to genuinely support decolonised pedagogy, educators must remain intentional and ethically aware. AI should amplify human learning, not replace the interpersonal relationships and contextual understanding that define good teaching. When handled with care, AI can also broaden perspectives, create room for underrepresented voices, and empower students to participate more fully in their educational journeys.
In this sense, AI becomes a partner, working alongside teachers and students to build more inclusive, equitable, and reflective learning environments. Through this partnership, guided by decolonial principles, AI can contribute to a future where knowledge is shared more openly, fairly, and creatively.
Many thanks to all of our collaborators for taking the time to contribute to this series.
View the other posts in this series here: https://bilt.online/category/decolonising/decolonising-ai/
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