Artificial Intelligence, Neocolonialism, and the Future of Education in Nigeria

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often considered as a transformational influence in global education; yet, its implementation in Nigeria prompts significant issues about digital neocolonialism, epistemic justice, and the nature of knowledge dissemination. This paper employs the contextual hermeneutic research method to examine the intersection of AI, neocolonialism, and the future of education in Nigeria, critically analyzing the extent to which AI-driven educational systems function as instruments of cultural imperialism instead of facilitating intellectual emancipation. The study's findings indicated that infrastructural difficulties restrict AI accessibility, bolster the supremacy of foreign AI businesses in Nigeria's education sector, and facilitate the exploitation of student data by external actors. It additionally disclosed that prejudices are ingrained in AI algorithms, which denigrate African intellectual traditions and facilitate the deterioration of cultural identity. In reaction to these neocolonial complexities, the study recommended adecolonial framework for AI in education—one that actively integrates indigenous knowledge systems, cultivates technical autonomy, and opposes the imposition of external intellectual frameworks. This paper argued that the future of education in Nigeria depends not on the complete adoption of AI, but on the intentional development of a hybrid educational model that integrates technological progress with local intellectual traditions, ensuring that AI acts as a means of epistemic liberation rather than digital oppression.