Forum speakers link AI and finance to modern colonialism

Speakers at the World Decolonization Forum in Istanbul have argued that contemporary global power is increasingly exercised through technology, finance, and information control rather than traditional military force. The event, held on 11–12 May 2026, featured commentary linking these modern structures to historical colonialism, with a specific focus on the vulnerabilities faced by the Global South.

Esra Albayrak, board chair of the NUN Foundation for Education and Culture and daughter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, described the digital sphere as a realm of “future colonialism.” She warned that artificial intelligence systems trained largely on Western-centric data risk reinforcing global inequalities and suppressing non-Western identities. Albayrak noted that while a generation may believe they have escaped formal colonialism, they often remain under its mental influence, particularly as algorithms amplify certain conflicts while rendering others invisible.

British political economist Ann Pettifor focused on the financial sector, arguing that the system is “colonising the whole world” through shadow banking and asset managers such as BlackRock, which manages $13 trillion in assets. She stated that elected governments are struggling to control economic realities like energy prices because these systems operate beyond democratic oversight. Pettifor cited Nigeria’s difficulty in expanding domestic refining capacity despite its vast oil reserves as an example of pressure from international financial institutions and global markets.

The discussion also referenced the OECD’s March 2026 Global Debt Report, which revealed that 44 countries face severe debt burdens. The report indicated that some nations are spending more on interest payments than on health or education. Pettifor argued that this financial architecture functions largely outside the regulatory control of governments, including those in Western states, creating dependencies that define everyday life from fuel prices to information consumption.

Walter D Mignolo, a professor at Duke University, argued that “coloniality” persists through economics, culture, and knowledge production. He urged societies to “re-exist” by rebuilding intellectual autonomy outside dominant global frameworks. Albayrak drew parallels between current technological dominance and Rudyard Kipling’s 1899 poem “The White Man’s Burden,” suggesting that a modern “mastery complex” exists in digital and financial spheres, though it now operates through influence rather than military occupation.