Algorithmic Futures and Educational Justice: Reimagining AI in Higher Education in the Global South

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming global higher education, promising improved efficiency, personalization, and broader access. Yet, in the Global South, this transformation occurs within contexts marked by digital inequality, under-resourced institutions, and historical legacies of marginalisation. This paper critically examines how AI can be harnessed to advance—not undermine—equity, human agency, and social justice in African higher education systems. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from critical pedagogy, decolonial theory, and AI ethics, and grounded in empirical case studies from South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya, this research evaluates institutional responses to AI integration in pedagogy, student support, and governance.

It interrogates both the emancipatory potential and embedded risks of AI in reinforcing systemic exclusions. Methodologically, the paper adopts a mixed-methods approach—combining policy document analysis, expert interviews, and student surveys—to understand how AI deployment aligns (or conflicts) with educational justice. It also explores the epistemological tensions between machine-driven efficiencies and African-centred pedagogical practices.

Findings suggest that while AI tools can enhance learning accessibility, they often reproduce global North-centric logics, marginalising local contexts. The study calls for a “blended intelligence” model, centred on human-AI collaboration, contextual ethics, and the co-creation of knowledge. Finally, the paper proposes a policy framework for AI deployment that prioritises human dignity, equitable access, and capacity development within historically disadvantaged institutions.

This research contributes to global discourses on AI and education while foregrounding the voices and experiences of the Global South. It offers practical, context-sensitive insights for universities, policymakers, and ed-tech developers.