Decolonizing AI rationality in the Ecuadorian Amazon

The social and material demands of artificial intelligence on communities at the margins of AI use and development is gaining attention in Latin America, as is the coloniality of AI. However, there are few empirical studies from critical and decolonial approaches about AI use by communities at the margins of AI development. This ethnographic study examines the uses and transformations of Artificial Intelligence in the Ecuadorian Amazon, considering the case of environmental monitors of the Shuar people in the province of Pastaza, trained in the use of drones and Geographic Information System (GIS) and cartography techniques for territorial surveillance. Through critical technology and decolonial feminist perspectives, this article analyses the power dynamics, perceived benefits and challenges involved in engaging with AI from Indigenous perspectives, providing insight into tensions between hegemonic AI rationalities, developmentalist paradigms and local knowledge systems.