Refusing on Our Own Terms: The Political Economy of Institutional AI Refusal in the Global South
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This paper examines the political economy of institutional AI refusal in the Global South, focusing on how states, organizations, and local actors strategically resist, reshape, or reject artificial intelligence systems. Rather than framing refusal as technological backwardness, the study situates it within broader dynamics of power, dependency, and digital sovereignty. It analyzes how global AI infrastructures—largely developed by corporations such as Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI interact with local economic priorities, governance constraints, and historical inequalities. The paper argues that institutional refusal can function as a deliberate and rational strategy to negotiate autonomy, protect labor, and contest asymmetrical technological integration. By highlighting case patterns across the Global South, it contributes to debates in Political Economy and Science and Technology Studies, offering a reframing of AI adoption narratives beyond inevitability.
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