Artificial intelligence (AI) is often presented as a neutral and inevitable force that enhances efficiency, access, and decision-making in education. This presentation challenges that assumption by examining AI through the metaphor of the “mainframe,” a symbol of centralized authority and inherited power structures. Drawing on decolonial theory and critical AI studies, the chapter argues that contemporary AI systems reproduce colonial logics through data extraction, epistemic (theory of knowledge) hierarchies, and automation that marginalize human judgment. It explores what it means to keep humans meaningfully “in the loop” by designing learning experiences that emphasizes ethical reasoning, creativity, and care rather than passive oversight. Attention is given to online, educational, and workplace learning contexts, where AI risks intensifying isolation or eroding relational learning and the need for essential tools for cultivating agency, human connection, and critical evaluation in AI-mediated educational environments.   

Presenters

• Lee Laska leelaska22@gmail.com, University of Alabama