ISLAMABAD: The International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) wrapped up its two-day international conference, “Caliban Speaks,” emphasizing the urgent need to translate decolonial thought into policy action, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI). The event highlighted the necessity of defending Indigenous knowledge systems from being overshadowed in the era of AI.
According to International Islamic University Islamabad, the conference concluded with a set of formal recommendations, which were presented by Co-Convener Dr. Muhammad Sheeraz Dasti. These recommendations, set to be submitted to policy forums, called for integrating economic literacy into humanities curricula to ensure decoloniality addresses material power structures. On AI, the conference underscored the technology’s alignment with colonial logic, emphasizing the importance of AI literacy that questions whose interests AI tools serve and how they can be redirected to support local epistemologies.
Prof. Dr. Ahmed Shuja Syed, Vice President for Research and Enterprise at IIUI, highlighted in his closing address the centrality of the individual in any decolonial project. He proposed a framework that places the human being at the core, surrounded by society and the universe, with Indigenous thought as the organizing principle. He stressed the importance of bringing the conference’s recommendations to policy forums promptly, especially as technologies like brain-to-brain interface communication become more prevalent.
Dr. Asma Mansoor, convener of the conference, stressed that decoloniality must evolve from being merely theoretical to becoming a lived, material practice. She pointed out the untapped potential of IIUI’s archive of Persian, Arabic, and Islamic scholarship as a starting point for decolonial efforts. On AI, she highlighted the systems’ inherent biases and the need for critical examination.
Throughout the conference, various sessions tackled issues such as postcolonial subjectivities, technology, and epistemic violence. Notably, Muhammad Nauman Awan discussed data sovereignty in the algorithm age, while Dr. Rehana Gulzar explored AI chatbots’ potential to revitalize Indigenous languages. The discussions included contributions from international scholars, including Dr. Muneera Bano from Australia’s CSIRO.
Dr. Saiyma Aslam, Co-Convener and Chairperson of the Department of English, expressed gratitude to IIUI’s Acting Rector and President Prof. Dr. Ahmed Saad Alahmed, the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, and the organizing committee. The conference featured contributions from scholars across the globe and concluded with the distribution of certificates.