Speaker
Description
As TESOL publishing increasingly adopts Artificial Intelligence-powered tools, algorithmic biases embedded in these technologies risk reinforcing Western-centric sustainability narratives, counteracting the non-Western perspectives that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This study investigates how Artificial Intelligence tools used in ELT materials production perpetuate colonial epistemologies in sustainability discourse.
Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Techno-colonialism, Agorithmic Justice, and Ecopedagogy, this study explores how mainstream Artificial Intelligence tools are trained on Anglo-American corpora, erasing Indigenous and Global South ecological knowledge (Prasad & Gupta, 2022). In India, Artificial Intelligence-generated ELT materials routinely privilege Western models over subaltern frameworks like Bishnoi ecology or Adivasi forest stewardship (Kumar, 2021).
Data collection involves auditing 20 Artificial Intelligence-generated sustainability lessons from Indian publishers for Eurocentric bias and algorithmic testing to compare outputs when prompted with Western versus Indian sustainability concepts, e.g., “carbon footprint” versus “jal jagrukta.” Further analysis will shed light on how the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s Artificial Intelligence-assisted textbooks frame climate action through neoliberal versus Gandhian paradigms; consequently, in the Vietnamese context, Artificial Intelligence-curated readings in Tiếng Anh textbooks often omit Red River Delta climate adaptation wisdom (Nguyen, 2023).
This study recommends that the Ministry of Education and Training mandate localized Artificial Intelligence data training in contextual learner corpora and ecological lexicons. It also suggests developing bias audit guidelines for educational technology.
This research offers a framework to align Artificial Intelligence-driven publishing with Vietnam’s dual goals of English proficiency and ecological sovereignty, with actionable tools for material developers.
Biography
I am Subhashini Gunasekaran from India. I have a Master's in English from the University of Madras and a Post-graduate Diploma in Teaching of English (PGDTE) from the English and Foreign Languages University. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD under the School of English Language Education in Materials Development at the English and Foreign Languages University. Parallely, I have an outstanding career of 5 years as an Assistant Editor (ELT K-12) at Orient BlackSwan, an Indian Publishing House. Thank you for this opportunity. Hoping to hear from you soon!
