A growing number of scholars and political thinkers say global power is increasingly shifting from traditional military and territorial control to technology, finance and data systems, warning that major technology companies are becoming the new centres of influence in what they describe as a modern form of colonialism.
The debate gained renewed attention following investigations into the use of artificial intelligence in warfare, particularly reports that Israeli-linked AI systems such as Lavender and Gospel were used to identify military targets in Gaza.
Analysts say such developments show how modern conflicts are increasingly shaped not just by soldiers and weapons, but by algorithms, surveillance systems and control over digital infrastructure.
Experts argue that while formal colonial rule may have ended across much of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, the structures of domination have simply evolved into new forms embedded in technology platforms, financial systems and information networks.
Esra Albayrak, chair of the NUN Foundation for Education and Culture, said many younger generations may believe they have never experienced colonialism, yet continue to live under its influence through technology and cultural systems shaped by external powers.
She argued that artificial intelligence presents a particularly powerful example because many leading AI models are trained predominantly on Western-generated data. According to her, this creates a risk that non-Western languages, histories and cultural realities will be marginalised, allowing old hierarchies to persist in digital form.
Scholars in decolonial theory say this trend reflects a deeper problem in which modern ideas of development and progress are still often defined according to Western standards. Walter D. Mignolo, a professor at Duke University, said coloniality remains active globally through culture, economics and knowledge production, even after formal empires collapsed.
The concerns extend beyond technology into global finance. British economist Ann Pettifor argued that modern domination increasingly comes from international financial structures, including large asset managers such as BlackRock, which wield enormous influence over energy prices, debt markets and economic policy.
According to analysts, many developing countries remain trapped by foreign debt and financial dependence, forcing governments to prioritise loan repayments over critical sectors like healthcare and education.
Observers say these overlapping systems from AI and social media algorithms to global debt markets and foreign-owned digital infrastructure now shape everyday life, determining what information people see, how governments access funding and how societies participate in the global economy.
The emerging debate suggests that the question of colonization in the 21st century is no longer centred on land occupation alone, but increasingly on who controls technology, finance, energy and information flows across the world.
