Avidya: Foundational Ignorance Shaping AI Bias

In the Yoga Sutras, avidya—fundamental ignorance or mis-seeing—is identified as the source of all suffering and confusion. It is not mere lack of information but active misperception, mistaking the temporary for the permanent, the painful for the pleasurable. AI systems inherit avidya through their training data, architectural choices, and the unstated assumptions of their creators. An algorithm trained on historically biased datasets perpetuates and amplifies that foundational blindness. Avidya in AI manifests as confident incorrectness: systems that generate plausible but false information, that reinforce stereotypes while appearing objective, that mistake correlation for causation. Recognizing avidya as the root problem, rather than seeking technological fixes alone, redirects us toward wisdom practices: examining our hidden assumptions, cultivating intellectual humility, and building knowledge systems with built-in reflection and correction mechanisms. Periagoge addresses avidya by making the learning process transparent, encouraging critical questioning, and positioning students as co-creators of knowledge rather than passive receivers of algorithmic outputs.