Critical Theory of AI

We live in an age of artificial intelligence. Machines think and act in ever more complex ways, making suggestions and decisions on our behalf. While AI might be seen as practical and profitable, issues of data surveillance, algorithmic control, and sexist and racist bias persist. In this rapidly changing landscape, social analysis of AI risks getting scaled down to issues of 'ethics', 'responsibility', and 'fairness'. While these are important issues, they must be addressed not from an 'AI first' perspective, but more thoroughly in terms of power and contention.

Approaching artificial intelligence from the often overlooked perspective of critical social theory, this book provides a much-needed intervention on how both old and new theories conceptualize the social consequences of AI. Questions are posed about the ideologies driving AI, the mythologies surrounding AI, and the complex relationship between AI and power. Simon Lindgren provides a way of defining AI as an objec t of social and political critique, and guides the reader through a set of contentious areas where AI and politics intersect. In relation to these topics, critical theories are drawn upon, both as an argument for and an illustration of how AI can be critiqued.

Given the opportunities and challenges of AI, this book is a must-read for students and scholars in the humanities, social sciences, and STEM disciplines.

Inhaltsverzeichnis:

1. AI and critical theory

2. AI assemblage

3. Ideology behind AI

4. Ideology within AI

5. Social machines

6. AI at work

7. AI subjects

8. AI in the loop


References

Index

Rezension:

"This is a powerfully curated discussion that weaves together established and emerging scholarship, and hones conceptual tools for all those who want to understand the techno status quo with greater clarity and insight. Essential reading."
Ruha Benjamin, author of Race After Technology and Viral Justice

"In this book, Lindgren shows the enduring relevance of critical theory's melding of philosophical insight and the demands of social justice. Critical Theory of AI surveys and re-contextualizes some of the most important contemporary critical work on AI, both rooting it in classic philosophy of technology, and showing how AI requires us to revise and extend that tradition. Rich with insights on the nature of AI and accessible to a wide audience, Critical Theory of AI is a compelling read."
Frank Pasquale, Cornell University

"A major contribution to critical thinking about AI. Simultaneously detailed and clearly grounded in critical theory but also written in a clear and accessible way, this book is an essential companion for researchers and students in their trajectory of making sense of the current hype of AI."
Pieter Verdegem, University of Westminster

"a very good book that offers a different and critical view of technological development. ... Lindgren writes very well, making the book accessible to those interested in a comprehensive view of AI"
Ove Christensen, kulturkapellet

"Lindgren [is] an astute, elegant and provocative writer... the book [is] almost implausibly engrossing. ... A glittering, powerful and resonant argument for more stringent ethical and legal regulation of the field"
The Weekend Australian