AI AS “UNSTOPPABLE” AND OTHER INEVITABILITY NARRATIVES IN TECH: ON THE ENTANGLEMENT OF INDUSTRY, IDEOLOGY, AND OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURES
Document Type
Conference Document
Date
10-2024
Keywords
AI ideology, AI empire, entanglement, technological determinism, Indigenous STS
Disciplines
Communication Technology and New Media | Critical and Cultural Studies | Library and Information Science | Social Justice
Description/Abstract
The world today is awash with narratives of artificial intelligence (AI) as an "inevitable," "unstoppable" force destined to "revolutionize" society. Using the concept of "entanglement" from Black and Indigenous feminist science, technology, and society studies, we provide a critical examination of the AI industry's complex intersections with sociopolitical dynamics, technological determinism, and oppression. Instead of viewing AI advancement as a predetermined path, we show how this perspective is socially constructed and has dire consequences for the environment and society alike, especially for marginalized communities in the global and local Souths. Using discourse analysis and critical quantitative techniques, we analyze the discourses surrounding AI, examining over 1,200 pieces of digital content to show how language shapes both technology's development and our collective imaginations. By tracing the ideological roots of AI back to colonial and eugenic practices, we demonstrate the industry's deep entanglement with interlocking systems of oppression.
Recommended Citation
Tacheva, . Z., Appedu, S., & Wright, M. (2025). AI AS “UNSTOPPABLE” AND OTHER INEVITABILITY NARRATIVES IN TECH: ON THE ENTANGLEMENT OF INDUSTRY, IDEOLOGY, AND OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURES. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research. https://doi.org/10.5210/spir.v2024i0.14064
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
