AI Colonialism

Abstract: Over the past few years, a growing number of scholars have argued that AI development is repeating colonial history. European colonialism was characterized by the violent capture of land, extraction of resources, and exploitation of people for the economic enrichment of the conquering country. While it would diminish the depth of past traumas to say the AI industry is repeating this violence, it is now using more insidious means to enrich the wealthy and powerful at the great expense of the poor. My AI Colonialism series for MIT Technology Review, supported by the MIT Knight Science Journalism program and Pulitzer Center, dug into these parallels between AI development and our colonial past by examining communities around the world that have been profoundly changed by the technology. I will share the stories I gathered from South Africa, Venezuela, Indonesia, and New Zealand, which together reveal how AI is impoverishing the communities and countries that don’t have a say in its development—the same communities and countries already impoverished by former colonial empires. They also suggest how AI could be so much more—a way for the historically dispossessed to reassert their culture, their voice, and their right to determine their own future.

Author bio: Karen Hao is a Hong Kong-based reporter at the Wall Street Journal, covering China's technology industry and its impacts on society. She was previously a senior editor at MIT Technology Review, covering artificial intelligence. Her work is regularly taught in universities, and cited in government reports and by Congress. She has received numerous accolades for her coverage, including an ASME Next Award for Journalists Under 30, two Front Page Awards, and several Webby Award nominations.

Recorded Presentation | 26 April 2023

#Colonialism #Journalism #JournalistsAndCommunicators #SouthAfrica #Venezuela #Indonesia #NewZealand