Broussard
Lecture
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To Read
More than a Glitch by Meredith Broussard (Chapters 1 & 2)
Synopsis: Meredith Broussard's More Than a Glitch explores the pervasive biases and systemic failures embedded in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, especially as they impact marginalized communities. Broussard, a data journalism professor and AI researcher, argues that these "glitches" are not mere technical errors but symptoms of deeper societal problems, including racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination. The book delves into how these biases manifest in AI, from facial recognition technology to algorithmic decision-making, and how they exacerbate existing inequalities. Broussard advocates for a more critical approach to AI development, emphasizing the need for ethical standards that prioritize fairness and equity over technological advancement.
- Algorithmic Bias: The systematic and repeatable errors in a computer system that create unfair outcomes, such as privileging one arbitrary group of users over others. Broussard explores how biases in data can lead to biased algorithms, reflecting and reinforcing social inequalities.
- Technosolutionism: The belief that technology can solve all societal problems, often without considering the social, ethical, and human dimensions of these issues. Broussard critiques this mindset as overly simplistic and dangerous, especially when applied to complex social problems.
- Data Feminism: An approach that combines feminist theory with data science to challenge the power dynamics inherent in data collection and analysis. Broussard discusses how data feminism can offer alternative frameworks for thinking about and addressing the biases in AI.
- Surveillance Capitalism: A term coined by Shoshana Zuboff, it refers to the monetization of personal data through surveillance technologies. Broussard examines how AI-driven surveillance technologies disproportionately target marginalized communities, contributing to a new form of economic and social exploitation.
- Technochauvinism: The belief that technology is inherently superior to human capabilities. Broussard critiques this belief, arguing that it leads to an overreliance on AI and other technologies without considering their limitations and potential harms.
To Watch
To Write
- McLuhan and Broussard: How does Broussard’s critique of AI as a system that perpetuates societal biases relate to McLuhan's concept of the medium as the message? Consider how the biases in AI as a medium might shape the messages conveyed through these technologies.
- Marcuse and Broussard: In One-Dimensional Man, Marcuse argues that technological rationality perpetuates existing power structures. How does Broussard's analysis of algorithmic bias and technosolutionism align with or challenge Marcuse's arguments? What does this suggest about the emancipatory potential of AI?
- Deleuze and Broussard: Deleuze’s Postscript on the Societies of Control discusses how control is exercised through continuous monitoring and data collection. How might Broussard’s discussion of surveillance capitalism and AI-driven technologies illustrate Deleuze’s concept of control? In what ways does AI represent a new form of societal control, and how does Broussard propose we resist it?
