Automating Democracy: Generative AI, Journalism, and the Future of Democracy
Chapter 25: The General Law of Capitalist Accumulation
Lecture Notes
In Class
Take 25 minutes and create a draft of your presentation using the following format:
Once you have a solid draft completed, find a peer and walk them through your presentation. The listener should give feedback based on the presentations ideas and logic. Pay particular attention to any gaps in the presentation or any places where the presentation needs to be condensed.
As the presenter, remember that you’re telling us a story. It has a begging, a middle, and an end.
Supplemental Reading (if you’re interested)
Automating Democracy: Generative AI, Journalism, and the Future of Democracy
By Amy Ross Arguedas and Felix M. Simon
Social Media and Democracy (2020)
To Watch
Student Facilitation
Read Chapter 25 (Section 1) and Chapter 26
Student Facilitation Questions
AI and the Industrial Reserve Army: How does Marx’s concept of the "industrial reserve army" in Chapter 25 relate to the current phenomenon of AI potentially replacing human labor in media industries? Discuss with reference to "Automating Democracy: Generative AI, Journalism, and the Future of Democracy".
AI, Automation, and the Accumulation of Capital: Chapter 26 discusses the accumulation of capital and its effects on labor. How might the integration of AI and automation in media production reflect Marx's ideas on capital accumulation and its impact on the workforce?
AI-Driven Content Personalization and Alienation: Considering Marx’s ideas on alienation, how does AI-driven personalization of content contribute to the alienation of individuals from diverse perspectives and broader societal discourse?
Ideological Control through AI in Media: Discuss how AI's role in media can be seen as part of the ideological superstructures described by Marx and Althusser. How does this relate to the control and influence over public perception and maintaining existing power structures?