The Political Philosophy of AI: An Introduction

Description

While there is attention to the ethical issues raised by Artificial intelligence (AI), there is very little philosophical work on the politics of AI. The issues people care about in political and societal discussions such as racism, climate change and (threats to) democracy take on a new urgency and meaning in the light of technological developments such as AI and robotics. How can we talk about AI and important political issues such as inequality and the danger of totalitarianism while moving beyond mere warnings and easy accusations? How can we do justice to both the insight that these technologies are not politically neutral and the complexity of the normative problems they pose? The Political Philosophy of AI is the first book to offer an accessible introduction to the political challenges related to AI and its (potential) use. Using political philosophy as a unique lens through which to explore key debates in the area, the book shows how various political issues are already impacted by emerging AI technologies: from justice and discrimination to democracy and surveillance. Revealing the inherently political nature of technology, the book offers a rich conceptual toolbox to guide efforts to deal with the challenges raised by what turns out to be not only artificial intelligence but also artificial power. This timely and original book will appeal to students and scholars in philosophy of technology and political philosophy, as well as tech developers, innovation leaders, policy makers, and anyone interested in the impact of technology on society. Title Page Copyright Page Acknowledgments 1 Introduction Rationale, aims, and approach of this book Structure of the book and overview of its chapters 2 Freedom: Manipulation by AI and Robot Slavery Introduction: Historical declarations of liberty and contemporary slavery AI, surveillance, and law enforcement: Taking away negative freedom AI and the steering of human behavior: Circumventing human autonomy Threats to self-realization and emancipation: Exploitation by means of AI and the problem with robot slaves Who decides about AI? Freedom as participation, AI in elections, and freedom of speech Other politically relevant notions of freedom and other values 3 Equality and Justice: Bias and Discrimination by AI Introduction: Bias and discrimination as a focus for raising problems concerning equality and justice Why is bias wrong (1)? Equality and justice in standard anglophone liberal political philosophy Why is bias wrong (2)? Class and identity theories as criticisms of universalist liberal thinking Conclusion: AI is not politically neutral 4 Democracy: Echo Chambers and Machine Totalitarianism Introduction: AI as a threat to democracy AI as a threat to democracy, knowledge, deliberation, and politics itself Starting with Plato: Democracy, knowledge, and expertise Beyond majority rule and representation Deliberative and participatory democracy versus agonistic and radical democracy Information bubbles, echo chambers, and populism More problems: Manipulation, replacement, accountability, and power AI and the origins of totalitarianism: Lessons from Arendt AI and totalitarianism Arendt on the origins of totalitarianism and the banality of evil 5 Power: Surveillance and (Self-)Disciplining by Data Introduction: Power as a topic in political philosophy Power and AI: Towards a general conceptual framework Marxism: AI as a tool for technocapitalism Foucault: How AI subjects us and makes us into subjects Disciplining and surveillance Knowledge, power, and the making and shaping of subjects and selves Technoperformances, power, and AI Conclusion and remaining questions 6 What about Non-Humans? Environmental Politics and Posthumanism Introduction: Beyond a human-centered politics of AI and robotics Not only humans count, politically: The political status of animals and (non-human) nature Implications for the politics of AI and robotics The political significance of the impact of AI on non-humans and natural environments Political status for AI itself? 7 Conclusion: Political Technologies What I have done in this book and what we can conclude What needs to be done next: The question regarding political technologies References Index End User License Agreement