The Good Robot
Why Technology Needs Feminism
Published on 22. February 2024
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-350-39996-9 (ISBN)
Description
What is good technology? Is 'good' technology even possible? And how can feminism help us work towards it? The Good Robot addresses these crucial questions through the voices of leading feminist thinkers, activists and technologists. Each thinker provides a snapshot of key challenges, questions and provocations in the field of feminism and technology.
While the question of whether various AI and technological advances can be ethical is not new, the embedded nature of feminist perspectives pulls out whether this perceived 'goodness' or 'wrongness' might actually impact our lives in the 21st century. This book explores both the radical possibilities of technology to disrupt practices of patriarchy, colonialism, racism and beyond but also provides a significant critique of how we can contain the ethical possibilities of entities we cannot predict. In exploring unjust technological practices and engaging critical voices in the tech industry, the existing moral issues are brought to light as well as the possible ethical quagmires.
This book opens a new space of discussion on digital technologies - one that insists that the future of AI is an urgent feminist issue.
While the question of whether various AI and technological advances can be ethical is not new, the embedded nature of feminist perspectives pulls out whether this perceived 'goodness' or 'wrongness' might actually impact our lives in the 21st century. This book explores both the radical possibilities of technology to disrupt practices of patriarchy, colonialism, racism and beyond but also provides a significant critique of how we can contain the ethical possibilities of entities we cannot predict. In exploring unjust technological practices and engaging critical voices in the tech industry, the existing moral issues are brought to light as well as the possible ethical quagmires.
This book opens a new space of discussion on digital technologies - one that insists that the future of AI is an urgent feminist issue.
Reviews / Votes
A marvelous collection of 22 short essays derived from a similarly titled podcast series hosted by the University of Cambridge Centre for Gender Studies. * Choice *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Laminated cover
Illustrations
46 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
494 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-39996-9 (9781350399969)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Eleanor Drage is a Senior Researcher at the University of Cambridge, UK, where she uses feminist and anti-racist ideas to prevent and contest harmful uses of AI and improve AI providers' engagement with the EU AI act. She is co-host of The Good Robot podcast.
Kerry McInerney is a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, UK and one of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics (TM) 2022. She is co-host of the podcast The Good Robot and contributor to The Guilty Feminist project.
Kerry McInerney is a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, UK and one of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics (TM) 2022. She is co-host of the podcast The Good Robot and contributor to The Guilty Feminist project.
Content
Introduction: Good Technology Is Feminist, Eleanor Drage and Kerry McInerney (Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, UK)
Part I: Good Relations
1. Good Technology Is Cooperative, Blaise Agueera y Arcas (Google Research)
2. Good Technology Is Messy, Jason Edward Lewis (Concordia University, Canada)
3. Good Technology Is Biophilic, N. Katherine Hayles (Duke University, USA)
4. Good Technology Is Earthly, Rosi Braidotti (Utrecht University, the Netherlands)
5. Good Technology Is Intergenerational, Sneha Revanur (President of Encode Justice)
Part II: Good Systems
6. Good Technology Is Inclusive, Margaret Mitchell (Chief Ethics Scientist at Hugging Face)
7. Good Technology Is Possible - But There Are Conditions, Soraj Hongladarom (Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok)
8. Good Technology Is Community-Centric, Jennifer Lee (American Civil Liberties Union Washington, USA)
9. Good Technology Is Participatory, David Adelani (University College London, UK)
Part III: Good Designs
10. Good Technology Is Vulnerable, Os Keyes (University of Washington, USA)
11. Good Technology Is Slow (to Scale), Ranjit Singh (Data & Society Research Institute)
12. Good Technology is Accessible, Not Just "Good Enough", Meryl Alper (Northeastern University, UK)
13. Good Technology Needs an Emergency Exit Door, Priya Goswami (Co-Founder of Sahiyo and Mumkin)
14. Good Technology Invites Response, hannah holtzclaw (Simon Fraser University, Canada) and Wendy Hui Kyong Chun (Simon Fraser University, Canada)
Part IV: Good Visions
15. Good Technology Is a Portal to Other Worlds, Neda Atanasoski (UC Santa Cruz, USA) and Felicity Amaya Schaeffer (UC Santa Cruz, USA)
16. Good Technology Is/Not Asian Women, Anne Anlin Cheng (Princeton University, USA)
17. Good Technology Holds Up a Mirror to Ourselves, Michele Elam (Stanford University, USA)
18. Good Technology Needs Good Stories, Kanta Dihal (Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, UK)
Part V: Good Rebellions
19. Good Technology Challenges Power, Catherine D'Ignazio (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
20. Good Technology Is Free (At Least for a Moment), Frances Negron-Muntaner (University of Columbia, USA)
21. Good Technology Subverts Militarism, Kate Chandler (Georgetown University, USA)
22. Good Technology Is a Fantasy, Jack Halberstam (Columbia University, USA)
Part I: Good Relations
1. Good Technology Is Cooperative, Blaise Agueera y Arcas (Google Research)
2. Good Technology Is Messy, Jason Edward Lewis (Concordia University, Canada)
3. Good Technology Is Biophilic, N. Katherine Hayles (Duke University, USA)
4. Good Technology Is Earthly, Rosi Braidotti (Utrecht University, the Netherlands)
5. Good Technology Is Intergenerational, Sneha Revanur (President of Encode Justice)
Part II: Good Systems
6. Good Technology Is Inclusive, Margaret Mitchell (Chief Ethics Scientist at Hugging Face)
7. Good Technology Is Possible - But There Are Conditions, Soraj Hongladarom (Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok)
8. Good Technology Is Community-Centric, Jennifer Lee (American Civil Liberties Union Washington, USA)
9. Good Technology Is Participatory, David Adelani (University College London, UK)
Part III: Good Designs
10. Good Technology Is Vulnerable, Os Keyes (University of Washington, USA)
11. Good Technology Is Slow (to Scale), Ranjit Singh (Data & Society Research Institute)
12. Good Technology is Accessible, Not Just "Good Enough", Meryl Alper (Northeastern University, UK)
13. Good Technology Needs an Emergency Exit Door, Priya Goswami (Co-Founder of Sahiyo and Mumkin)
14. Good Technology Invites Response, hannah holtzclaw (Simon Fraser University, Canada) and Wendy Hui Kyong Chun (Simon Fraser University, Canada)
Part IV: Good Visions
15. Good Technology Is a Portal to Other Worlds, Neda Atanasoski (UC Santa Cruz, USA) and Felicity Amaya Schaeffer (UC Santa Cruz, USA)
16. Good Technology Is/Not Asian Women, Anne Anlin Cheng (Princeton University, USA)
17. Good Technology Holds Up a Mirror to Ourselves, Michele Elam (Stanford University, USA)
18. Good Technology Needs Good Stories, Kanta Dihal (Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, UK)
Part V: Good Rebellions
19. Good Technology Challenges Power, Catherine D'Ignazio (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
20. Good Technology Is Free (At Least for a Moment), Frances Negron-Muntaner (University of Columbia, USA)
21. Good Technology Subverts Militarism, Kate Chandler (Georgetown University, USA)
22. Good Technology Is a Fantasy, Jack Halberstam (Columbia University, USA)