Critical AI: A Field in Formation

Critical AI is an interdisciplinary field that aims to demystify artificial intelligence and critique its operations. It combines humanistic and technical inquiry to explore disciplinary and epistemological questions and the techniques of machine learning. Featured contributions articulate the social, cultural, and ethicopolitical dimensions of machine learning in various domains.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 250 pages
Publication date: 31 July 2023
Publisher: Duke University Press

The field of Critical AI is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary domain that aims to unravel the mysteries surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and challenge its portrayal as a mysterious and impenetrable black box. By exploring the various aspects of AI, from data collection and model architecture to decision-making processes, Critical AI seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of this technology. Artists and researchers are at the forefront of this endeavor, developing innovative methods, practices, and concepts to critically examine AI's operations.

This critical project is both historically situated and attuned to the ongoing institutional, technological, and epistemic transformations. Contributors to this special issue come together to articulate and exemplify a critical approach to AI that blends humanistic and technical inquiry. They explore disciplinary and epistemological questions while also harnessing the techniques of machine learning to gain insights into AI's workings.

Featured contributions in this issue delve into the social, cultural, and ethical dimensions of machine learning in diverse domains such as ecology, art, poetry, race, warfare, pedagogy, and speculative fiction. By examining these intersections, Critical AI sheds light on the complex implications of AI on society and culture.

The field of Critical AI is poised to shape the future of AI development and adoption by promoting a more responsible and ethical approach to this technology. As artists, researchers, and policymakers continue to engage with Critical AI, they will work towards creating a world where AI is used to enhance human well-being and promote social justice.

ISBN-13: 9781478024620