In this engaging discussion, Edward Ongweso Jr, a Brooklyn-based writer and co-host of This Machine Kills, delves into the complexities of 'artificial intelligence.' He critiques how the term obscures corporate motivations and draws surprising parallels between modern technology and historic labor exploitation on plantations. The conversation reveals how surveillance capitalism evolved post-World War II, linking military and civilian innovations, and explores the authoritarian tendencies within Silicon Valley that threaten democratic values.
01:13:11
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Critique of 'Artificial Intelligence' Term
The term "artificial intelligence" obscures the corporate agendas behind digital technologies.
It narrows intelligence to pattern recognition, ignoring human cognitive diversity and labor realities.
insights INSIGHT
Plantation Roots of Computation
19th-century plantation control tactics influenced modern computation's labor discipline.
Techniques like surveillance and regimenting labor were transferred from plantations to factories.
insights INSIGHT
Labor Reorganization via Surveillance
Data collection helps reorganize labor to maximize productivity and suppress worker solidarity.
Workers surveil each other to enforce discipline replicating plantation logic in industrial settings.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
A History of California, Capitalism, and the World
Malcolm Harris
In 'Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World,' Malcolm Harris provides a detailed and critical history of Silicon Valley. The book spans 150 years, from the era of railroad barons to the modern tech industry, and explores how Northern California evolved into a powerful engine for economic growth and global influence. Harris examines the ideologies, technologies, and policies that have shaped the region, including the impact of settler colonialism, racialized labor, and the conversion of public resources into private assets. The book also delves into the lives of key figures such as Leland Stanford, Herbert Hoover, and Peter Thiel, and offers a radical proposition for how society might change course in the face of the current economic and technological landscape.
In this episode, we speak with Edward Ongweso Jr about "artificial intelligence" and its implications, particularly concerning corporate interests and historical parallels with labor control. Edward critiques the term “artificial intelligence” for obscuring the underlying digital technologies and algorithmic systems that serve corporate agendas, emphasizing the narrow view of intelligence that excludes human cognitive elements. The conversation delves into the historical roots of computation, drawing parallels between modern AI and 19th-century plantation management techniques aimed at maximizing productivity and control.
We also explore the exploitation of global south workers in AI development, likening it to racialized regimes of chattel slavery. Furthermore, Ongweso critiques the concept of surveillance capitalism, arguing that surveillance has been integral to capitalism since its origins, particularly post-World War II, through marketing revolutions, the military-industrial complex, and financialization. The discussion concludes with an analysis of techno-authoritarianism, highlighting Silicon Valley's historical hostility to democracy and its prioritization of technologies that advance surveillance and social control. Edward is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, NY. Most of his work centers around tech criticism, labor and financial reporting, and book reviews. He is also the co-host of This Machine Kills, a podcast started in 2020 to discuss the political economy of technology. Support us via Patreon or BuyMeACoffee Relevant Links: Surveillance capitalism vs techno-feudalism vs techno-authoritarianismA Materialist Approach to the Tech Industry: From Household to Military Tech with Dwayne Monroe
Millennials Are Killing Capitalism 
