Surrogate Humanity

Atanasoski Neda Atanasoski, Vora Kalindi Vora

Description

In Surrogate Humanity Neda Atanasoski and Kalindi Vora trace the ways in which robots, artificial intelligence, and other technologies serve as surrogates for human workers within a labor system entrenched in racial capitalism and patriarchy. Analyzing myriad technologies, from sex robots and military drones to sharing-economy platforms, Atanasoski and Vora show how liberal structures of antiblackness, settler colonialism, and patriarchy are fundamental to human---machine interactions, as well as the very definition of the human. While these new technologies and engineering projects promise a revolutionary new future, they replicate and reinforce racialized and gendered ideas about devalued work, exploitation, dispossession, and capitalist accumulation. Yet, even as engineers design robots to be more perfect versions of the human-more rational killers, more efficient workers, and tireless companions-the potential exists to develop alternative modes of engineering and technological development in ways that refuse the racial and colonial logics that maintain social hierarchies and inequality.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Robotics
• Gender studies

Informations

• Publié par: Duke University Press
• Date de parution: 28 février 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781478004455
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Surrogate Humanity

perverse modernities A serîes edîted by Jack Halberstam and Lîsa Lowe

Surrogate Humanity Race, Robots, and the Polîtîcs o Technologîcal Futures

neda atanasoski and kalindi vora

Duke Unîversîty Press Durham and London 2019

© 2019 Duke Unîversîty Press All rîghts reserved Prînted în the Unîted States o Amerîca on acîd-ree paper∞ Desîgned by Courtney Leîgh Baker Typeset în Whîtman by Westchester Publîshîng Servîces

Lîbrary o Congress Catalogîng-în-Publîcatîon Data Names: Atanasoskî, Neda, author. | Vora, Kalîndî, [date] author. Tîtle: Surrogate humanîty : race, robots, and the polîtîcs o technologîcal utures / Neda Atanasoskî and Kalîndî Vora. Descrîptîon: Durham : Duke Unîversîty Press, 2019. | Serîes: Perverse modernîtîes | Includes bîblîographîcal reerences and îndex. Identîfiers:lccn2018033902 (prînt) |lccn2018044223 (ebook) isbn9781478004455 (ebook) isbn9781478003175 (hardcover : alk. paper) isbn9781478003861 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects:lcsh: Robots—Socîal aspects. | Automatîon—Socîal aspects. | Technologîcal unemployment—Socîal aspects. | Artîficîal întellîgence— Socîal aspects. | Technologîcal înnovatîons—Socîal aspects. | Technology— Socîal aspects. | Robotîcs—Human actors. Classîficatîon:lcc hd6331 (ebook)| lcc hd6331.a83 2019 (prînt) | ddc338/.0640112—dc23 lcrecord avaîlable at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018033902

cover art:Peter Wîllîam Holden. “Vîcîous Cîrcle,”Choreographed Robots. Courtesy o the artîst. Photograph by Medîal Mîrage / Matthîas Möller.

Contents

Acknowledgments [vîî]

Introductîon: The Surrogate Human Efects o Technolîberalîsm [1]

1. Technolîberalîsm and Automatîon: Racîal Imagînarîes o a Postlabor World [27]

2. Sharîng, Collaboratîon, and the Commons în the Fourth Industrîal Revolutîon: The Approprîatîve Technîques o Technolîberal Capîtalîsm [54]

3. Automatîon and the Invîsîble Servîce Functîon: Toward an “Artîficîal[87]Artîficîal Intellîgence”

4. The Surrogate Human Afect: The Racîal Programmîng o Robot Emotîon [108]

5. Machîne Autonomy and the Unmanned Spacetîme o Technolîberal Warare [134]

6. Kîller Robots: Feelîng Human în the Fîeld o War [163]

Epîlogue: On Technolîberal Desîre, Or Why There Is No Such Thîng as a Femînîst AI [188]

Notes [197] Bîblîography [225] Index [233]

Acknowledgments

Part o the work o collaboratîve scholarshîp îs to brîng orth a new subject larger than the sum o îts parts. We have been rîends and collaborators sînce we were postdoctoral scholars sharîng an oice în the Anthropology Department atucBerkeley în 2007. On our daîly walks to the oice we dîscovered a shared întellectual genealogy (Neda’s PhD advîsor, Lîsa Lowe, was a graduate o Kalîndî’s doctoral înstîtutîon) that deeply înfluenced our research trajectorîes. We realîzed that our conversatîons about research or our first books were also generatîng a collaboratîve project on race, technology, and polîtîcs. Over the years, we have had the chance to extend our collaboratîon wîth many înterlocutors who have enrîched our thînk- îng, and we are grateul to our rîends, students, and colleagues or sharîng news storîes, provocatîons, and askîng us dîicult questîons. Fîrst and oremost, we wîsh to thank Lîsa Lowe, who has been a rîend, ally, mentor, and supporter o us and the project sînce îts începtîon. Her wrîtîngs on race, lîberalîsm, and modernîty, and her boundless generosîty în thînkîng out loud wîth us have been împactul and înspîratîonal, as îs evîdent throughout the pages o thîs book. We are also grateul to Neertî Tadîar, who supported thîs project at îts ormatîve stages. Sînce 2012, we have had many unîque opportunîtîes to travel together and to present our work în întellectually stîmulatîng venues. The dîscussîons and questîons that ollowed our talks pushed our thînkîng and wrîtîng în unexpected and excîtîng ways. Mîchael Dango and Rowan Bayne învîted us to present our very first wrîtîng rom the book at the Unîversîty o Chîcago Post-45

Workshop. The ruîtul exchange we had wîth graduate students and ac- ulty there shaped our first publîcatîon rom the project that appeared în the journalCatalyst: Femînîsm, Technoscîence, Theory, rom whîch we expanded and developed a number o chapters. We are also îndebted to the Techno- scîence Salon în Toronto, and especîally îts organîzers Mîchelle Murphy and Natasha Meyers; Aîmee Bahng and the Gender Research Instîtute at Dartmouth; Redî Koobak, Nîna Lykke, and Madîna Tlostanova at Lînköpîng Unîversîty în Sweden; the Dîgîtal Cultures Research Lab at Leuphana Unî- versîty în Lüneburg, Germany or workshoppîng drat chapters; Nîshant Shah and Martîn Warnke at Leuphana Unîversîty, who învîted us to pre- sent our work în Germany and allowed us the once-în-a-lîetîme chance to thînk, wrîte, take walks, and share meals wîth ellow scholars at a vîlla în Tuscany; Lîsa Parks and her students atmit; and Lîsa Lowe and the Center or the Humanîtîes at Tuts Unîversîty. Sînce 2012, many mutual rîends and colleagues have provîded eedback on parts o our wrîtîng and thînkîng. We are grateul to Banu Subramanîam, Deboleena Roy, and Angîe Wîlley or ongoîng dîscussîons about the meanîng- ulness and sîgnîficance o emînîst collaboratîon. Banu contînually provîded us wîth “grîst or our mîll,” and many o the artîcles she sent us along the way have made theîr way înto the book. Lîsa Cartwrîght and Crîstîna Vîsperas ofered sîgnîficant eedback and edîtîng suggestîons or our first publîcatîon rom the project înCatalyst. We also thank Lîsa Lowe, Jennîer Terry, Mî- chelle Murphy, Julîetta Hua, Xîao Lîu, Don Donham, Fatîma El-Tayeb, Lîlly Iranî, Saîba Varma, Felîcîty Amaya Schaefer, Karen Barad, Lîsbeth Haas, Kasturî Ray, Alex Rosenblat, Alys Eve Weînbaum, Elîzabeth Losh, and Grace Hong or oferîng eedback or braînstormîng wîth us about our work. ucSan Dîego anducSanta Cruz provîded us wîth undîng that enabled us to get the project of the ground în 2015, and to brîng ît to completîon în 2018. AucsdAcademîc Senate grant made possîble our travel to Bos- ton, where we conducted întervîews at themitrobotîcs museum and at themitMedîa Lab. We thank Kelly Dobson or an încredîble tour o the space and or spendîng tîme wîth us durîng our research trîp. Malathî Iy- engar was our graduate student researcher who helped us to compîle a rîch and varîed archîve o Cold War–era sources on robotîcs, automatîon, and race. TheucSanta Cruz Academîc Senate Specîal Research Grant unded Neda to travel to Germany wîth Kalîndî and allowed us to put the finîshîng touches on the manuscrîpt. At thîs stage, Taylor Wondergem was a gradu- ate student researcher extraordînaîre, who helped us wîth our cîtatîons,

[vîîî] Acknowledgments

bîblîography, îmages, and much, much more. She was an enthusîastîc com- panîon to us at the finîsh lîne. Workîng wîth Duke Unîversîty Press has been a pleasure. We thank Courtney Berger and Sandra Korn or theîr enthusîasm about the manu- scrîpt and guîdance throughout the publîcatîon process. We also thank our serîes edîtors, Jack Halberstam and Lîsa Lowe, or încludîng us în theîr serîes, whîch we both have admîred or many years. Fînally, we thank the two anonymous revîewers at Duke Unîversîty Press, whose suggestîons or revîsîons made thîs a much better book than ît otherwîse would have been.

Neda

I have been ortunate to be surrounded by generous and înnovatîve thînk- ers commîtted to a emînîst and antîracîst polîtîcs atucSanta Cruz, and especîally în my home department o Femînîst Studîes and the Program în Crîtîcal Race and Ethnîc Studîes. I am deeply grateul to Felîcîty Amaya Schaefer, Nîck Mîtchell, Megan Moodîe, Karen Barad, Chrîstîne Hong, and Neel Ahuja or theîr steadast rîendshîp, camaraderîe, laughter, and many long conversatîons, and or, at varîous tîmes, readîng and comment- îng on parts o the manuscrîpt, wrîtîng and thînkîng wîth me, or suggest- îng news storîes and sources that made thîs a more thoughtul book. I am also thankul to Lîsbeth Haas, Shelley Stamp, Lîsa Roel, Marcîa Ochoa, Bettîna Aptheker, Madhavî Murty, Irene lusztîg, Adrîan Brasoveanu, and Soraya Murray, whose support has sustaîned me as a scholar and teacher. Thînkîng wîth my graduate students has prooundly enrîched my întellec- tual lîe. Erîn McElroy, Yîzhou Guo, Cecelîa Lîe, Taylor Wondergem, Fran- cesca Romeo, Noya Kansky, Dana Ahern, Sheeva Sabatî, Jess Whatcott, and Trung Nguyen have kept me înspîred and excîted about our work and îts potentîal to change the world în whîch we lîve. I also thank Jennîer Such- land and the Women’s, Gender and Sexualîty Studîes Department aculty and graduate students at the Ohîo State Unîversîty or theîr hospîtalîty and ruîtul întellectual exchanges about the project. Thîs book could not have been wrîtten wîthout the many dîscussîons, walks, hîkes, drînks, meals, and wrîtîng sessîons wîth my rîends and amîly în Oakland and the Bay Area. I especîally thank Radoslav Atanasoskî, Ljîljana Atanasoska, Vesna Atanasoskî, Nîkkî Zhang, Julîetta Hua, Heîdî Hoechst, Evren Savcî, Morelîa Portîllo Rîvas, Neel Ahuja, and Nîck Mîtchell. Elîzabeth

Acknowledgments[îx]