Performative Ethics From Within the Ivory Tower: How CS Practitioners Uphold Systems of Oppression

Abstract

This paper analyzes where Artificial Intelligence (AI) ethics research fails and breaks down the dangers of well-intentioned but ultimately performative ethics research. A large majority of AI ethics research is criticized for not providing a comprehensive analysis of  how AI is interconnected with sociological systems of oppression and power. Our work contributes to the handful of research that presents intersectional, Western systems of oppression and power as a framework for examining AI ethics work and the complexities of building less harmful technology; directly connecting technology to named systems such as capitalism and classism, colonialism, racism and white supremacy, patriarchy, and ableism. We then explore current AI ethics rhetoric’s effect on the AI ethics domain. We conclude by providing an applied example to contextualize intersectional systems of oppression and AI interventions in the US justice system and present actionable steps for AI practitioners to participate in a less performative, critical analysis of AI.

This article appears in the AI & Society track.