Researchers link AI’s future to existing power structures
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Govand Khalid Azeez of Macquarie University and Vishal Rana of the University of Doha for Science & Technology and Griffith University published research arguing that artificial intelligence isn’t an unstoppable force, but a reflection of existing social and economic systems.
The researchers examined how current structures of ownership, labor, and power will shape the development and impact of AI. They claim AI will amplify existing inequalities unless societies actively address imbalances in wealth and governance.
The study synthesised insights from multiple fields, science and technology studies, political economy, philosophy, and the long-run history of technology, to demonstrate how different aspects of AI development are interconnected. The authors point to the concentration of resources and production in the AI industry, citing the dominance of a few companies in semiconductor fabrication and graphics processing units as evidence that AI isn’t a democratised field.
They also examined the labor practices behind AI systems, observing a global division between highly paid engineers and low-paid data annotation workers, framing this as a continuation of historical patterns of exploitation. The researchers found that AI development reproduces global economic inequalities, concentrating resources and profits in core regions while relying on peripheral regions for raw materials and labor.
They note China's different approach, with its state-coordinated strategy, as a counterpoint to the market-driven models of the United States and Europe. Ultimately, the authors call for changes to property relations, governance, and participation to ensure AI benefits all of society.
