Handbook of Critical Studies of Artificial Intelligence

Edited by Simon Lindgren, Professor of Sociology and Director, DIGSUM Centre for Digital Social Research, Umeå University, Sweden

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to seep into more areas of society and culture, critical social perspectives on its technologies are more urgent than ever before. Bringing together state-of-the-art research from experienced scholars across disciplines, this Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of critical AI studies.

‘AI is not only technology; it also means power. In times when AI ethics is often closely aligned with big tech and when AI teams are expelled or undervalued, a critical view of AI is much needed. Addressing a diversity of aspects from political economy to sociotechnological imaginaries and activism, this Handbook offers a range of critical scholarship on AI that shows how AI is entangled with the social structures and power relations in society. A welcome antidote to the ideologies of technological optimism, technodeterminism, and technosolutionism, and great support for the critical and interdisciplinary project of developing technology that contributes to, rather than undermines, conviviality and the common good.’
– Mark Coeckelbergh, University of Vienna, Austria

‘AI has proliferated in everyday life. Virtual assistants such as Alexa and Siri are present on our phones and in our homes. More and more people use robotic lawnmowers and robot hoovers. There are bots on the Internet that post, comment, and like. Robots and AI have changed the world of work. ChatGPT has given us an impression of how online search could look like in the future. The world’s largest military forces are investing heavily into the development of AI. We need to better understand what impacts AI has on society. For doing so, we need critical theories and analysis of AI. The Handbook of Critical Studies of Artificial Intelligence provides 76 chapters that help us to better understand what it means to critically study AI in society. This book is excellent reading for everyone interested in AI & society.’
– Christian Fuchs, Paderborn University, Germany