The Global Labours of AI and Data Intensive Systems

Abstract

The remarkable capacities of AI-infused and data intensive systems are regularly presented as emblematic of technoscientific innovation and progress. Far less recognised is the human labour required to sift through and sort data, and ultimately train these systems. This is a labour distributed well beyond the presumed centres of technological innovation, and spun into and strewn across geographically distributed regions in the ”Global South”. This workshop brings together scholars and practitioners interested in and conducting research on the hidden labours that lie behind AI and data intensive systems. Participants will share perspectives or results of their research and, through highly exploratory engagements and dialogues, set out a critical mode of inquiry for future directions in research, design and policy.