JustAI: Dismantling Harmful Historic Roots of AI through Abolitionist and Fugitive Pedagogies

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Abolitionist Pedagogies for Transforming Education and Society

Abstract

From design to deployment, artificial intelligence (AI) is encoded with historic and current oppression. Despite this, educators face increasing demands to use AI technologies with children. This occurs at a time when the U.S. federal and many state governments are criminalizing education which teaches about race and gender. We ask: can we equitably teach with a technology which carries within it the discriminatory design of society, but nonetheless looks to be a technology which will become embedded within our daily lives?. To answer, we apply a theoretical analysis, drawing on ideas of homeplace, placemaking, abolition, and fugitivity. We close with JustAI pedagogies and examples to teach toward self-determination in a world currently obsessed with AI domination.

Authors

• Marie K. Heath, Loyola University Maryland

• Stephanie Smith Budhai, University of Delaware