AI and the Future of Extremism

Session Submission Type: Preconference

Description

Throughout the 21st century, extremist political, movement, and terrorist actors have harnessed emergent technologies to great effect. This includes ushering in the “post-truth” era by creating chatbots and hijacking social media algorithms; innovatively using social media to disseminate supremacist ideology and coordinate mass violence; and employing surveillance technology to illegally microtarget voters, altering their behavior.

These developments have repeatedly surprised the social scientific community. Thus, recent sociological research on technologically enhanced extremism is focused on explanation and damage control rather than prediction and prevention. This preconference will disrupt the status quo by encouraging sociologists to think proactively about emergent technologies and how they will directly and indirectly shape extremism. Specifically, how will extremist political and movement actors harness artificial intelligence (AI) as part of an innovative tactical repertoire, and how will the societal impact of AI create conditions that give rise to extremism?

This preconference is for sociologists who want to anticipate emerging technological trends and collaboratively build a research agenda. Our panels will bring academic and policy experts into dialogue. Academic experts hail from the disciplines of sociology, criminology, journalism, communication, and economics, while policy experts represent Data & Society and the NYU Stern Center for Business & Human Rights. Our first panel will feature an interdisciplinary group of experts on extremism and AI. Our second panel will address how the social and environmental fallout of AI could plausibly give rise to extremism in the near future. Our third panel will feature academic and industry experts on disseminating research about AI and developing AI policy. We will conclude with an “expert elicitation” (fancy brainstorming) activity in which preconference attendees will collaboratively build a proactive research agenda for sociologists studying the relationship between AI and extremism.

Sub Unit

• Preconferences

Presenters

• Tina Law, University of California, Davis

• Thomas Davidson, Rutgers University-New Brunswick

• Daniel Karell, Yale University

• Joan Donovan, Boston University

• Alice E. Marwick, Data and Society

• Mariana Olaizola Rosenblatt, New York University

• Mitchel Linegar, California Institute of Technology

Session Organizers

• Adam Burston, The Ohio State University

• Laura Dugan, The Ohio State University