The gen AI Kool-Aid tastes like eugenics

Director Valerie Veatch, initially drawn to generative AI's creative potential, became disillusioned after observing the technology's inherent racism and sexism, and the indifference of her peers to these outputs. Her documentary, "Ghost in the Machine," rejects focusing on improbable benefits and instead chronicles the technology's history to explain its current biases. Veatch argues that the term "artificial intelligence" is a misleading marketing term, tracing the concept's genesis back to Victorian-era eugenics, pioneered by Francis Galton. Galton's work in multidimensional modeling, informed by white supremacist beliefs, influenced statistical tools like logical regression, a fundamental component of modern machine learning. This historical context suggests that the technology is "soaked" in eugenic thinking, explaining why companies seem disinterested in fixing inherent issues like racial whitewashing in image generation, as Veatch experienced firsthand with OpenAI. She asserts that confronting these historical connections is crucial for an honest portrayal of AI, refusing to interview industry leaders like Sam Altman, which she views as propaganda.

(Source：The Verge)