2021/12/15 by Arianna Falbo, Falbo, Arianna, Travis LaCroix +1 · 2 citations
Social Sciences · #Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI) #Computation and Language (cs.CL) #Computational and Text Analysis Methods #Computers and Society (cs.CY) #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Language and cultural evolution #Social Media and Politics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2112.08256
openalex publication_date 2021/12/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Cultural code-switching concerns how we adjust our overall behaviours, manners of speaking, and appearance in response to a perceived change in our social environment. We defend the need to investigate cultural code-switching capacities in artificial intelligence systems. We explore a series of ethical and epistemic issues that arise when bringing cultural code-switching to bear on artificial intelligence. Building upon Dotson's (2014) analysis of testimonial smothering, we discuss how emerging technologies in AI can give rise to epistemic oppression, and specifically, a form of self-silencing that we call 'cultural smothering'. By leaving the socio-dynamic features of cultural code-switching unaddressed, AI systems risk negatively impacting already-marginalised social groups by widening opportunity gaps and further entrenching social inequalities.