The Method of Critical AI Studies, A Propaedeutic
2024/11/28 by Fabian Offert, Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal, Offert, Fabian +1 · 8 voices · 3 citations
#cs.CY
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2411.18833
Abstract
We outline some common methodological issues in the field of critical AI studies, including a tendency to overestimate the explanatory power of individual samples (the benchmark casuistry), a dependency on theoretical frameworks derived from earlier conceptualizations of computation (the black box casuistry), and a preoccupation with a cause-and-effect model of algorithmic harm (the stack casuistry). In the face of these issues, we call for, and point towards, a future set of methodologies that might take into account existing strengths in the humanistic close analysis of cultural objects.
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Discussions
- [email protected] and I co-wrote this piece on why you are (probably) doing AI criticism wrong as a humanist and why we, in Critical AI Studies, need to do better methodologically than 'So I aske [bsky, 245 points, 15 comments]
- What is the method of critical AI studies, if there is one? @ranjodhdhaliwal.com and I have some thoughts on this that you can now read here: arxiv.org/abs/2411.18833. [bsky, 16 points, 0 comments]
- I'm aware of some divides in the Critical AI space; I found the Offert/Dhaliwal analysis really healthy. (Tl;dr "anecdotal gotchas are not a method") Would love to see more public reckoning of that ki [bsky, 8 points, 1 comments]
- I should say that this is the result of an invitation by @ritaraley.bsky.social and Fabian Offert, but also a reaction to this paper by Fabian and @ranjodhdhaliwal.com that I found very "generative." [bsky, 7 points, 0 comments]
- Yes I agreed a lot with what you wrote! I just hope to clarify that “hype discourse” serves a purpose if/when it does everything discussed above, in contrast with the wishful thinking of “economic col [bsky, 2 points, 1 comments]
- arxiv.org/abs/2411.18833 [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]
- Good luck lol arxiv.org/abs/2411.18833 [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]
- “Few things are as satisfying as an supposedly inanimate chimera losing its deceptive powers when confronted with the rational critic; here lies the vanquished demon, slain, for it spewed lies (or wor [bsky, 0 points, 1 comments]
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