A challenge when looking at "AI" development with a critical eye, and articulating that critique, is how the technology affects so many areas of society. Locally and globally. It affects individual wellbeing, interpersonal relationships, and exposure to abuse and crime. I want to help more people grasp the full picture of permutations going on, without being bewildered by the many tentacles of the technology.

In this infographic, I map out islands of harmful manifestations that are all interconnected with what falls under the umbrella term "AI" as it is widely used today. The areas range all the way from data theft and mineral extraction to black box judgment, undermined security, and e-waste.

The purpose of the image is to facilitate conversations and decisions around how to relate to, and regulate, the technology. I also hope to contribute to acceptance and understanding of a reluctance to fully embrace it. If we don't grapple with these phenomena but simply insert ourselves uncritically into them, and ignore the suffering, then perhaps change will happen faster. But that change can hardly be described as "for the better".

The times we live in are marked by…

  • the inability of public leadership to see, and take seriously, all aspects of the impact "AI" development has on people,
  • a wide-ranging exposure to "AI"-driven algorithms and decisions that affected citizens have very little insight into, or even awareness of,
  • and an abysmal freedom allowing large tech companies to claim almost anything about "AI" and its capabilities, immense leeway when creating the technology, along with practically nullified responsibility for far-reaching harmful impacts on people and communities.

My wish is that as many of us as possible help shed light on the wide variety of risks and consequences, so that more people understand and can act in support of their own and their communities' shared interests. I spend many hours experimenting with formats for realising this communication, and my evenings devoted to drawing infographics is part of this effort.

The graphic hopefully looks simple enough, as is the intent, but I've been working on it for two months, and there's a lot of anguish and agonizing over both word choice and illustrations. And over what is not included. Hence I can justify these decisions because they are my own, thus empowering myself and the value of the graphic.

If you find them useful, you are of course welcome to use all my templates, diagrams, and visualizations in your own presentations, training sessions, and work meetings. It's also not wrong to ask for permission, to let me know when they're being used, or to express wishes for additions and edits. I love hearing about all the contexts these works appear in, which spurs me on to do even more.

Perhaps these images will also help you see connections and impacts that I haven't noticed myself yet. Please share!

Download the graphic in PDF format

Harms of the AI ecosystem, version 1.0
A visual aid for discussions and teaching about the impact of AI development.
axbom-harms-ai-ecosystem-10.pdf
349 KB
download-circle

In my newsletters I touch on examples from all of the areas in the graphic. In earlier texts and talks I've gone into more detail on what several of them mean and how they can be addressed and managed. Below, I offer suggestions for further reading on my blog.

Further reading

My earlier texts, models and templates related to "AI" impact.

Swedish government gives go-ahead for police to generate CSAM
On September 7 the Swedish government, alongside Sweden Democrats, announced a string of new “tools for fighting organised crime”. As part of the toolkit they proposed legislation to let Swedish Police “produce and share fictional child pornographic images”. But generated images are not victimless.
axbomPer Axbom
Borg Complex, technofatalism and think-hostility
The Borg Complex describes a behavioral pattern wherein people see resistance to technology as pointless. “Technology is inevitable,” they say, and we simply must adapt. It is a form of fatalism, often disguised as optimism. It also undermines independent thinking.
axbomPer Axbom
The trauma of AI Humanizers
It’s not just a “tool” that can be used for good or bad. Its inferred essence is to replace a practice that helps you think and grow. To make you less you and more “humanized”.
axbomPer Axbom
Data Shadows in Government Erase Human Worth
We find ourselves in a situation where the authorities have heaps of information about you as a citizen, and you don’t know what this information is, whether it is correct or what it is being used for. Do the authorities themselves know?
axbomPer Axbom
AI Trial and Evaluation Worksheet
Many people are telling me how their companies are running tests of AI tools. This in itself is not strange at all. It’s probably difficult as a leader today not to feel stressed by the manufacturers of AI promising revolutionary abilities that will radically change all of business as
axbomPer Axbom
Explaining responsibility, impact and power in AI
I made this diagram as an explanatory model for showing the relationships between different actors when it comes to AI development and use. It gives you something to point at when showing for example who finances the systems, who contributes to the systems and who benefits or suffers from them.
axbomPer Axbom
Diagram: Bias in Machine Learning
Understand the stages of machine learning where bias can, and often will, contribute to harm.
axbomPer Axbom
If a hammer was like AI…
Computations will “estimate” your aim, tend to miss the nail and push for a different design. Often unnoticeably.
axbomPer Axbom
The Elements of AI Ethics
Let’s talk about harm caused by humans implementing AI.
axbomPer Axbom
Human-AI Interaction Influences Product Impact
By understanding the challenges and opportunities involved when humans communicate with machines, you can anticipate and prevent undesirable behaviors and create more trustworthy systems.
axbomPer Axbom
AI responsibility in a hyped-up world
https://axbom.com/content/media/2024/09/carefully-with-per-axbom-004.mp3
axbomPer Axbom
AI and Human Rights
Content for Raoul Wallenberg Talk on AI and Human Rights. Full transcript, slidedeck and references.
axbomPer Axbom

Books

Reading books is an important part of cultivating a capacity for critical thinking. These books have my warmest recommendations.

Image description

For those who want an image description of the infographic, it's available on its own page.

Addendum

Trivia: The font used for the "islands" is called "Alone On Earth." I made a donation to its creator, Amry from Indonesia. The headline font is "Eacologica Round Slab," which I purchased from Defharo. Don't forget to support font creators! ❤️