Artificial Intelligence and the Black Hole of Capitalism: A More-than-Human Political Ethology

Nick J. Fox ()
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Nick J. Fox: Department of Social and Psychological Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK

Social Sciences, 2024, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: This paper applies a ‘more-than-human’ theoretical framework to assess artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of a capitalist economy. Case studies of AI applications from the fields of finance, medicine, commerce and manufacturing elucidate how this capitalist context shapes the aims and objectives of these innovations. The early sections of the paper set out a more-than-human theoretical perspective on capitalism, to show how the accumulation of capital depends upon free flows of commodities, money and labour, and more-than-human forces associated with supply and demand. The paper concludes that while there will be many future applications of AI, it is already in thrall to capitalist enterprise. The primary social significance of AI is that it enhances capital accumulation and a capitalist ‘black hole’ that draws more and more human activity into its sphere of influence. AI has consequent negative social, political and environmental capacities, including financial uncertainty, waste, and social inequalities. Some ways to contain and even subvert these negative consequences of an AI-fuelled capitalism are suggested.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; capitalism; capitalist axiomatic; Deleuze and Guattari; supply and demand (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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