130 x 205mm, 206 pages, single colour printing, perfect bound, softcover, 2021

From predicting criminality to sexual orientation, fake and deeply flawed Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rampant. Amidst this feverishly hyped atmosphere, this book interrogates the rise and fall of AI hype, pseudoscience and snake oil. Bringing together different perspectives and voices from across disciplines and countries, it draws connections between injustices inflicted by inappropriate AI. Each chapter unpacks lazy and harmful assumptions made by developers when designing AI tools and systems, and examines the existential underpinnings of the technology itself to ask: why are there so many useless, and even dangerously flawed, AI systems?

The book contains seventeen chapters charting the contemporary twists and turns of AI hype, pseudoscience and snake oil. Covering case studies ranging from automated content moderation to smart toothbrushes, and facial recognition to FinTech, the discussion draws on a diverse array of perspectives to build a picture of the banalities, particularities, benefits, and dangers of AI systems. Its contributing authors hail from a variety of backgrounds, including computer science, sociology, policy and governance, journalism, law, and more.

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