Sara is a woman, a mother. She is unemployed, single, and a migrant. Hers is a layered, unique, and unrepeatable identity. These social characteristics will make her a suspect for the rest of her life. Because for a mathematical model—and for her country’s government—Sara is merely a set of indicators that, when added together, generate a high risk score, a statistical prediction that turns her into a potential criminal. But her only crime is being herself, and sharing a similar profile to other people who existed and were accused before her.
This and many other stories show us that a single number processed by an algorithm can change the fate of entire social groups, risking a return to ancient injustices, now amplified by the way we use these tools. Retracing the history of technology, we can also explore the history of social exclusion: every invention, from the bicycle to the microwave oven to artificial intelligence, is the result of specific choices, values, and human compromises that have a profound impact on society.
Thanks to the rediscovery of many feminist contributions proposed between the 1970s and the 2000s, Technology of Revolution pushes us to reflect on how to intervene to ensure that technological revolutions do not lead to social involutions.