New Algorithms of Power in the World of Algorithms. Book Review: Hasselbalch G. (2021) Data Ethics of Power: A Human Approach in the Big Data and AI Era. Cheltenham; Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2023.5.2463Keywords:
big data, artificial intelligence, data ethics, power, human approach, socio-technical infrastructure, distributed moral agency, data ethical governanceAbstract
A book by Gry Hasselbalch published in 2021 examines how big data and artificial intelligence affect social processes and the redistribution of power within society. The uniqueness of Hasselbalch’s research is due to several factors. Firstly, the book presents an original author’s view of what happens to power relations in socio-technical systems, where people and technologies interact so closely that it is not always possible to distinguish between the human and non-human components of the decisions made. Secondly, the professional background of the author is important. She is not just an academic researcher but also a politician professionally involved in the development of strategic documents and standards regarding the regulation of new information technologies, as well as the implementation of different projects aimed at ensuring ethical data management and protecting human rights.
Therefore, Hasselbalch’s book could be useful not only for scientists, but also for lawyers, politicians, engineers, and everyone involved in the development and creation of technologies, as well as the normative regulation of their design and usage. Although the study reflects the Western European experience in the implementation of big data and artificial intelligence, the conceptual schemes could be scaled and transferred to other socio-political contexts. The book prompts reflections on the kind of data culture being reproduced in Russia; how the Russian domestic negotiation space is developing, where stakeholders defend their interests in sociotechnical infrastructures; how the struggle for new forms of power takes place; finally, whether big data and artificial intelligence bring us closer to a “good society” or, conversely, make it unattainable.
Acknowledgments. The article was prepared with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation (project No. 23-28-01288), https://rscf.ru/project/23-28-01288/.
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