Unpacking White Supremacy in AI: Culture, Language, and Colonial Origins

Research Over Mesearch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.AI isn’t neutral—it’s programmed with the biases and cultural values of its creators, often reinforcing harmful systems like white supremacy, capitalism, and racial hierarchy. Today, lets explore how technology markets itself as progress, but really, it’s amplifying existing inequalities and erasing marginalized voices. As advocates, activists and researchers, it’s on us to question the impact of AI on society, especially in policing, education, and labor. Don’t get lost in the sauce of convenience—dig deeper and challenge the myth of technological neutrality. Let’s use our influence to shape an ethical future and push for real change.Technology is Politics Without Consent. Technology is not neutral but is a cultural system that embodies and amplifies specific American values that’s often to our detriment, especially black people and really all poor people and I’m a say even white folks because it gets you to buy into convenience and without thinking about the capitalistic, the capitalistic impacts that it has.Generative AI is saturated with cultural ideology, reinforcing hierarchies we should be interrogating.Technology’s Hidden Agenda We often hear AI pitched as the tool for progress—unstoppable, world-changing, and “beyond politics.” I don’t buy it, and neither should you. Through references to scholars like Joel Dinnerstein, Stephen Cave, and Dr. Kanta Dahal, the episode reveals how technology enforces power imbalances, discourages democratic debate, and sustains the status quo.SIDENOTE: I’ve been nominated for an NAACP Image Award—my second time—for Outstanding Digital Content Creator (Political/Culture). I need your help. Voting is open daily until February 13th. If my work has ever resonated with you, I would be hella grateful for your vote.Vote By Clicking HereHere are my key takeaways:* AI is “cultured before it’s coded”: The development and deployment of AI is shaped by Western, white, messianic values—meaning biases aren’t accidental, but baked in from the beginning.* Tech solutions are not necessarily social solutions: Rather than solving deep societal problems, AI often functions as a tool that sustains the status quo—especially regarding race, labor, and hierarchy.* Language models amplify power dynamics: The very way we interact with AI (think ChatGPT prompts, language models, and policing algorithms) can erase, marginalize, or stereotype communities of color, making it crucial to challenge the myth of technological neutrality.Before we chase the next tech convenience, let’s pause and ask: Who benefits? Who’s excluded? And what are we really consenting to? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theconsciouslee.substack.com/subscribe