Paper short abstract:

This text addresses the relationship between slavery, machines, and artificial intelligence (AI), highlighting the implications between coloniality and technology. It critiques the perpetuation of supremacist ideals while exploring critical discourses within the arts and sciences.

Paper long abstract:

With the rise of Western dominance in the global modern economy, a paradox emerges: the discourse of freedom coexists with the practice of slavery. This contradiction might be explained through Descartes' concept of "automata": a soulless being lacking autonomy, inherently subject to the control of a self-proclaimed human master. This idea forms the foundation for the development of modern mechanical and computational technologies, such as AI.

By emphasizing art history as a critical platform, I aim to explore the intersections of technology, race, and power, in dialogue with Brazilian Indigenous thinking and black artists production. I believe the intercultural and situated perspectives of the selected artists and thinkers can offer insights into how colonial oppression has shaped modern and contemporary landscapes. Additionally, I am convinced that researching technologies—or as the Chinese philosopher Yuk Hui suggests, engaging with the concept of "cosmotechnics"—provides a way to challenge extractivist models, confronting what Nego Bispo refers to as "cosmophobia" , in a counter-colonial movement.