By: Victor Leon-Melendez, Claire Lustig, Hailey Bilby, Josie Hastings, and Mari Greaney
Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis Trilogy details a long journey of advocacy for the rights of Human-Oankali constructs. It provides insight into a different effort towards care described by Dr. Buolamwni in her book Unmasking AI. In Butler’s Trilogy, the lack of care in the creation of constructs and then the subsequent rejection of them illuminates Dr. Buolamwni’s own journey of advocacy with Olay in a new light by emphasizing the importance of prioritizing concerns of safety and inclusivity over profits and desires. Simultaneously, we must not completely reject the idea of future AI programs out of fear, rather, we must adjust them so that they are not actively conducting harm to others. Both Octavia Butler and Dr. Buolamwini’s Unmasking AI remind us that proper legislation, education, and understanding are required to ensure that neither a complete aversion nor a complete homogenization of AI dependency occurs.
In Butler’s Trilogy, there is a distinct lack of care in the creation of a new species. Nikanj allowed their innermost desires to drive them towards creating the first Human-Oankali construct that grew up to be Ooloi. The first construct child that is able to manipulate genes is dangerous because of its uncertainty. The other members of Nikanj’s family have come to distrust them because of fear. “How can we possibly trust you? No one else has made such a dangerous mistake?” (Imago, 28). The fear of the unknown and the anxiety surrounding a move that was made without care or thought is what drives the distrust. The result is the exile of Jodahs, which is a complete rejection of them and the new technology they represent.
The “journey of advocacy” comes when another member of Jodahs’ family sticks up for them and suggests that “The people are going to have to change the old agreement before more accidents happen. The next one might be flawed too” (Imago, 23). Dichaan reminds his family that the previously established rules and regulations are no longer sustainable with this new reality that they are now living in. As Nikanj brought life to a brand new construct, they were unaware of the construct’s potential to disrupt the natural environment that they live in and the other Oankali around them. If the already existing Oankail want to reach the desired balance of not letting anxiety take over the good parts that could come from new technology, but also not let this new technology completely take over, they need to establish new and expand on old rules. Not a lot of care was put in at first, but that does not mean that care cannot be put in now. We also see this ideology being explored and established in our current world.
Rather than bore her readers with thousands of potential examples of how companies could abuse AI tech and/or not take responsibility for the mistakes and dangers of AI, Dr. Buolamwini provides us with an astoundingly positive example. When she brings up concerns regarding the preservation of humanity with Olay’s AI use, not only do they take the first step by listening to her concerns, but they actually follow through with actions to address her concerns. “‘If we find bias in our tool, we will do what it takes to fix it … .If there is no way to make it more just and inclusive, we will just shut it down.’ I was shocked” (262). We, as readers of her book and experiencers of our world, were shocked too. To have a company as big as Olay stand up for the rights and protection of normal citizens and put those protections first before profits is huge! Dr. Buolamwini’s interaction with Olay should serve as a blueprint for all future human/AI company interactions. Care was put into the AI product that Olay was developing. Care for the preservation of humanity.
However, despite Olay’s presence of care, Dr. Buolamwini says that it is still not enough. She urges that advocating for proper legislation is necessary to protect people’s identities when using and interacting with AI. “…relying on the goodwill and moral motivations of the tech industry is not a responsible or reliable strategy… government agencies would need to be pressured to test technology from companies offering AI services” (264). Allowing tech companies to continue operating without oversight is not an option. With technology so widely available, powerful, and potentially life-changing, governing bodies need to take initiative to protect their citizens. It is imperative that when new AI technologies are being created, that there is a proper response towards understanding its full potential before it ever reaches the consumer market. This delay could potentially keep AI companies from being on the cutting edge of development, which we’ve established is one of the major drives of developing technology. This push for innovation could even be named the reason as to why AI has made the leaps and bounds as it has, and is required for AI to grow effectively, similar to how Octavia Butler’s Oankali creatures rely on unchecked genetic development in order to continue the existence of their species.
One could argue that what the Oankali do is for their survival, but is that entirely true? From what we have come to understand from the trilogy, it is essential for the survival of their species to be in contact with unfamiliar genetic material. However, it is necessary to consider what is done to meet biological needs, and when it goes beyond just meeting those needs. “Aaor wants Human mates. It must have mates of some kind. Until it can get them, will you share what we have with it?” (Imago, 152). The italicizing of must is not just cosmetic; Butler wants us to know that the Oankali absolutely must do this to survive. Throughout Imago, we see Aaor self-destructing due to the lack of mates, so we know that this is true. The Oankali do what they need to in order to survive, but this is possible without overstepping boundaries and infringing on the basic rights of a living being, and should be done in good faith with as much care as possible, which is where many Ooloi in the series fall short. Similarly, AI developers such as Olay have to push the limits and boundaries of AI as a career, and it is something that they must do. In both instances, there is no room for carelessness in what must be done. Mistakes in developing AI can cause harm to people on a global scale, especially minorities. What remains most important is consistent effort to work carefully, in good faith, and in the wake of a conflict, do what is necessary to bring justice to the situation.
So much of the new AI technologies and the companies that create them feel performative and exhibitionist. The companies seem to be in a show-off war with each other, each one is trying to develop the new, top-performing AI engine. There seems to be such a focus on barreling through new technology development because we can, but there is not enough discussion of whether we should. This is where the care and journey of advocacy come into play. If we are going to continue down this path of a new version of AI coming out every other day, we must proceed with caution and attention to the livelihoods of its users. But why take so much care? Why does it matter so much? We as humans find ourselves at an impasse, a transition point. We now have the choice to either let new AI run rampant and take over, completely reject it and try to close the chapter completely, or be flexible enough to adapt to new AI tech in a way that both allows exploration of the future but also preserves protection, identity, civil rights, and privacy. To evolve is to adapt, and Octavia Butler teaches us that no progress will be made unless we can overcome the need to reject what is unfamiliar.