Overview

Artificial intelligence (AI) has a wide political and environmental impact. In the last years academics, journalists and civil organisations have centred their efforts in analysing algorithmic discriminatory codes and bias; yet little is known about how AI’s infrastructures are also contributing to social inequalities. Data centres manage and store much of the world’s data and are key infrastructures of AI. This ground-breaking research project investigates how data centres are transforming societies and territories. To do so, it will focus on Chile and Mexico, that have become the Latin America hubs for data centres. This study will explore interactions and controversies on data centres between communities, governments, and private actors. Digital methods and interviews will be combined to propose a transdisciplinary framework to analyse the political and environmental impact of data centres. This research will contribute to global and local debates on the broaden impact of the infrastructure of AI.