Kate Crawford

Kate Crawford

"The researcher who traced AI back through the mines, warehouses, and data centers the industry would rather you not see."

Kate Crawford is a researcher, writer, and professor who has spent over a decade studying the social and political implications of artificial intelligence. She holds a research position at Microsoft Research, is a Distinguished Research Professor at NYU, and co-founded the AI Now Institute, one of the first research centers dedicated to studying AI's effects on society. Crawford has advised the White House, the European Parliament, and the United Nations on AI policy, blending computer science with anthropology, labor history, and environmental science. Atlas of AI grew out of years of fieldwork — visiting mines, data centers, and warehouses — that most discussions of AI never go near.

1 book featured·Co-founder, AI Now Institute·Research Professor, NYU
Atlas of AI Summary & Review: The True Cost Behind Every Query — Read SummaryBrowse All Books ↓
Kate Crawford

Books by Kate Crawford

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Key Ideas & Recurring Themes

AI is a physical, extractive industry

Every model depends on mined minerals, fossil-fueled data centers, and physical hardware — not weightless “cloud” software.

“Ghost work” makes AI look automated

Millions of underpaid workers label data and moderate content behind the scenes so finished systems appear fully automatic.

Classification is never neutral

Sorting people by gender, emotion, or risk score bakes in the assumptions of whoever built the system — with real consequences.

Notable Quotes

"AI is neither artificial nor intelligent."
— Atlas of AI
"Data is not simply a natural resource waiting to be extracted, but is something that is produced."
— Atlas of AI
"To observe the world at scale is already an act of political power."
— Atlas of AI

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Book Author Kate Crawford