The New Divide : Power, Control & The Cost Of AI | Hardcover

The New Divide: Power, Control & the Cost of AI by Jibu Elias examines how artificial intelligence is changing the way people think, work and create, while raising difficult questions about power, inequality and human agency. Drawing on nearly a decade of experience in AI governance across India and internationally, Elias examines the gap between the promises of AI and its social, economic and environmental consequences.

The book looks beyond the excitement surrounding seemingly intelligent machines to consider who benefits from AI, who may be left behind and what happens when algorithmic systems begin influencing the societies that created them. From job displacement and embedded bias to the concentration of technological power and environmental costs, it presents a perspective on AI governance rooted in the Global South.

About This Book

Jibu Elias examines the underlying systems behind artificial intelligence and questions assumptions about what these technologies actually represent. He argues that systems driven by prediction can appear intelligent while raising fundamental questions about how humans understand thought, decision-making and agency.

The book explores the social and economic effects of rapidly expanding AI use. It considers potential mass job displacement, biases within AI systems and the growing influence of large technology companies. It also examines the environmental consequences associated with unregulated technological innovation.

A central concern is the need for ethical governance and regulation as AI becomes increasingly influential. Drawing from Elias's work in the Indian and global AI governance landscape, The New Divide presents these issues from a Global South perspective and considers the limited window available for shaping how AI affects society.

What You'll Discover

• How artificial intelligence is reshaping work, creativity and human agency.
• The gap between AI's promises and its real-world consequences.
• Questions about who benefits from artificial intelligence and who is left behind.
• Job displacement and biases embedded within AI systems.
• The growing concentration of power among major technology companies.
• The environmental costs associated with unregulated AI innovation.
• The importance of ethical governance and regulation of AI.
• A Global South perspective on the rapidly expanding use of AI.

Perfect For

• Readers interested in artificial intelligence and its social consequences.
• Readers interested in AI governance, ethics and regulation.
• Technology professionals, policymakers and researchers interested in AI's broader impact.
• Readers concerned with inequality, human agency and technological power.

Why You'll Love This Book

The New Divide: Power, Control & the Cost of AI brings together questions of technology, power, inequality, governance and human agency in an examination of artificial intelligence's expanding role in society. Drawing on Jibu Elias's experience in AI policy and governance, the book encourages readers to consider how ethical rules and meaningful human control can shape the future of AI.