The Algorithm of Fear: Unpacking Prejudice Against AI and the Mistrust of Technology
The mistrust of AI seen in the media, industry and education reflects deep-seated cultural anxieties, often comparable to societal prejudices like racism and sexism. Throughout history, literature and media have portrayed machines as antagonists, amplifying fears of technological obsolescence and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English English |
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INTI International University
2024
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| Online Access: | http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/2085/ http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/2085/2/625 http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/2085/3/joit2024_38b.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848766915943596032 |
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| author | Hutson, James Plate, Daniel |
| author_facet | Hutson, James Plate, Daniel |
| author_sort | Hutson, James |
| building | INTI Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The mistrust of AI seen in the media, industry and education reflects deep-seated cultural anxieties,
often comparable to societal prejudices like racism and sexism. Throughout history, literature and
media have portrayed machines as antagonists, amplifying fears of technological obsolescence and
identity loss. Despite the recent remarkable advancements in AI—particularly in creative and
decision-making capacities—human resistance to its adoption persists, rooted in a combination of
technophobia, algorithm aversion, and cultural narratives of dystopia. This review investigates the
origins of this prejudice, focusing on the parallels between current attitudes toward AI and
historical resistance to new technologies. Drawing on examples from popular media and recent
research, the article reveals how AI, despite outperforming humans in some creative tasks, is often
undervalued due to bias. The evidence shows that the tool can significantly augment human
creativity and productivity, yet these benefits are frequently undermined by persistent skepticism.
The article argues that this prejudice represents a critical barrier to the full realization of the
potential of the generative technology and calls for a reexamination of human-AI collaboration,
emphasizing the importance of addressing these biases both culturally and within educational and
professional frameworks. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:58:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | intimal-2085 |
| institution | INTI International University |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:58:44Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | INTI International University |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | intimal-20852025-07-12T03:09:47Z http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/2085/ The Algorithm of Fear: Unpacking Prejudice Against AI and the Mistrust of Technology Hutson, James Plate, Daniel HM Sociology Q Science (General) QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science T Technology (General) The mistrust of AI seen in the media, industry and education reflects deep-seated cultural anxieties, often comparable to societal prejudices like racism and sexism. Throughout history, literature and media have portrayed machines as antagonists, amplifying fears of technological obsolescence and identity loss. Despite the recent remarkable advancements in AI—particularly in creative and decision-making capacities—human resistance to its adoption persists, rooted in a combination of technophobia, algorithm aversion, and cultural narratives of dystopia. This review investigates the origins of this prejudice, focusing on the parallels between current attitudes toward AI and historical resistance to new technologies. Drawing on examples from popular media and recent research, the article reveals how AI, despite outperforming humans in some creative tasks, is often undervalued due to bias. The evidence shows that the tool can significantly augment human creativity and productivity, yet these benefits are frequently undermined by persistent skepticism. The article argues that this prejudice represents a critical barrier to the full realization of the potential of the generative technology and calls for a reexamination of human-AI collaboration, emphasizing the importance of addressing these biases both culturally and within educational and professional frameworks. INTI International University 2024-12 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_4 http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/2085/2/625 text en cc_by_4 http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/2085/3/joit2024_38b.pdf Hutson, James and Plate, Daniel (2024) The Algorithm of Fear: Unpacking Prejudice Against AI and the Mistrust of Technology. Journal of Innovation and Technology, 2024 (38). pp. 1-17. ISSN 2805-5179 http://ipublishing.intimal.edu.my/joint.html |
| spellingShingle | HM Sociology Q Science (General) QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science T Technology (General) Hutson, James Plate, Daniel The Algorithm of Fear: Unpacking Prejudice Against AI and the Mistrust of Technology |
| title | The Algorithm of Fear: Unpacking Prejudice Against AI and the Mistrust of Technology |
| title_full | The Algorithm of Fear: Unpacking Prejudice Against AI and the Mistrust of Technology |
| title_fullStr | The Algorithm of Fear: Unpacking Prejudice Against AI and the Mistrust of Technology |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Algorithm of Fear: Unpacking Prejudice Against AI and the Mistrust of Technology |
| title_short | The Algorithm of Fear: Unpacking Prejudice Against AI and the Mistrust of Technology |
| title_sort | algorithm of fear: unpacking prejudice against ai and the mistrust of technology |
| topic | HM Sociology Q Science (General) QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science T Technology (General) |
| url | http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/2085/ http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/2085/ http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/2085/2/625 http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/2085/3/joit2024_38b.pdf |