OpenAI and the Shadow of Eugenics in Generative AI

A Reflection on AI and Racial Science

Director Valerie Veatch was captivated by the launch of OpenAI's generative AI model Sora in 2024, which allows users to transform text into video. Although she does not fully master this technology, she was curious about its possibilities and observed that other artists were forming online communities to share their AI creations. This hope for connection drew Veatch into the world of AI, but she was shocked by the frequency with which the technology produced images imbued with racism and sexism.

Veatch was even more disturbed by the indifference of her AI-enthusiast peers towards the hateful content generated by the machine, even without explicit prompts. This strange situation distanced her from her initial experiments with generative AI, but it also inspired her to create "Ghost in the Machine," a documentary about the technologies and thought currents that laid the groundwork for the existence of generative AI.

A Historical Analysis

Rather than focusing on the potential benefits, albeit unlikely, that proponents of generative AI claim are within reach, "Ghost in the Machine" explores the history of the technology to explain why it functions this way today. In a recent conversation with Veatch, she expressed her desire to document the genesis of generative AI to provide people with a clear view of the intense hypothesis cycle we are currently living in.

She emphasized the importance of understanding the term "artificial intelligence," which she considers meaningless and merely a marketing tool. This term was coined in 1956 by computer scientist John McCarthy to secure more funding for his projects. The documentary presents this invention as one of many significant points on a timeline that begins in England during the Victorian era with the birth of eugenics.

The Roots of Eugenics

Francis Galton, cousin of Charles Darwin, is the initiator of eugenics — the discredited racist belief that humanity can be improved by the systematic elimination of "inferior" races (i.e., non-white). Although Galton made useful contributions to academia, Veatch explained that it is crucial not to downplay the fact that his white supremacist beliefs influenced the social sciences of his time.

Galton and his protégé Karl Pearson were not directly involved in the development of early computational machines, but Galton's foundational work on multidimensional modeling shaped Pearson's thinking as he developed statistical tools like logistic regression, which is one of the fundamental components of modern machine learning.

Contemporary Implications

Veatch noted that this racist thinking led Galton and his peers to believe that human intelligence could be measured and that human brains functioned similarly to machines. This transition played a major role in selling the public on the fantastical idea of artificial intelligence.

She also mentioned that when she examined the issue of superintelligence as a documentarian, she quickly realized that racial science was deeply embedded in this technology. "Ghost in the Machine" uses this historical analysis to explain why companies developing this technology seem so indifferent to the contemporary issues it raises.

A Personal Experience

Veatch shared her own troubling experiences with generative AI, particularly when she used an early version of Sora in a group of artists. She recalls a woman of color expressing concerns about how the model "whitened" her every time she asked it to generate images based on photos of herself.

She took the initiative to contact OpenAI directly to alert the company about the "racist, sexist, and misogynistic" results she was observing. However, her concerns were dismissed by the company, which fueled her determination to understand why so many forms of generative intelligence behaved problematically.

Conclusion

The voices presented in "Ghost in the Machine" — a mix of AI researchers, historians, and critical theorists — argue that every aspect of the AI space has been profoundly influenced by its historical connections to scientific fields built to support discriminatory worldviews. Veatch expressed her disinterest in gaining access to the leaders of the companies criticized in her film, stating that she did not want to compromise her message by including them.

"Ghost in the Machine" will be available for streaming via Kinema from March 26 to 28 before airing on PBS this fall.