Geography of AI Reading List
Free download for educators, pupils, parents and anyone curious about AI's impact
👋 Hi again,
It's been almost four years since I set up Class Futures in July 2021 🎙️, launching with podcast interviews featuring Ryne Anthony, Darren Collins, and the incredible Audrey Watters who spoke about her fears of AI even then.
Family commitments, teaching responsibilities, and other terrible excuses I won’t list here, have meant I haven't published as frequently as I'd have liked. But I have still tried to continue learning.
During this time, I scoped online education (or online schools) extensively, and for the last two years have been investigating AI in a variety of ways. I’ve met some increadible people and have visited some fascinating places: Edinburgh University to meet the Personal Chair of Financial Computing, Loughborough University, The Foundation For Science and Technology, and most recently the AI Summit Series in London.
My conclusion? I enjoy learning and anticipating what’s ahead. But as McKinsey's Forward Programme recently taught me, I am consciously unskilled. That’s pretty scary, and also exciting, when I think about it.
The Reading List
I've spent countless hours reading when I can. Taking moments during holidays, before bed, and from talks I have hosted on AI in education. So much so that I've finally got round to putting together an AI reading list with a specific focus on its geography.
AI is not new. It has a fascinating history, and I genuinely hope any teaching colleagues reading this will publish something similar from their disciplinary perspective. We need a lot more.
Why Geography Matters
When we talk about AI, we often get caught up in algorithms and the data (both crucial), but we rarely discuss where AI happens 🗺️. The geography of AI, from the chip plants in Taiwan to the data centres consuming Iceland's renewable energy, from Silicon Valley's venture capital to China's state-led AI development, shapes everything about how this technology develops and who benefits from it. As Karen Hao points out, AI is an extractive industry.
This reading list covers many different aspects such as the power relations and the very real places where AI's future is being decided. I’ve even popped in some classical texts too such as Why I Write by George Orwell. I should also add 1984 whilst I think of it!
A Community Resource
This reading list is a free resource compiled from texts recommended by academics, colleagues, my brilliant local bookshop P&G Wells, and yes, even my Amazon Kindle's AI suggestions.
I wanted to share this particularly for colleagues like heads of departments who may be thinking about how they teach AI within their subject, as well as teachers trying to make sense of these changes, and parents wondering what world their children are growing up in.
I also think it’s accessible for pupils in Years 12 and 13 who may want to explore their own learning in AI as a supercurricular or something to write about in their UCAS.
The list includes sections on:
AI Geography & Infrastructure
Critical Perspectives on AI Power & Politics
Foundational Texts & Media Theory
AI in Education & Learning
Intelligence, Cognition & Learning Science
Critical Voices & Philosophical Perspectives
Future Perspectives & Trends
Disinformation, Security & Business Applications
Working Document
This is a working document and it's changing with new updates as I discover new voices and perspectives. Please get in touch if you'd like anything adding. I'm particularly interested in recommendations that challenge dominant tech stories or offer perspectives from different areas and people.
Download Your Copy 📥
The full reading list is available as a free PDF download here. No paywall, just a resource I hope is useful for your own learning.
Whether you're consciously skilled or consciously unskilled (like me), I hope there's something here to help you understand where AI comes from, where it's going, and who gets to decide.
Hope it helps and I look forward to hearing your feedback!
Catch you soon 👋,
Jonathan
What's on your AI reading list? Drop a comment below or contact me through Class Futures. I'd love to hear your recommendations 💭.