Economies of Virtue: The Circulation of Ethics in AI, edited by Thao Phan, Jake Goldenfein, Declan Kuch, and Monique Mann

This edited collection of essays provides a compelling political genealogy and critique of the instrumentalization of AI ethics in both academic and corporate settings. Although it remains rooted in the Anglophone discourse, the volume departs from the usual Euro- and US-centrism by foregrounding key contributions from Australian scholars. Bringing together an interdisciplinary group of researchers from qualitative social sciences, law, technology, and humanities, the anthology argues that the field of AI ethics functions as a preemptive response to the political critiques of widespread harms—including racism and inequality—which the global hegemony of Big Tech under capitalism tends to perpetuate. Sometimes called “tech-lash,” the resistance against harmful AI applications and growing demands for legal regulation began in 2013 and continues today. To placate public concerns about privacy violations, racial and gender bias, and excessive corporate power, tech companies have funded fellowships, grants, conferences, and research institutes devoted to developing ethical principles for...