AI Ethics, US Militarism, and World Crises

Lucy Suchman, professor emerita at Lancaster University, UK, is a foundational figure in human‐computer interaction and a leading critical voice on artificial intelligence. Suchman's research works at the intersections of anthropology and the field of feminist science and technology studies, focused on the sociotechnical imaginaries, material practices, and politics of technology design. Her current research extends her longstanding critical engagement with AI to the domain of contemporary militarism. Suchman is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, obtaining her BA in 1972, MA in 1977, and doctorate in social and cultural anthropology in 1984. Before coming to Lancaster, Suchman worked for 22 years at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in California, where she held the positions of principal scientist and manager of the Work Practice and Technology research group. Our interview was conducted in the midst of multiple, intersecting crises, as people in different parts of the world face profound uncertainties brought about by geopolitical tensions, warfare, economic instability, and rapid technological developments. Situating the question of AI within these broader contexts, especially the evolving US militarism, this interview examines AI ethics in light of the political, economic, and technological conditions shaping contemporary life worldwide.