Further Reading — Chapter 19: Global Perspectives on AI

Essential Reading

Anu Bradford, The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World (Oxford University Press, 2020). The definitive account of how EU regulation becomes global standard — foundational for understanding Europe's AI strategy. Written before the AI Act but directly applicable to it.

Nick Couldry and Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is Colonizing Human Life and Appropriating It for Capitalism (Stanford University Press, 2020). The most thorough academic articulation of the data colonialism framework. Dense but rewarding reading for anyone who wants to engage seriously with the concept introduced in section 19.5.

Stanford HAI, AI Index Report (published annually). The most comprehensive annual survey of global AI trends, including investment, research output, policy developments, and public opinion across countries. Free to download at aiindex.stanford.edu.

Recommended Reading

Kai-Fu Lee, AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018). Written by a leading AI researcher who has worked in both the U.S. and China, this accessible book provides an insider's comparison of the two countries' AI ecosystems. Some predictions have aged better than others, but the structural analysis remains valuable.

Abeba Birhane, "Algorithmic Injustice: A Relational Ethics Approach," Patterns (2021). An influential paper by an Ethiopian-born researcher arguing that AI ethics frameworks must account for relational and communal conceptions of personhood, not just Western individualist models. Accessible and thought-provoking.

OECD AI Policy Observatory (oecd.ai). An interactive platform tracking AI policies, strategies, and initiatives across OECD and partner countries. Excellent for comparing national approaches side by side.

African Union, Continental AI Strategy (2024). The AU's framework for AI governance across Africa. Important as one of the few regional AI strategies developed outside the U.S.-EU-China triangle.

Deep Dives

Paul Mozur, "One Month, 500,000 Face Scans: How China Is Using A.I. to Profile a Minority," The New York Times (2019). Detailed investigative reporting on the use of AI-powered surveillance against Uyghur communities in Xinjiang. Illustrates the human stakes of the geopolitical dynamics discussed in this chapter.

Buolamwini, Joy, and Timnit Gebru, "Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification," Proceedings of Machine Learning Research (2018). The landmark study demonstrating that commercial facial recognition systems performed dramatically worse on darker-skinned female faces. Directly relevant to discussions of AI systems designed in one context and deployed globally.

Access Now, Mapping Regulatory Proposals for Artificial Intelligence in Africa (2023). A civil society report surveying AI regulatory approaches across African countries, highlighting both progress and gaps.

Multimedia

"The Great Hack" (Netflix documentary, 2019). While focused on Cambridge Analytica rather than AI specifically, this documentary illustrates how data extraction and algorithmic manipulation operate across borders — directly relevant to data colonialism concerns.

"Coded Bias" (Netflix documentary, 2020). Follows Joy Buolamwini's research on facial recognition bias across borders, including scenes in the UK, China, and the U.S. A compelling visual companion to this chapter's themes.

Masakhane Project website (masakhane.io). Explore the project's research, datasets, and community. A concrete example of the Global South AI innovation discussed in this chapter and Case Study 1.

For Your AI Audit Report

If your chosen AI system operates internationally, the following resources may help with your global analysis:

• OECD AI Policy Observatory — Look up the AI policy landscape for specific countries where your system operates
• EU AI Act text — Determine how your system would be classified under European regulation
• Access Now reports — Research civil society perspectives on AI deployment in specific regions
• Stanford HAI AI Index — Find data on AI investment, research output, and deployment patterns by country