The New Age of Sexism: How AI and Emerging Technologies Are Reinventing Misogyny is written by Laura Bates, a well-known feminist writer, activist, and founder of the Everyday Sexism Project. Published in 2024 by Simon & Schuster, the book explores the intersection of gender inequality and the fast-evolving landscape of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI).
This book is a critical examination of how technology, specifically AI and emerging digital platforms, is amplifying gender-based violence and reinforcing outdated notions of misogyny. Bates uses personal narratives, expert interviews, and data-driven insights to unravel the increasing dangers women face in a digital world.
The book’s genre leans heavily into non-fiction, feminist theory, and social commentary, with a particular focus on tech and gender studies.
Bates’ central thesis argues that while AI and related technologies have the potential to create a more equal society, they are currently being wielded in ways that perpetuate and escalate the oppression of women. From deepfake pornography to online harassment, Bates highlights the ways in which women and marginalized communities are disproportionately harmed by technological advancements.
Table of Contents
Background
In our rapidly advancing technological age, we often hear about the transformative possibilities of AI, VR, and other emerging tech.
However, Bates brings attention to the more sinister side of this revolution, showing how these tools are being weaponized to target and harm women, especially in online spaces. She argues that the excitement surrounding these technologies overlooks the risks they pose to gender equality, with dire consequences for women globally.
Laura Bates is a highly respected feminist writer and activist. Her Everyday Sexism Project has amassed hundreds of thousands of testimonies from women worldwide, documenting gender-based discrimination, harassment, and abuse.
Bates has written extensively on the subject of feminism, including her previous works Men Who Hate Women and Girl Up, which explore misogyny and its effects on society.
Relevance to Current Society:
As AI, robotics, and digital spaces become more integrated into our daily lives, Bates’ work is especially timely. The gendered impact of technology is not just an academic concern but a pressing social issue.
With platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter struggling to manage online harassment, Bates urges readers to recognize the risks posed by a tech-driven future that fails to address systemic misogyny.
Summary
In The New Age of Sexism, Bates opens with a vivid exploration of how women and marginalized communities experience the digital world differently from men. While AI holds the promise of improving lives, Bates illustrates that its current applications are too often biased, reinforcing old stereotypes and enabling new forms of violence.
Main Points/Arguments/Themes:
- The Digital Divide: Bates argues that AI and digital platforms are inherently biased, with algorithms that often discriminate against women and marginalized groups. She discusses how AI tools, like those used in job recruitment, healthcare, and law enforcement, are designed without considering gender, leading to systemic biases.
- Misogyny in the Metaverse: The book delves into the rise of virtual worlds, such as the metaverse, where women are often subjected to sexual harassment, objectification, and violence. Bates uses the example of virtual sexual assault in gaming spaces to highlight the troubling normalization of misogyny in digital environments.
- Weaponization of Technology: Bates discusses how deepfake technology is used to create non-consensual pornographic content, often targeting women. She shares harrowing examples of women whose images are manipulated and shared without their consent, leading to long-lasting emotional and social harm.
- The Intersection of Gender and Race: The book addresses how Black women and other women of color face even more severe harassment and abuse online. Bates presents evidence that women of color are disproportionately targeted by digital violence, with racist and misogynistic content often interwoven.
- The Economic Costs of Gendered Violence: Bates connects the proliferation of digital misogyny to economic systems, showing how tech companies profit from platforms that allow harassment to thrive. She explores the role of tech corporations in perpetuating gender-based violence for profit, drawing attention to the lack of accountability.
Critical Analysis
Evaluation of Content:
Bates does an excellent job of weaving together personal anecdotes, expert testimony, and academic research to build a compelling case against the unchecked growth of AI and other technologies. Her use of concrete examples, such as the rise of deepfake pornography and the normalization of misogyny in gaming, offers readers a clear view of the tangible harm these technologies cause.
However, while Bates does a commendable job of highlighting the dangers of emerging tech, her critique could benefit from a more in-depth exploration of potential solutions or alternative approaches to building inclusive technologies. She advocates for greater regulation, but the specifics of how we can create ethical AI are not fully addressed.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
- Bates’ ability to synthesize complex issues into accessible narratives makes the book engaging and educational for both experts and general readers.
- The book’s use of personal stories and interviews humanizes the issue, making it relatable and urgent.
- Bates is unflinching in her examination of the dark side of technology, addressing uncomfortable truths about how women are affected by digital violence.
Weaknesses:
- At times, the book’s argument feels repetitive, with several points about the weaponization of technology being revisited throughout different chapters.
- While Bates highlights the problems, she offers fewer solutions or actionable steps for readers who may want to engage with the material on a practical level.
Reception and Influence
Since its release, The New Age of Sexism has garnered widespread attention in both feminist circles and tech ethics discussions. Critics have praised Bates for her thorough research and timely focus on the intersection of gender and technology. The book has been lauded for raising awareness about the under-discussed issue of AI-driven misogyny, but some readers have called for more concrete strategies for systemic change.
Comparative Analysis
The New Age of Sexism by Laura Bates stands out for its immersive and journalistic approach to examining how emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, perpetuate and amplify misogyny. Bates delves into real-world examples, such as cyber brothels and AI-generated abuse, offering firsthand accounts that make the issues tangible and urgent.
In contrast, works like Algorithms of Oppression by Safiya Umoja Noble and Down Girl by Kate Manne provide theoretical frameworks and philosophical analyses of systemic biases. Noble’s book critiques how search engines reinforce racism and sexism, while Manne explores the logic of misogyny through an analytic feminist lens. Both authors focus on structural issues and societal norms rather than the direct impact of technology on individual lives.
Additionally, Bates’ previous work, Men Who Hate Women, investigates online misogynistic communities, offering a deep dive into the digital manifestations of gender-based hate. While the book shares thematic concerns with these works, it distinguishes itself by focusing on the evolving role of technology in shaping and exacerbating gender inequalities in the modern world.
Conclusion
In conclusion, The New Age of Sexism by Laura Bates is a crucial read for anyone interested in the intersections of gender, technology, and social justice. The book serves as both a cautionary tale and a call to action, urging readers to reconsider how emerging technologies could be used to entrench societal inequalities.
Recommendation: This book is highly recommended for those interested in feminist theory, digital culture, and the ethics of artificial intelligence. It is especially relevant for tech industry professionals, policymakers, educators, and activists working to combat gender-based violence in digital spaces.
