Goldsmiths academic warns of AI’s "dark historical roots" in new documentary

May 5, 2026

South London News Smart London Desk Edited By Jimmy Nsubuga

Forget the idea that artificial intelligence is just a neutral tool that’s gone a bit wrong. Experts, including one from Goldsmiths, University of London, say it’s a deeply political project with dark historical roots.

AI's Troubling Origins

A new documentary, "The Ghost in the Machine," explores how AI's origins can be traced back to turn-of-the-century eugenics thinkers. These individuals claimed science could be used to "improve" the human population. Under the guise of objectivity, they ranked and segregated people based on race, class, disability, and perceived "fitness".

The film features insights from Dr Dan McQuillan, who argues that today's AI boom is not just about innovation. Instead, it is a continuation of a race-based, hierarchical worldview linked back to eugenics and early 20th-century scientism.

"The link to eugenics is not metaphorical," Dr McQuillan stated. "Then as now, a technocratic elite deploys science-like language to secure authority over who counts, who belongs, and who can be sacrificed."

AI as Anti-Democratic Infrastructure

Dr McQuillan believes the people driving AI today are not detached engineers, but participants in a project that amplifies existing forms of domination. This infrastructure includes racialised policing, border control, and automated welfare sanctions.

He argues that AI is inherently colonial and anti-work. According to McQuillan, the technology:

Destroys jobs through automation.

Surveils workers to maximise productivity.

Extracts data and labour from the Global South for corporate and military interests in the Global North.

"The problem is AI itself, as it is being built and deployed," McQuillan argued. He dismisses calls for "ethical AI" or "AI for good" as comforting narratives that allow the industry to rebrand itself while expanding its power.

Context: Goldsmiths and Technological Critique

Goldsmiths, University of London, has a long-standing reputation for critical media and computing studies. Dr McQuillan's work within the Department of Computing often focuses on "algorithmic states of exception," where automated systems override human rights. This latest contribution to "The Ghost in the Machine" highlights the university's role in challenging the Silicon Valley "neutrality" narrative and urging the public to see AI as a social and political force rather than just a mathematical one.

Author

South London News Smart London Desk Edited By Jimmy Nsubuga

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