Capitalism, Computers, and the Era of A.I.

What is the relation between capital and the computer? To answer this question, this course attends to the particulars of the computer as a mathematical proposition, to its claim to legitimacy as a logic of superior military and political organization, and to its elaboration as something of a natural philosophy in scientific practice. In doing so, we will formulate a conceptual basis to critically assess the glittery promises of current discourse invoking Artificial Intelligence (A.I), which sees near-total automation as inevitable and the threat of sentient Artificial General Intelligence (A.G.I) as nigh. We will establish a critique of the computer as a structure (as a philosophical arrangement with a specific and persistent imagination) to think critically about popular ideologies associated with A.I., often put forward by those with capital stake in its commercial success.