Reflection on “Anatomy of an AI System”

After reading Anatomy of an AI System, these five things stood out to me:

1. Underwater Submarine Cables (most interesting)

2. Fractal Chains of Production and Exploitation (most confusing)

3. Income Distribution (most surprising)

4. Lithium Mining

5. Amazon Mechanical Turk

The underwater cables were the most surprising to me because they show how real and physical the internet actually is. We usually think of the cloud as something floating or invisible, but it's made up of giant cables lying across the ocean floor. That can even mess with underwater ecosystems. It reminded me of Technofeudalism, where Varoufakis talks about how big tech companies don't just run apps or websites, they actually own the stuff that makes it all work. These cables are a clear example of that.

The fractal chains of production were really hard to understand. It's not just one factory or one kind of job. It's layers and layers of people and resources being used, and a lot of it seems pretty unfair. The income distribution part also shocked me. The gap between someone like Bezos and the people actually doing the work to train the AI is huge.

This map made me realize that AI systems are built on systems that are unsustainable, both socially and environmentally. It made me want to rethink how much I rely on smart devices and maybe even go more analog.

ai-anatomy-map.pdf

Download PDF • 12.15MB

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Raw Notes – Anatomy of an AI System

• internet is physical

• “cloud” = actual cables underwater

• cables crossing oceans, maybe hurting marine life

• tech companies don’t just make apps, they own everything underneath

• reminds me of technofeudalism → platforms + infrastructure = total control

• Varoufakis: “They don’t rent land. They are the landlords.”

• invisible labor everywhere

• Mechanical Turk workers = paid cents

• quote: “human engages with Alexa… more than just an end-product consumer”

• income gap is insane

• Bezos makes more in a day than a miner in a lifetime

• quote: “child working the mines would need more than 700,000 years”

• AI not clean or smart, just hidden labor

• “immaterial systems are deeply material”

• makes me want to go more analog

• tech feels extractive, not empowering

• everything is built on stuff and people we don’t see

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Assignment for this blog post

• READ – Anatomy of an AI System Paper & Map by Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler

• POST – Download and explore the “Anatomy of an AI” map. Make a list of at least 5 items on the map that are most interesting to you. Among the 5, decide which you think is (1) the most interesting thing, (2) the most surprising thing, and (3) the most confusing thing on your list. Explain your choices in a post as they relate to the reading. Your post should be in the range of 250 - 500 words.