Skip to main content
Intended for healthcare professionals
Restricted access
Article commentary
First published online September 13, 2024

Prospects of Artificial Intelligence in the Annihilation of Caste

Abstract

The masquerading effect of caste has engulfed the social structure in such a way that the myth associated with it has perked up in the ideas of existence, making it a reality regulating day-to-day affairs of interaction. Most of the time, it is considered a functional prerequisite. The stratification associated with it has conformity emanating from the acceptance of the identity, which is not evading even after migrating to foreign countries to participate and be part of the capitalist mode of production. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a creation of the human mind. Caste is also a creation of the human mind. Technology has always paved the way for the betterment of society if used properly. Caste practices have always divided society and contaminated the public sphere with divisive manifestations of their stronghold in influencing social processes and policies. Annihilation of caste was the published work of Dr B. R. Ambedkar in the year 1936, and still the content and the context are seen in society.
In the backdrop of this, the article engages with the role (if any) of AI in mitigating the divisions in society. The readers are already aware of the repercussions of the caste system since time immemorial. The diffusion of technology has always been trying to be inclusive, depending on the socio-economic aspect of any society. Industrialization along with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revolution has rendered several avenues and opportunities for the so-called lower caste people to come forward and amalgamate themselves with the so-called upper caste people in the socio- economic process. The article discusses the prospect of the annihilation of caste by the influence of AI. It also engages in discussing caste as a main component of individual and community identity, which has become immune to any form of change in society. The article is based on available secondary sources.

Get full access to this article

View all access and purchase options for this article.

References

Bolter J. D. (1984). Artificial intelligence. Daedalus, 113(3), 1–18. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2002492
Etzioni A., & Etzioni O. (2017). Should artificial intelligence be regulated? Issues in Science and Technology, 33(4), 32–36. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44577330
Kamble S. (2023, August 11). Caste-based discrimination in AI algorithms: Necessity of leading science, not just sharing narratives! Round Table India. https://www.roundtableindia.co.in/caste-and-ai/
Mosse D. (2018). Caste and development: Contemporary perspectives on a structure of discrimination and advantage. World Development, 110, 422–436.
PTI. (2018, July). Artificial intelligence can help eliminate caste system, inequalities: Ambedkar followers. The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/artificial-intelligence-can-help-eliminate-cast-system-inequalities-ambedkar-followers/articleshow/63198532.cms
Sonavane N., & Bej S. (2021, November 11). A new AI Lexicon: ‘Caste.’ AI Now Institute. https://ainowinstitute.org/publication/a-new-ai-lexicon-caste
Tiku N. (2020, October 27). India’s engineers have thrived in Silicon Valley. So has its caste system. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/10/27/indian-caste-bias-silicon-valley/

Cite article

Cite article

Cite article

OR

Download to reference manager

If you have citation software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice

Share options

Share

Share this article

Share with email
Email Article Link
Share on social media

Share access to this article

Sharing links are not relevant where the article is open access and not available if you do not have a subscription.

For more information view the Sage Journals article sharing page.

Information, rights and permissions

Information

Published In

Article first published online: September 13, 2024

Keywords

  1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  2. caste
  3. annihilation
  4. information communication and technology (ICT)

Rights and permissions

© 2024 The Author(s).
Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Notes

Kunal Sinha, Department of Studies in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (DSSTIP) School of Social Sciences (SSS), Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382030, India. E-mail: kunalsinhajnu@gmail.com

Metrics and citations

Metrics

Journals metrics

This article was published in Contemporary Voice of Dalit.

View All Journal Metrics

Article usage*

Total views and downloads: 3

*Article usage tracking started in December 2016


Articles citing this one

Receive email alerts when this article is cited

Web of Science: 0

Crossref: 0

    Figures and tables

    Figures & Media

    Tables

    Get access

    Get access

    Get access

    Access options

    If you have access to journal content via a personal subscription, university, library, employer or society, select from the options below:


    Alternatively, view purchase options below:

    Purchase 24 hour online access to view and download content.

    Access journal content via a DeepDyve subscription or find out more about this option.