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Normativity and Productivism: Ableist Intelligence?... | AI Research

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Normativity and Productivism: Ableist Intelligence?
A Degrowth Analysis of AI Sign Language Translation Tools for Deaf People This paper examines the develop...
Sign languages, of any geographical or accentual variation, understandably face continuous scrutiny under the ever present popularity of verbal dictation and audism.
Through this, many potential problems arise with the current lack of accessible communication for those who rely on such sign languages for essential conversation.
Such AI systems regularly take the form of recognition and interpretation models, designed to provide seamless and accurate translation.

Paper AbstractExpand

Sign languages, of any geographical or accentual variation, understandably face continuous scrutiny under the ever present popularity of verbal dictation and audism. Through this, many potential problems arise with the current lack of accessible communication for those who rely on such sign languages for essential conversation. Such AI systems regularly take the form of recognition and interpretation models, designed to provide seamless and accurate translation. In reality these systems are built from biased data and created without any input from deaf communities. Such models are widely used and accepted by their hearing counterparts who remain ignorant to the inherent culture, semantics and colloquial language present in gestural language systems. This phenomenon is best analysed under the scope of The Technological System and Technological bluff by Ellul. Indeed, what is at play here is the standardization of language by technicians into what can be captured by technique: data, statistics, a mathematical language. For that AI technique to exist, sign language must be rationalized, in a search for profit that annihilates the conditions for communication and fails to capture the human experience of the deaf person. By that process, it presents normative effects, creating a model of Man, standardized, massified, and who has to adapt to the tool and technical milieu instead of the other way around, which we assume should have been the goal of such a technology. Technique thus reshapes what it means to be human, to submit deaf people to the goals of productivity and efficiency. In doing so, it exhibits clear counter productivity, alienating instead of emancipating, isolating instead of nourishing human relationships. Therefore this paper argues for the idea of AI as Ableist Intelligence, as such systems seek to emphasise the humiliated and marginalised nature of sign.

Normativity and Productivism: Ableist Intelligence? A Degrowth Analysis of AI Sign Language Translation Tools for Deaf People

This paper examines the development of AI-driven sign language translation tools through a critical lens, arguing that these systems often fail the communities they are intended to serve. By applying the philosophical framework of Jacques Ellul regarding "The Technological System," the authors explore how the drive for technical efficiency and profit can strip sign language of its cultural and human depth, ultimately labeling these AI models as "Ableist Intelligence."

The Problem with Current AI Models

The authors contend that current sign language recognition and interpretation models are built on biased data and developed without any input from the deaf community. While these tools are frequently praised by hearing users for their perceived accuracy, they often ignore the complex cultural, semantic, and colloquial nuances inherent in gestural languages. Because these systems are designed by those outside the deaf experience, they prioritize a "seamless" translation that often misses the actual human experience of the user.

The Standardization of Language

A central argument of the paper is that technicians attempt to force sign language into a rigid, mathematical framework. By converting human communication into data and statistics, the technology "rationalizes" language to fit the requirements of the machine. This process creates a standardized, massified model of humanity where the individual is expected to adapt to the tool, rather than the tool being designed to support the individual. The authors argue that this shift prioritizes the goals of productivity and efficiency over genuine human connection.

Counter-Productivity and Alienation

The paper concludes that these AI systems are fundamentally counter-productive. Instead of acting as a tool for emancipation, the technology often leads to alienation and isolation. By emphasizing the marginalized nature of sign language rather than honoring its complexity, these systems fail to nourish human relationships. The authors suggest that the current trajectory of AI development in this field serves to reinforce existing power structures, effectively functioning as an "Ableist Intelligence" that prioritizes technical output over the needs and dignity of deaf people.

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