Amir H. Payberah - 2025-05-31

"From Pessimism to Promise" by Payal Arora offers a counternarrative to dominant views of AI. While the harms, biases, and inequalities embedded in AI systems are well known, the book challenges the tendency to focus only on these negatives, especially from a Western perspective that often overlooks the agency, creativity, and everyday realities of users, particularly those in the Global South.

The book opens with a key question: When we talk about "AI for Good", whose good do we mean? Too often, such efforts reflect the values of powerful institutions, rely on biased data, exclude local voices, and reinforce existing inequalities. In contrast, the book argues that real progress depends on collaborative, community-driven approaches that center those most affected.

Through several examples, the book shows how young people in the Global South are using digital tools in creative and meaningful ways. Despite limited access, censorship, and economic challenges, they are shaping digital culture: sharing knowledge, expressing joy, and building connections. These stories disrupt stereotypes and remind us that innovation is not limited to wealthy, tech-driven regions.

The book also connects digital justice with climate justice, arguing that real sustainability must be rooted in care, equity, and the knowledge of Indigenous and marginalized communities. It reminds us that the way we design technologies and AI systems is never neutral; it always reflects power, values, and who gets to shape the future.

Ultimately, "From Pessimism to Promise" encourages us to rethink AI not just as a tool, but as a relationship that must be shaped with, not for, those most impacted.