Technology, Power, and Inequality

With the rise of artificial intelligence and other technological advancements, there has been a lot of innovation—but these books argue that new digital technologies continue to reinforce existing systems of power. In Data Empire: The Power of Information to Organize, Control, and Dominate, author Roopika Risam reveals how data has always been the seed of power: a technology of control that has shaped civilizations and upheld empires. Before algorithms and AI, systems of counting, recording, and organizing information enabled everything from agriculture to taxation. Today’s digital systems inherit the logics of earlier recordkeeping regimes, including those shaped by colonialism, racial classification, and governments. In The Bullwhip’s Algorithm: Artificial Intelligence and America’s Racial Caste System, author Kamau Bobb meditates on the intersection of race, history, and technology in the fight for equitable education. As the grand claims of AI’s potential in education continue, Bobb grapples with American educational history, which has overflowed with abuse, segregation, and substandard structures. This session will explore system inequality, critique power structures, and advocate for accountability. 

Purchase your book from Charis Books & More. When you check-out from that link, please mention that you will need to pick your book up at the event. Books will also be for sale on-site by Charis, and a portion of your purchase will benefit the Decatur Book Festival.

This event is free and open to the public. No tickets are required, and seating is first come, first served. Signing information: Signing time: 11:15 AM

Signing location: Marriott Conference Center

About the Authors

Kamau Bobb is the founding senior director of the Constellations Center for Education in Computing at Georgia Tech. He is the former director of STEM Education Strategy and Research at Google and a former program officer at the National Science Foundation in the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering. During his federal service, he served on President Obama’s MBK STEM Task Force. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Bobb was the director of the STEM Initiative for the University System of Georgia. He holds a PhD in Science and Technology Policy from Georgia Tech and MS and BS degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. His book is The Bullwhip's Algorithm: Artificial Intelligence and America’s Racial Caste System.

Roopika Risam is professor of Digital Humanities and Social Engagement at Dartmouth. Her research explores how histories of race, empire, and technology shape the modern world. She is the author of New Digital Worlds: Postcolonial Digital Humanities in Theory, Praxis, and Pedagogy, taught in over 150 universities worldwide, and coeditor of four collections, including Anti-Racist Community Engagement and The Digital Black Atlantic. Her work has been supported by over $4.3 million in grants from the NEH, Mellon Foundation, and others. She is also known for her public scholarship and digital projects, including Torn Apart/Separados, which visualized the U.S. government’s family separation policy at the border. Risam is past president of the Association for Computers and the Humanities, the U.S. scholarly organization for digital research in the humanities. Data Empire: The Power of Information to Organize, Control, and Dominate is her new book.

About the Moderator

Lauren Klein is Professor of Data & Decision Sciences and English at Emory University, where she also directs the Digital Humanities Lab and the Atlanta Interdisciplinary AI Network. Her research brings together computational and critical methods to explore questions of gender, race, and justice, both in early America and today. Klein is the author (with Catherine D’Ignazio) of the award-winning Data Feminism, and the editor (with Matthew K. Gold) of Debates in the Digital Humanities, among other books and papers. Her next book, Data by Design: Visualization and Power from Abolition to the Dawn of Data Science will be out in October 2026.