How Intelligent Is AI? Koen Leurs speaks to Brainwash on how tech is developed in the migration governance context

Technology is indispensable for refugees and migrants, most people move with their smartphone. But digital technology and artificial intelligence also have a downside: they are used by governments to control and monitor migrants.

In this interview with  Lisanne Snelders, for the public broadcast platform of Brainwash by NPO Human, Koen Leurs discusses how in several instances refugees are targeted as ideal test subjects for new technologies, in situations where they often cannot opt out.

“In the EU, we say we are forerunners in the field of privacy protection and regulation of digitalisation. But those rights do not always apply to refugees. Their rights are being put on hold”

To understand the relationship between digital technology and migration, Leurs uses the term pharmakon, referring to the French philosopher Bernard Stiegler. “That means technology can be both a poison (a problem), a cure (a solution to a problem) and a scapegoat (if technology is blamed for a broader process) at the same time. It is important to unravel that entanglement.”

“If data is seen as the new oil, then the biometric data of refugees or migrants worldwide is a very important source. These are a gold mine for tech companies, who are eager to experiment with it.”

To read the full interview in Dutch please visit: How refugees are guinea pigs for digital technology – Brainwash