Independent Lens, Ghost in the Machine
PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Sunday, Sept. 20, at 11 PM
Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturday, Sept. 19, at noon
This documentary, directed by Valerie Veatch, investigates the forces that shaped AI technology before it entered daily lives, as well as those driving the global AI boom. While uncovering the origins of the technology, the film reveals its connection to global power structures.
GHOST IN THE MACHINE is an eye-opening documentary that exposes the buried history of artificial intelligence, not as a neutral system of algorithms, but as a technology shaped by racism, misogyny, eugenics and entrenched power structures long before it entered everyday life. Challenging the myth of AI as inevitable or objective, the film traces how narratives of progress and efficiency have obscured deeper political and cultural agendas, revealing the ideological foundations beneath systems now reshaping modern society.
Structured as an eight-chapter inquiry, the film blends historical excavation with contemporary analysis to confront essential questions: Who built these systems? Whose values do they encode? And who ultimately benefits? Employing a bold yet accessible cinematic approach, Veatch delivers a work that is as unsettling as it is illuminating, offering audiences a visceral understanding of a technology that now touches nearly every aspect of modern life.
