Your Amazon Echo didn't build itself. This researcher is tracking AI's social and environmental consequences

"AI is being fed directly into the bloodstream of society, and in many cases without sufficient checks and balances," says Kate Crawford, a professor and cofounder of New York University's AI Now, the world's first academic research institute dedicated to the social impact of artificial intelligence. Last year, Crawford partnered with data-viz guru Vladan Joler to create "Anatomy of an AI System," a map and research paper demonstrating the real-world consequences of developing and manufacturing the Amazon Echo. The paper highlights the radical differences in income distribution between Amazon executives and the workers who enable its vast infrastructure, as well as its devastating environmental impacts. The project has been exhibited at museums around the world, and Crawford has presented it to leaders in France, Germany, Spain, and Argentina.