“Intelligence is relatively new to life on Earth, but your hierarchical tendencies are ancient.” - Octavia Butler, Lilith’s Brood.

The dawn of generative AI may seem like a whole new age - but in reality, it is part of an ancient history. Today on the show, Sara El Youghun, Joannie Lee, Janey Li and Samantha Haran come together to map this new genAI tech within the longer history of capitalist-imperialist surveillance and exploitation.

Sara and Joannie discuss how they’re feeling in this moment as AI technologies are seemingly taking over. Sara reminds us of the science fiction of our childhoods that mirror the moment we are now living, and Joannie speaks to her recent experiences in community organising against the planned data centres in Western Sydney. Together, they reflect on strategies of organising, resistance and imagination. They listen through an interview that Janey and Samantha did with digital surveillance researcher and organiser, D.R. Sooriya. D reflects on and illuminates the fact amidst the outrage and uncertainty around what this new age of AI means, what we should most be focused on is the way it forms part of a longer, larger and deeper project on the part of tech billlionaries to force us into a certain kind of future. Most importantly, D reminds us that we are not helpless against this tirade - we can resist these techno-fascist futures, and build our own worlds in their place. 

Produced by Joannie Lee and Samantha Haran

Episode artwork by Janey Li

HOPECORE: ANTI-AI ORGANISING FROM AROUND THE WORLD

The Luddite Club

No Tech for Apartheid

Data Workers Inquiry

Recent win - Boorloo/Perth data centre plan revoked

Get involved with Stop the Slop! Campaign to stop the data centres in Western Sydney (join the Whatsapp channel)

Upscrolled (social media platform built by Palestinian organisers)

 

FURTHER RESOURCES 

Hell is Empty and the Devils Are All Here: AI and Imperialism in the Current Crisis 

Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence - Kate Crawford 

AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference - Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor

War Virtually: The Quest to Automate Conflict, Militarize Data, and Predict the Future - Roberto Gonzales

Imagination: A Manifesto - Ruha Benjamin

Glitch feminism: A Manifesto - Legacy Russell

&ldquo;Intelligence is relatively new to life on Earth, but your hierarchical tendencies are ancient.&rdquo;&nbsp;- Octavia Butler, Lilith&rsquo;s Brood.
The dawn of generative AI may seem like a whole new age - but in reality, it is part of an ancient history. Today on the show, Sara El Youghun, Joannie Lee, Janey Li and Samantha Haran come together to map this new genAI tech within the longer history of capitalist-imperialist surveillance and exploitation.
Sara and Joannie discuss how they&rsquo;re feeling in this moment as AI technologies are seemingly taking over. Sara reminds us of the science fiction of our childhoods that mirror the moment we are now living, and Joannie speaks to her recent experiences in community organising against the planned data centres in Western Sydney. Together, they reflect on strategies of organising, resistance and imagination. They listen through an interview that Janey and Samantha did with digital surveillance researcher and organiser, D.R. Sooriya. D reflects on and illuminates the fact amidst the outrage and uncertainty around what this new age of AI means, what we should most be focused on is the way it forms part of a longer, larger and deeper project on the part of tech billlionaries to force us into a certain kind of future. Most importantly, D reminds us that we are not helpless against this tirade - we can resist these techno-fascist futures, and build our own worlds in their place.&nbsp;
Produced by Joannie Lee and Samantha Haran
Episode artwork by Janey Li
HOPECORE: ANTI-AI ORGANISING FROM AROUND THE WORLD
<a href="https://www.theludditeclub.org/">The Luddite Club</a>
<a href="https://www.notechforapartheid.com/">No Tech for Apartheid</a>
<a href="https://data-workers.org/">Data Workers Inquiry</a>
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/15/developer-withdraws-plans-for-perth-datacentre-after-fierce-community-opposition">Recent win - Boorloo/Perth data centre plan revoked</a>
Get involved with Stop the Slop! Campaign to stop the data centres in Western Sydney (<a href="https://tr.ee/QbhgSdZm6H">join the Whatsapp channel</a>)
<a href="https://upscrolled.com/en/">Upscrolled&nbsp;</a>(social media platform built by Palestinian organisers)
&nbsp;
FURTHER RESOURCES&nbsp;
<a href="https://blackagendareport.com/hell-empty-and-devils-are-all-here-ai-and-imperialism-current-crisis">Hell is Empty and the Devils Are All Here: AI and Imperialism in the Current Crisis</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300264630/atlas-of-ai/">Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence</a>&nbsp;- Kate Crawford&nbsp;
<a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691249131/ai-snake-oil">AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can&rsquo;t, and How to Tell the Difference</a>&nbsp;- Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor
<a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/books/war-virtually/paper">War Virtually: The Quest to Automate Conflict, Militarize Data, and Predict the Future</a>&nbsp;- Roberto Gonzales
<a href="https://www.ruhabenjamin.com/imagination-a-manifesto">Imagination: A Manifesto&nbsp;</a>- Ruha Benjamin
<a href="https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/460-glitch-feminism">Glitch feminism: A Manifesto</a>&nbsp;- Legacy Russell

Race Matters is an anti-racist show that explores the values and complexities of race, culture and identity. In-depth interviews and unique story telling and spanning arts, music, politics, global and local events, plus experimental audio and community takeovers.

Listen back to all our episodes on fbi.radio including radio exclusives, and stay up to date on our instagram 

Listen to our Solidarity Syndicate series - sharing across airwaves and borders and our Liquid Homelands series - an experimental, queer audio offering

We honor all hosts, producers, storytellers that have made this work possible as well as the long tradition of storytelling, resistance and resilience that has taken place on Gadigal Country, where fbi.radio broadcasts out of.  

Our logo design by Jessica Mulet, our theme songs was composed by Mateo Baskaran 

Race Matters is made possible thanks to the Community Broadcasting Foundation

Race Matters is an anti-racist&nbsp;show that explores the values and complexities of race, culture and identity. In-depth interviews and unique story telling and spanning arts, music, politics, global and local events, plus experimental audio and community takeovers.
Listen back to <a href="https://www.fbi.radio/programs/race-matters">all our episodes on fbi.radio</a> including radio exclusives, and stay up to date on our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/race_matters/">instagram</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/fbiradiosydney/sets/race-matters-sol-dar-ty-synd">Listen to our Solidarity Syndicate series</a> - sharing across airwaves and borders and our&nbsp;<a href="https://soundcloud.com/fbiradiosydney/sets/racematters_liquid-homelands">Liquid Homelands</a> series - an experimental, queer audio offering
We honor all hosts, producers, storytellers that have made this work possible as well as the long tradition of storytelling, resistance and resilience that has taken place on Gadigal Country, where fbi.radio broadcasts out of.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Our logo design by Jessica Mulet, our theme songs was composed by Mateo Baskaran&nbsp;
Race Matters is made possible thanks to the&nbsp;<a href="https://cbf.org.au/">Community Broadcasting Foundation</a>

Conversations about the values and complexities of race, culture, identity

Race Matters

Beyond representation. Anti-racist radio with in-depth interviews and unique story telling spanning arts, music, global politics, local events + more

Beyond representation. Anti-racist radio with in-depth interviews and unique story telling spanning arts, music, global politics, local events + more