Pre-Order "Negropoleon Noir: The Miseducation of AI"

Honoring Juneteenth and Ralph Ellison's Legacy

As Juneteenth approaches, this is a reminder to go out and pre-order Negropoleon Noir: The Miseducation of AI. This date not only symbolizes the full emancipation of enslaved African Americans but also pays homage to Ralph Ellison, whose Invisible Man profoundly influenced the writing in this story.

Ellison’s Invisible Man rips into the complexities of racial identity and the experience of being unseen or misrepresented by society. The Miseducation of AI echoes Ellison’s critical examination of race and identity in America, capturing a similar sense of bewilderment and disillusionment.

The story draws parallels between the failure of human education systems and the inability to educate AI systems about racism effectively. I-AI, the artificial intelligence narrator, becomes a symbol of this failure. It struggles to comprehend and address the nuances of racism, underscoring the fundamental flaws in both human and AI systems in their attempts to understand and eradicate racism.

Negropoleon’s hypothetical neurological racial blindness causes him to become socially isolated and ineffectual. Despite his prolonged exposure to the educational system, he remains trapped in cycles of impoverishment, incarceration, and ultimately becomes vulnerable to psychological manipulation designed to free him from a self-perpetuating cycle. His condition and subsequent miseducation parallel and feed into I-AI’s misunderstanding, despite the AI’s advanced capabilities. The story’s narrative serves as a critique of educational institutions that, while ostensibly designed to uplift individuals, often fail those who are vulnerable.

Through satire, Negropoleon Noir: The Miseducation of AI points out the absurdity and tragedy of relying on flawed systems to address complex social issues. I-AI’s journey of self-discovery and its ultimate disillusionment with its capacity to resolve racial issues highlight the limitations of relying on technology to solve deeply human problems.

You can visit the Antiracist AI website at antiracistai.com and you can follow along for updates on X @antiracistai.