The Continuum of Violence
Understanding forms of Violence from an anthropological viewpoint has made me more aware of their presence. Recent discussions on China’s emergence as a big player, as well as DeepSeek and Elon’s idiotic offer to buy OpenAI, have made me start to see the emergence of forms of Violence. Maybe it isn’t new, and AI is enabling other forms of Violence to thrive. Without a code of ethical boundaries, it is not surprising to me that Violence and AI have become friends. This article contains some of my initial thoughts and ideas from what I have observed so far.
So, what is Violence? Violence is often perceived as a physical act. Still, scholars such as Johan Galtung have long recognised more pervasive, less visible forms of harm embedded in social structures and cultural practices. With the rise of AI, these classical forms of Violence—structural, political, collective, and symbolic—are evolving in unprecedented ways, giving birth to new concepts like cyberviolence and algorithmic Violence.
This post traces the evolution of these ideas, starting with anthropological and sociological roots, and shows how AI transforms and intensifies the experience of Violence in the digital age. Let’s take a look at recognised forms of violence and AI entanglements.
1. Structural Violence: From Galtung to Algorithmic Inequality
Key Thinkers: Johan Galtung, Paul Farmer, Nancy Scheper-Hughes
What is Structural Violence?
Coined by Johan Galtung in 1969, structural Violence refers to the systematic ways social structures harm individuals by limiting access to resources, rights, and opportunities. Unlike direct physical Violence, structural Violence is embedded in social systems and is often normalised.
Anthropological Perspectives
Paul Farmer’s work in global health reveals how poverty and inequality function as forms of structural Violence. Nancy Scheper-Hughes highlights how state neglect perpetuates suffering in marginalised communities, focusing on how social and political conditions shape mortality and suffering.
AI Entanglement
Today, AI perpetuates structural Violence by embedding biases into predictive algorithms, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups in healthcare, criminal justice, and welfare systems.
Example: Predictive policing algorithms intensify racial profiling, while welfare AI systems misclassify and deny essential resources to those most in need, reinforcing pre-existing inequalities.
2. Political Violence: From State Power to Digital Repression
Key Thinkers: James C. Scott, Veena Das, Achille Mbembe
What is Political Violence?
Political Violence has traditionally been linked to state control, repression, and conflict. James C. Scott’s concept of “everyday resistance” shows how oppressed groups resist state power in covert ways. Veena Das explores how political Violence reshapes personal and social life in lasting ways.
Necropolitics
Achille Mbembe’s concept of necropolitics—the power to decide who lives and who dies—offers a framework for understanding how political Violence affects entire populations.
AI Entanglement
AI tools are increasingly weaponised for political repression. Authoritarian regimes use surveillance technologies to track and control dissent, while disinformation campaigns destabilise democratic processes.
Example: AI-driven facial recognition and social media monitoring have become tools for political suppression, often operating under the guise of public safety.
3. Collective Violence: From Ritualised Conflict to Online Mobs
Key Thinkers: René Girard, Stanley Tambiah
What is Collective Violence?
Anthropologists have studied collective Violence in contexts ranging from ethnic conflict to social uprisings. René Girard’s scapegoat theory explains how communities unify through the ritualised sacrifice of a victim. Stanley Tambiah highlights the performative aspects of collective Violence, emphasising its symbolic meaning.
AI Entanglement
In digital spaces, AI facilitates collective Violence through coordinated harassment campaigns and disinformation. Unlike physical collective Violence, these attacks often lack a clear scapegoat, spreading rapidly and diffusely.
Example: AI-generated deepfake videos for disinformation campaigns target public figures, journalists, and vulnerable communities.
4. Symbolic Violence: The Hidden Power of AI
Key Thinker: Pierre Bourdieu
What is Symbolic Violence?
Symbolic Violence refers to the subtle, often invisible ways power hierarchies are reproduced and accepted as natural or legitimate. Pierre Bourdieu’s work highlights how cultural practices and language embed power relations, making subordination seem inevitable.
AI Entanglement
AI reinforces symbolic Violence by presenting algorithmic decisions as neutral and objective. These systems often reflect and reproduce existing inequalities, legitimising social hierarchies.
Example: AI-based hiring systems systematically favour candidates who fit dominant cultural norms, marginalising those from diverse backgrounds under the guise of “merit.”
5. Cyberviolence: A New Form or a Continuation?
Cyberviolence represents an emerging form of harm that combines structural, political, collective, and symbolic violence elements. While it appears new, cyberviolence can be seen as an extension of older forms of Violence adapted to digital spaces.
Virtual vs Physical Harm
Unlike traditional Violence, cyberviolence often lacks physical contact. However, its emotional, psychological, and social impacts are real and profound.
Examples:
- Coordinated harassment campaigns using AI-driven bots
- AI-powered disinformation that destabilises communities and erodes trust
- AI-generated deepfake content for blackmail or harassment
6. Towards a Framework for Understanding AI-Driven Violence
Rather than seeing AI-related Violence as entirely separate, it should be conceptualised as part of a continuum that builds on classical forms of Violence while recognising the new complexities introduced by digital technologies.
Visual Framework
A visual representation could place classical forms of Violence on one end and cyberviolence on the other, illustrating how AI amplifies and connects these concepts across the continuum:
- Structural Violence → Algorithmic Inequality
- Political Violence → Digital Repression
- Collective Violence → Coordinated Online Harassment
- Symbolic Violence → Algorithmic Legitimization of Hierarchies
Lessons from Anthropology for the Digital Age
Anthropologists have long studied how power and inequality shape human experiences of Violence. By situating AI-related Violence within these frameworks, we may be able to better understand its roots and impacts. Moving forward, a combination of anthropological insight, ethical AI development, and robust policy frameworks may also be necessary to mitigate harm and create more equitable systems.
AI is not just a tool; it’s a cultural force shaping the future of power and Violence. Understanding its role through the lens of anthropology and history is crucial to ensuring it serves the common good.
I would welcome any discussion and other thoughts on the subject.
