Datafication, Dehumanisation and Participatory Development

Abstract

This paper asks whether datafication practices are dehumanising international development and if a human-centred and participatory datafication is possible. The paper uses Habermas’ theory of the different ‘knowledge interests’ that constitute different forms of social action. Three kinds of datafication projects are explored: humanitarian AI, digital-ID and community mapping. The authors argue that data-science and participatory practices are forms of social action that are shaped by different knowledge-interests. It is argued that the technical knowledge interests shaping datafication projects conflict with high-level policy commitments to participatory development. Ethical Principles of AI are assessed as a route to more human-centred practices of datafication for development. The authors argue that avoiding tokenistic forms of participation will require the incorporation of practical and emancipatory knowledge interests and the use of new monitoring and evaluation tools to trace the achieved levels of participation of different actors at each stage of the project cycle.