Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
From the apps we use daily to the algorithms influencing everything from policing to hiring, technology is often seen as neutral, or even progressive. But what if it’s actually reinforcing inequality?
The John Adams Institute and the Rode Hoed invited sociologist and MacArthur Genius Ruha Benjamin. Drawing on her latest book 'Imagination' for her keynote talk, she challenges the myth of neutral tech, introducing the notion of the “New Jim Code”—a term she coined to describe how technologies can replicate and deepen social biases in reference to ‘Jim Crow’, the segregation-era laws and policies implemented in United States. Through compelling examples of biased bots and well-meaning algorithms gone haywire, Benjamin exposes how race and other so-called “disqualifiers” are embedded into the systems we use, asking us to imagine how tech could be reimagined for justice and equity.
After her keynote talk, Ruha Benjamin was joined on stage by co-speakers Marietje Schaake and Robin Aïsha Pocornie.
Moderated by Nienke Veenema. Recorded at the Rode Hoed, Amsterdam on 17 June, 2025
From the apps we use daily to the algorithms influencing everything from policing to hiring, technology is often seen as neutral, or even progressive. But what if it’s actually reinforcing inequality?
The John Adams Institute and the Rode Hoed invited sociologist and MacArthur Genius Ruha Benjamin. Drawing on her latest book 'Imagination' for her keynote talk, she challenges the myth of neutral tech, introducing the notion of the “New Jim Code”—a term she coined to describe how technologies can replicate and deepen social biases in reference to ‘Jim Crow’, the segregation-era laws and policies implemented in United States. Through compelling examples of biased bots and well-meaning algorithms gone haywire, Benjamin exposes how race and other so-called “disqualifiers” are embedded into the systems we use, asking us to imagine how tech could be reimagined for justice and equity.
After her keynote talk, Ruha Benjamin was joined on stage by co-speakers Marietje Schaake and Robin Aïsha Pocornie.
Moderated by Nienke Veenema. Recorded at the Rode Hoed, Amsterdam on 17 June, 2025
