Sociotechnical imaginaries of AI and datafication of migration

This chapter explores sociotechnical imaginaries of artificial intelligence and datafication in the context of migration management in Finland. We argue that sociotechnical imaginaries are relevant as they entail culturally specific beliefs and value systems, producing different techno-political forms of order. We explore imaginaries of AI and data-driven systems in two different sites: in the everyday life of currently or recently undocumented migrants as well as among officials and authorities working in migration management in Finland. Through this, we aim to understand the social imagery that emerges through the practice of imagination and how it is tied to and shaped by these particular settings. The chapter demonstrates how the violence of bureaucracy and surveillance operates across these different sites in demands of efficiency as well as in reductionist views of humanity. The different sociotechnical imageries speak of the asymmetry of power in migration management but also more broadly in the culture of technology.