In the Eye of AI: Conspiracies of Facial Recognition Software

The intersections of power and conspiracy rhetorics represent complexities for scholars who seek to understand social engagement and its various discursive properties. Our study addresses these complexities through the lens of facial recognition technology (FRT), analyzing how conversations on the platform X (formerly Twitter) surrounding FRT mirror discourse in other places that have been called conspiracy theories. By gathering Tweets that contain discourse about FRT and coding them using features synthesized from previous literature, we work to understand the ways that populations express valid feelings of disenfranchisement through traditionally conspiratorial rhetorical tropes. Our results highlight the importance of traditionally conspiratorial discursive features as legitimate means of critiquing powerful but obfuscated technologies and their roles in social systems. This research aims to provoke thought in the field of conspiracy by challenging scholars to consider what they would call a conspiracy theory and look deeper to see what features make it one.