Artificial intelligence, reproducing capitalist class domination by more sophisticated means*

Rezgar Akrawi **

It has become clear that artificial intelligence, despite its enormous and very important potential in the development of humanity, is not just a neutral scientific advancement, but a new and very sophisticated weapon in the hands of capitalism, used to deepen its control over labor, consciousness, data, and society as a whole. It s no longer just about developing smarter algorithms, it s about directing these tools to the interests of those who have them. Since technology today is concentrated in the hands of capitalist states and big monopolies, the results of its use will be mainly in the benefit of capital, and at the expense of the workers and workers of hand and thought.
What we are witnessing today is a reproduction of class exploitation by more scientific, sophisticated, complex and controlled means, as this exploitation is no longer confined to factories, farms and offices, but has extended to include the digital space itself, which has turned into a new arena for extracting value and controlling consciousness.
Confronting this reality cannot be limited to criticism and diagnosis, but requires concrete attitudes and policies, which go beyond simply exposing capitalist hegemony to working to dismantle it and redirect technology in general and artificial intelligence in particular towards serving the masses instead of enslaving them. This requires working to build alternative leftist and progressive models that ensure that AI is a tool of liberation, not just a new means in the hands of capital to maximize profits and tighten control. Instead of leaving technology in the hands of a handful of capitalist corporations and states, the development of progressive left-wing AI systems should be pushed.
But the transformation cannot happen without a significant change in the political and organizational structure of the leftist forces themselves, and in their outlook and approach to technology. It is not enough to reject technology under the pretext that it is a specialized capitalist tool, or to use it in a limited and superficial way, but it must be mastered and understood in depth, penetrating its fortresses, and reoriented to serve the interests of the workers and workers of the hand and the intellect and the general masses. We must be on the offensive, not the defensive, in this digital battle, and adopt smart and practical tactics that enable us to confront Digital repression, information monopoly, and technological dominance, as much as possible.
In this context, the development of leftist capabilities in the technical field is a strategic necessity that is no less important than the development of capabilities in the political, intellectual, organizational, media and public action fields. Just as the forces of the left cannot rely on capitalist media and seek to build their independent media, and just as they develop their thought, policy and organizational tools independently away from the templates of capitalist domination, they must also work to build their own independent technological alternatives, especially artificial intelligence, to serve their comprehensive liberation project.

Currently, AI must be a means of developing more conscious and organized leftist and progressive movements capable of mobilizing the masses and raising intellectual, political, technical and militant awareness. The struggle in the digital space should be transformed into an organic extension of the socialist struggle on the ground, not just an arena of action and meta-debate separate from political, social and economic reality. This struggle against digital domination cannot be confined only to the virtual space, but must be an extension of the workers movement and the mass field movement. The link between Technological struggle and class struggle over land are essential, because digital domination is merely an extension of capital s domination of production and control of the labor force.
The use of current AI in the left-wing struggle must be precise, deliberate, and cautious. Applications developed within a capitalist environment and by monopolies and corporations cannot be trusted without a deep critical awareness of how they work. While many of these tools allow accurate data analysis, planning, monitoring public opinion trends, and improving organization, mobilization, and communication policies and methods, they may carry in their structure invisible biases that reproduce capitalist hegemony within the workings of leftist organizations themselves.
Therefore, the left s use of current AI must be subject to constant critical scrutiny, rigorous human review mechanisms, ensuring that algorithmically imposed mindsets are not unconsciously drawn into patterns of thinking.
Extreme caution should be exercised when dealing with sensitive data and information, as ill-considered exploitation of these tools may lead to a security breach or leak of information that endangers leftist organizations, especially in authoritarian states. Therefore, it is necessary to develop advanced digital security protocols, adopt more independent open-source applications, and train members in digital security practices, to ensure that the use of AI is in the service of the struggle, not a repressive-espionage tool used against it.

The fundamental challenge lies in how to transform the current AI from a tool of domination into a useful means of mass struggle and organization. These tools cannot be allowed to remold the leftist struggle within the logic of the market, but must be adapted to serve leftist and progressive organizations, promote class solidarity, and raise public awareness. Having these tools by the left means not only using them, but understanding them deeply, dismantling their intellectual frameworks, and reorienting them to serve a real liberation project.
What the current digital revolution, and the development of artificial intelligence in particular, is revealing is that we are living in a historical moment in which the contradictions between the enormous development of the productive forces and capitalist social relations that can no longer contain this development or direct it to the benefit of the masses. Despite the enormous potential that this digital revolution offers to free man from exhausting work and living necessities, it is constrained and re-engineered within the logic of capitalist profit.
In this sense, the digital revolution, with artificial intelligence at its core, is no longer just technical tools, but the next arena of political and social conflict. The struggle in this arena determines not only who possesses the new tools of production, but also who has the ability to reshape social life itself.
The battle is not yet settled, capitalism has not created a fully closed world, but a world full of gaps and shortcomings, where left-wing alternatives can find their way if they are done with awareness, planning and strategy. The task is not easy, and requires enormous energies, joint left-wing action and coordination at the local and global levels, but it is not impossible. What we need today is not only a real sense of the gravity of the situation, but also the building of new leftist coalitions and nations that exploit technology itself as a tool for field struggle.
Resistance to capitalism in all its forms, especially digital ones, is not just a struggle for power or control or even a struggle for progressive alternatives, but a struggle for human consciousness itself, over who determines the direction of knowledge, who controls the flow of information, who shapes the collective consciousness of society, and who decides the future.
Either the forces of capital triumph entirely, turning artificial intelligence into a tool of oppression, domination, and mass digital enslavement, or leftist and progressive forces can frame it and redirect it toward serving the masses rather than capital. In this context, the possible solution now is the development of open-source, transparent, neutral-oriented, democratically managed systems with societal controls, as well as pushing for the enactment of international laws that restrict the work of artificial intelligence and ensure that it serves society as a whole, not the interests of major countries and capitalist corporations.
But this is not enough. The required and radical solution is to build real leftist alternatives with progressive orientations and societal ownership, through which this technology is wrested from the grip of the market, employed in dismantling relations of exploitation, and contributing to building a new, more just and humane society, based on equality, cooperation, and just satisfaction of needs.
In conclusion, the fundamental question remains urgent: Are we, as leftist and progressive forces around the world, really ready to engage in this complex, long, and multi-front digital war?
After we have retreated and lost many battles to capitalism in different arenas,
Do we have the audacity to rebuild the left intellectually and organizationally, to meet the challenges posed by the digital age?
The historical moment is merciless, and the future will not wait for anyone. Either we join it and shape it with awareness and struggle, or we are left on its margins subject to new forms of exploitation and oppression.
We have no choice but to confront. Let this digital battle be a moment of rebirth for a more courageous, more radical, more scientific, and more capable left to lead its time.
***************************************************************************************
* Key Insights from the Book – Capitalist Artificial Intelligence: Challenges for the Left and Possible Alternatives, for readers interested in exploring this subject further, the full text is available below. The book is open-access (free of charge), available in digital format, and translated into multiple languages.
English:
https://ahewar.org/books/i.asp?bid=4
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=ZMddEQAAQBAJ

Norwegian:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=G1CqEQAAQBAJ

** Rezgar Akrawi: A leftist researcher specializing in technology and leftist issues, working in the field of systems development and e-governance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rezgar_Akrawi


Source:
https://radicalpolitics.org/2026/01/07/artificial-intelligence-reproducing-capitalist-class-domination-by-more-sophisticated-means/

Rate the article
Bad	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Very good
Result : 47%							Participated in the vote : 3