"Ghost in the Machine": Doc Film on Unchecked Eugenic Roots of AI Technology

OAKLAND TECH WEEK

"GHOST IN THE MACHINE" Documentary Film and Discussion

Documentary on AI race directed by VALERIE VEATCH.

Hosted by MediaJustice

Date & time: Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM PDT

Venue: The New Parkway Theater, 474 24th Street, Oakland, CA 94612

Event tickets here: https://oaklandtechweek.com/ghostinthemachine


Join MediaJustice at The New Parkway Theater for a screening of Valerie Veatch's investigative documentary Ghost in the Machine. The film asks what AI is, who is building it, whose labor and resources make it possible, and how emerging technologies are reshaping identity, work, culture, and global power.

Before the screening, MediaJustice will facilitate a panel discussion with some of Oakland's most prominent voices in tech and media justice, exploring how we can build a technological future shaped with communities rather than imposed upon them.

This is not a debate about being "pro" or "anti" AI — it is an opportunity to understand technology as a contested site of power, and to ask who should govern its development, deployment, and consequences.

Run of show:

5:30 PM — Doors open
6:00 PM — Panel discussion: Our AI Future
6:30 PM — Film screening: Ghost in the Machine
8:30 PM — Close

Drinks and light food will be offered onsite. Admission is free. If you need financial assistance to attend or have access needs not covered by registration, contact the MediaJustice team at eli [at] mediajustice.org.

This event is made possible with the partnership of Kapor Foundation, Gerbode Foundation, Oakland Tech Week, and Upturn (https://www.upturn.org/).

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GUARDIAN: "Ghost in the Machine review – entertaining AI polemic dives into its dark history in race politics and eugenics" (by Leslie Felperin, June 1, 2026)

Ghost in the Machine examines "the pursuit of artificial intelligence, its dark history in eugenics and highly debatable utility today (despite the stock-market bubble pushing the value of a half-dozen companies towards the stratosphere)."

For the full review article, go here: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/01/ghost-in-the-machine-review-entertaining-ai-polemic-dives-into-its-dark-history-in-race-politics-and-eugenics