Access as Nonviolence: Designing DH Platforms That Reduce Inequality

I gave this talk as part of the Ahiṃsā Lecture Series, a Hamburg–Kyoto blended-learning partnership exploring nonviolence as a globally relevant ethical framework. We are living in an age where an ever-increasing amount of digitally available data and rapidly advancing AI tools are fundamentally changing the way research on textual material of Asian traditions is undertaken. This fundamental transition holds clear dangers: AI systems are, in many respects, systems that amplify existing trends and patterns in the data they are trained on, and the profit-oriented nature of the companies behind the most popular applications raises serious questions about their trustworthiness when it comes to adequate knowledge representation. In this talk I examined how Digital Humanities and AI can function as a bridge to reduce bias and inequality, and how crucial the development of independent, transparent systems with openly accessible datasets is for ensuring a positive impact of these technologies on scholarship. Framing nonviolence (ahiṃsā) as a practical concern for research infrastructures, I argued that “doing less harm” in this context means building tools that broaden access while making their assumptions, sources, and limitations visible.