Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Manship School of Mass Communication
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
Through three integrated studies, this dissertation explores complex human-AI interactions by comparing the perceptions of two groups of U.S. citizens: subaltern Puerto Ricans and stateside Americans’ interactions with ChatGPT. This corpus-assisted Critical Discourse Analysis or CLCDA, triangulated with 1:1 semi-structured interviews, validates scholars’ concerns about the biases inherent in generative AI. Contributing to those concerns, this dissertation reveals that ChatGPT deploys discourse strategies that, when executed, facilitate digital colonialism. Euphemistic language is prominent among its discourse strategies, replacing controversial words, phrases, and topics with more palatable ones. When prompted on events of historical significance, I find that ChatGPT’s discourse obscures colonialism and its effects in its narratives – causing further harm to already disempowered subaltern Puerto Ricans. This work presents euphemistic discourse as a ChatGPT phenomenon and discusses its broad implications for diverse groups worldwide.
Date
11-4-2024
Recommended Citation
Oquendo, Jacqueline, "Euphemism in AI Discourse as Colonial Harm & Effect: Learnings from Subaltern Puerto Rico" (2024). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 6635.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/6635
Committee Chair
Porter, Lance
Included in
American Politics Commons, Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Discourse and Text Linguistics Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Latin American Studies Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Public Affairs Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Science and Technology Studies Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons