%28asrg%29 [exclusive] | Algorithmic Sabotage Research Group
Historically, sabotage was a tactic used by industrial workers to disrupt the machinery of exploitation. The ASRG translates this concept into the 21st century, arguing that today’s machinery is composed of data points, predictive models, and opaque decision-making software. By studying how these systems fail, and how they can be made to fail, the group seeks to provide a toolkit for those marginalized by the "black box" of modern technology.
Algorithmic Sabotage Research Group (ASRG) is a "conspiratorial, aesthetico-political, practice-led research framework" that explores the intersection of digital culture and information technology.
ASRG explores digital interaction through platforms like chatbots, aiming to break the "synthetic intimacies" of social media and AI through creative hacking.
The primary mission of the ASRG is to map the vulnerabilities of automated systems and explore how marginalized groups, workers, and citizens can assert agency against algorithmic harms. By treating "sabotage" not merely as destruction, but as a legitimate form of systemic critique and self-defense, the ASRG bridges the gap between technical vulnerability research and radical political theory. The Theoretical Framework of Algorithmic Sabotage
These documents, often circulated as independent zines, serve a dual purpose. They provide real-world blueprints for technical disruption while reclaiming the graphic language of early internet culture. These publications are distributed under free documentation licenses, making the instructions universally accessible to researchers, artists, and independent developers alike. The Broader Impact on Technology Ecosystems algorithmic sabotage research group %28asrg%29
The choice of the word "sabotage" is deliberate and pedagogical. The term originates from the French sabot , a wooden clog. Legend holds that disgruntled weavers in the Industrial Revolution would throw their wooden shoes into the gears of mechanical looms, jamming the machines that were replacing their livelihoods.
The ASRG is not a law enforcement body. Yet, its reports have been used in shareholder lawsuits and regulatory hearings. Critics argue that the group’s lack of formal legal process (e.g., chain of custody for data) could lead to false accusations. The ASRG maintains a strict policy of "attribution without accusation"—they identify the presence of sabotage mechanisms but refuse to name specific corporate actors unless the pattern is independently verified by a government agency.
or "creative misuse" to circumvent reliance on stereotypes and dubiously obtained data in AI systems. Key Themes Intersectionality:
The group researches and collects strategic methodologies intended to disrupt, poison, or corrupt data within the operational workflows of artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data systems. These tactics are designed to destabilize critical mechanisms of algorithmic governance. Historically, sabotage was a tactic used by industrial
The ASRG is closely associated with . Schmieg, a Berlin-based artist, educator, and researcher, has been instrumental in framing the discourse around algorithmic sabotage. His work often scrutinizes the invisible labor and hidden logic of platforms like Amazon, Google, and Facebook.
Through its publications, open-source toolkits, and collaborative workshops, the ASRG continues to assert that as long as algorithms are used to concentrate power and minimize human agency, sabotage will remain an essential, defensive instrument of digital citizenship. If you are interested in diving deeper into this field,
Algorithmic Sabotage Research Group - Our Collaborative Tools
The Algorithmic Sabotage Research Group (ASRG) studies how algorithms can be subverted, manipulated, or weaponized—intentionally or inadvertently—to cause harm to systems, users, and societies. ASRG’s work sits at the intersection of security, AI ethics, adversarial machine learning, and socio-technical policy. This post outlines ASRG’s core focus, research directions, real-world relevance, ethical considerations, and recommended actions for practitioners and policymakers. By treating "sabotage" not merely as destruction, but
As of 2026, the ASRG is pivoting hard toward large language models (LLMs) and agentic AI. The new frontier of sabotage is not just code, but prompts and context . The group recently published a preprint warning of "memory-layer sabotage"—where a generative AI tool is trained to appear helpful for 90 days, then gradually introduces subtle factual errors into a corporate knowledge base. Because the errors are plausible and distributed over time, no single user flags the sabotage.
: ASRG positions sabotage as a necessary figure of militancy that is often missing from traditional academic technology critiques.
Sabotage is framed not as a simple hatred of technology (Luddism), but as a militant "figure of techno-disobedience" aimed at hegemonic systems. Labor of Subversion:
The ASRG’s answer is twofold. First, all their sabotage techniques are reversible and non-destructive . A poisoned AI can be retrained. A confused drone can be reset. Second, they publish their entire methodology—on the theory that if the vulnerabilities are known, defenders will build more robust systems. "Security through obscurity," their manifesto reads, "is a prayer. Security through universal knowledge is an immune system."
