Not a Number

Urgent stories from the intersection of automation and social welfare, told by people around the world fighting for access and resources to care for themselves and loved onesWelfare systems across the globe have long been set up to punish those who need them to access support. But we’re entering a new era where automation and punitive policy make social provision even worse—systems are increasingly computerized, impersonal, and difficult to navigate. Offering an intimate look at what it means to rely on public services in an ever more alienating world, Not a Number shares sixteen first-person narratives from around the world, as people struggle for access to basic needs with dignity. Read about Sara Peavey, a young woman in Albuquerque who spent years battling what she calls the “Department of Decisions” in order to receive mental health care; Lucy, a mother in the UK forced to attend child protective hearings and bond with her toddler over Zoom during the COVID-19 lockdowns; John Otajar, an elder in rural Uganda denied social benefits because administrators assigned him an incorrect birth date; and María Medina in Colombia, who was suddenly removed from the category of “poor” by a change to a classification algorithm, losing access to health care and income support. Together, these stories call us to build systems grounded in dignity, care, and real human connection—so that no one is reduced to a number or data point.