The widespread use of Artificial Intelligence in culture, tech and other fields is redefining the way we perceive online information. And that’s forcing us to rethink what digital agency means now – and what it will look like in the future. The amount of money Big Tech companies are investing in AI reflects how influential they believe this technology will be. Beyond the hype surrounding this technology, far-reaching challenges and dilemmas are emerging around ethics, economics, copyright and aesthetics. How do we ensure AI is used ethically? Should we try to stop it completely or focus instead on creating legal frameworks to regulate it? 

Participants: Hind Dekker-Abdulaziz (NL), Vladan Joler (SR), Florian A. Schmidt (DE), Sebastian Schmieg (DE) and Ahnjili Zhuparris (US/CN).

Anatomy of an AI System is an artwork by Vladan Joler and Kate Crawford that powerfully explains the impact of artificial intelligence on our culture, economy and ecology. The central subject of Joler’s lecture on Friday 3 November and his new work New Extractivism, which is part of the IMPAKT Festival exhibition Don’t Be Evil, is data extraction. He portrays Big Tech as a totalitarian system in which we serve as workers, source material and end product. We are trapped in a macabre labyrinth from which there is no escape. How does he perceive the influence of artificial intelligence on this system? With their project Prompt Battle, by artists Florian A. Schmidt and Sebastian Schmieg creates a context in which we can experience both the fascinating and sinister sides of AI image generators. How do these two artists see the balance between the opportunities and risks inherent to current developments in the field of AI? US-Chinese artist and scientist Ahnjili Zhuparris will also address this question from the perspective of her practice: as a scientist, she works on digital technologies in the medical sector; as an artist, one of her fascinations is deepfake technology in the context of the human voice. In the Dutch political landscape, D66 is considered to be one of the most tech-positive parties. How does D66 Member of Parliament Hind Dekker-Abdulaziz see our future with AI – at what point should the government take regulatory action, and how should it go about it?

TICKET FOR THIS PROGRAMME

What else is on Saturday?

Check the timetable to visit more programmes with your Festival Pass (5-days) or Day Pass (1-day). With the passes you can also visit the festival exhibition Our Terms, Our Conditions at the IMPAKT [Centre for Media Culture] and Fotodok/Casco.

Saturday day pass 5-day festival pass

For more information on the festival tickets please see here