Imagine A.I. for Dignity

AI and the Art of Historical Reinterpretation —
Filling Gender Bias Gaps

A central focus of Claudia Larcher’s project AI and the Art of Historical Reinterpretation — Filling Gender Bias Gaps is the elimination of gender bias in historical data sets used by AI. Since AI models are mostly based on historical data, the project critically examines the consequences of using AI to predict future societal changes. It raises questions about ethics and the possibilities of augmenting, rewriting and reinterpreting data archives using AI technology. The project proposes to offer alternative perspectives and narratives that challenge conventional, patriarchal historical perspectives.

“Masakhane” roughly translates to We build together in isiZulu. The goal is for Africans to shape and own these technological advances towards human dignity, well-being and equity, through inclusive community building, open participatory research and multidisciplinarity. The collective project Masakhane is an example of dealing with bias in technology development, especially in relation to the representation of African languages in the AI and technology industry. The term “bias” in this context refers to the systematic neglect or misrepresentation of languages, cultures, places and histories of African countries within digital systems and algorithms. This neglect is not only a result of historical injustices, such as colonialism, but also a current problem exacerbated by a dominant role of Western perspectives in technology development. The Masakhane collective aims to combat these inequalities by building an inclusive and participatory research community dedicated to the development of AI technologies (e.g. machine translation, text-to-speach, speach-to-text, name entity recognition and many more.) in African languages. Masakhane strives to create digital technologies that reflect the diversity and richness of African languages and cultures by creating machine based natural language processing for African languages and involving Africans in the research and development process.

Mother Arkah

Speculation about the fusion of organic life and technology, and the big question “what role should humans play in a future world?” visualized by the film Mother Arkah by Andreas Palfinger. The film Mother Arkah by Andreas Palfinger dives into a speculative future in which the earth has become almost uninhabitable after an ecological catastrophe. It introduces the concept of “bio-technoism”, a post-humanist vision that combines organic life and technology to create a new form of ecological balance and social order. Palfinger questions the extent to which the ‘drive for innovation’ is compatible with the health of the planet and challenges the exhibition audience to think about the balance between innovation and environmental preservation. What role do humans play in this?

Where does the rest of the world begin?

Dagmar Schürrer’s work, Where does the rest of the world begin?, reflects on the deep entanglements between human consciousness, the natural environment, and contemporary technology. Schürrer creates a spatial narrative that poetically connects scientific concepts such as symbiosis and neural synchrony, applying them to our existence in the post-digital era.
These theoretical approaches emphasize the interconnectedness of all organic and inorganic agents, challenging conventional Western ideas of individuality, singular consciousness, and subjectivity. The work blurs boundaries between the digital and analog, human and technology, as well as nature and culture, directing attention to a vision of collective coexistence. By advocating for a conscious and innovative use of new media, Schürrer’s work promotes a society characterized by fairness, collaboration, and ecological awareness.