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“Perceptions: Reconstructing AI Narratives”
“Perceptions: Reconstructing AI Narratives”
Our opinions of artificial intelligence (AI) tend to be polarized by mainstream academic, business, and media discourses. These discourses drive dominant narratives which construct extremes: overly optimistic, pessimistic, pre-deterministic, or simplistic. Our language and attitudes can be limited these extremes. As social media algorithms and ChatGPT grow more pervasive, we must be cognizant of how the past, present, and future of our worlds become bound by deterministic perspectives.
“Perceptions: Reconstructing AI Narratives” is the first art exhibition organized by the B’AI Global Forum Graduate Student Members with the goal of challenging, disrupting, and providing a space for viewers to reconstruct their own understandings of AI. Through eight pieces spanning diverse media, disciplines, and industries, we reconsider the role of AI from the material sourcing of physical components to applications in gaming and fashion design. In doing so, we challenge the narratives dominating AI discourse and encourage attendees to reframe their own understanding of AI.
The in-person exhibition took place from September 8-10, 2023 at the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies Open Studio at the University of Tokyo. Over the course of three days, the exhibition hosted dozens of visitors who were able to engage with and detangle their own understandings of AI.
The exhibition was divided into two main sections: the analog and the digital.
The first part of the exhibition dissected the materiality of AI and brought forth the hidden layers and textures that power artificially intelligent technologies today. How could AI facilitate our human-centered thinking in ways that touch and move us? The first section showcased four mixed media installations: a surgically disassembled floor-cleaner by William P Guzman, a fake and real flower installation about growth in the age of artificiality by Eva Le Ray, a handmade array of natural and artificial wires-turned-weavings by Yasha Lai, and a physical web of negatives and paintings accompanied by a video montage by Alyssa Yap. These pieces aimed to introduce audiences to the often forgotten network of actors and materials which sometimes work harmoniously or discordantly together.
The second half of the exhibition consisted of digital works that demonstrated the creativity that emerged from our utilization of AI as a tool in daily life and as a tool to express our individuality. The three digital pieces reflected on the current age where anxiety and resistance to novelty drive our opinions of AI, including: a decision game with multiple personalized endings by Priya Mu, a poetic and eternally unique camera apparatus for portraiture by Axol, and an AI-powered digital fashion show by Kanji Kyoda. Each piece demonstrated the empowering capabilities of AI-powered storytelling, our use of AI for self-representation, and the possible futures for AI in creative production.
Reflections
Reflections
By presenting a wide range of perspectives and challenging deterministic viewpoints, the in-person exhibition encouraged a more nuanced, informed, and holistic understanding of AI. In doing so, we highlighted the importance of embracing complexity in our discussions surrounding this transformative technology and continue to encourage researchers and community members to critically engage with the many complex dimensions of these new and exciting technologies. We continue to provide a space for this discourse here, on the perceptions website, where we encourage visitors to explore the media, art and writing to challenge their own perceptions about AI.
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