The Unexpected

How do we navigate the intricate dance between human agency and artificial intelligence? This exhibition stands as an exploration of the emotional and cognitive landscapes reshaped by AI, prompting a critical speculation of our future.

In an era marked by rapid technological evolution, the interplay between human cognition and artificial intelligence (AI) invites both fascination and trepidation. The exhibition The Unexpected. Enquiries on Human-AI Interactions emerges as a profound exploration of these dynamics, serving as the culminating event of the PEEK project with the same title.

The exhibition will features the works of project leader Pamela Breda and the project collaborators Patrícia J. Reis and Ruth Schnell, artists whose pursuit traverse complex landscapes of emotional, cognitive and exploitative responses to AI. The Unexpected invites you to a deeper contemplation of the philosophical, ethical and societal ramifications of AI. The shown artworks tell us about the labyrinth of human-AI relations with a critical and reflective lens and also address broader themes of human behavior – like the fear of change, and the relentless drive of capitalism that propels technological advancement, underscoring the duality of AI as both a marvel of human ingenuity and a potential harbinger of unforeseen challenges.

Pamela Breda will present a filmic narrative delving into the future of humanity entwined with AI. Her work will pose philosophical inquiries into the symbiosis and potential friction between human intellect and machine learning. Drawing on the insights of contemporary philosophers such as Luciano Floridi and Rosi Braidotti, Breda’s film contemplates the ontological shifts precipitated by AI. It challenges viewers to ponder whether our evolving relationship with artificial intelligence augments human experience or subtly erodes the essence of our humanity.

Patrícia J. Reis and Ruth Schnell will extend this topic through an interactive mixed reality installation that reconfigures the very space of the exhibition. Utilizing 3D mapping technologies and the head mounted display – HoloLens, they will create an immersive environment that references the application of AI in several controversial domains resulting in the proliferation of autonomous weapons, brain hacking technologies, data labor exploitation, sexbots, and the relentless persistence of extractivism practices.

The central topics will extend from the virtual environment into the physical exhibition space through the materialization of objects and artifacts made from materials that are integral within the AI technosphere. Reis’s and Schnell’s pieces will invite viewers to engage critically in a speculative narrative that navigates between physical and virtual space.

(PEEK Projekt AR 650)

Double Opening Night
6 May, 18:00

On this date two exhibitions will open at AIL

Welcome: Maria Zettler (Managing Rector)
Introduction exhibition The Unexpected. Enquiries on Human-AI Interaction
Introduction exhibition Monkeys, Machines, and Multiperspectivities. Transmissions from Within the Ludic Mind

Performance by Psycho-Ludic Research Groug (PLRG) – 250506_PLRG_LabMeeting