Kate Crawford & Vladan Joler: Anatomy of an AI System
Investigate the vast, intricate web of resources, labour and data behind an Amazon Echo speaker with a large-scale map visualising every detail.
This award-winning artwork casts a new light on the planetary scale of AI, exposing the huge, interconnected infrastructure that underpins artificial intelligence.
The richly detailed map and accompanying essay tell the story of the ‘birth, life and death’ of a single Amazon Echo unit, representing the impact of the creation, use and disposal of just one device.
It visualises three hidden forces behind making and running large-scale AI systems: material resources, human labour and data. The social, environmental, economic and political costs of everyday technology are usually hidden from view. But this artwork brings everything directly into the light.
Anatomy of an AI System has been acquired by the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the V&A Museum and the Design Museum, London. It’s been shown in over 100 galleries and museums worldwide, including the Triennale di Milano, ZKM, HKW in Berlin, the Vienna Biennale and the European Parliament in Brussels. The work has been recognised with multiple awards, including Design of the Year from the London Design Museum, and is frequently included in academic curricula and research papers.
Creative Intelligence is commissioned and produced by the Southbank Centre. Curated with PACT – Planetary Art Culture Technology.
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