Slow AI

Slow AI

In a world revolving around speed, efficiency and exponential growth, the concept of slowness offers a much-needed counter-movement. Just as Slow Cooking teaches us to enjoy food slowly and Slow Fashion helps us choose more consciously what hangs in our wardrobe, Slow AI calls us to slow down in technology too. By rushing less, we can think about the problems in AI systems, such as inequality and exploitation. This gives us a chance to make technology that is fairer and more caring for both people and the planet.

For example with the increasing role of AI in everyday life, users are increasingly coming into contact with colonial and biased structures embedded in it. Project Slow AI focuses on developing strategies to address colonial and extractive histories in current AI systems by introducing the concept of inertia to a fast-paced technology.

The aim is to challenge the prevailing trends of extraction, rapid consumption, instant gratification and the relentless pursuit of efficiency that have characterised the digital age, particularly within AI.

During this contribution, Mariana Fernandez, researcher at the Visual Methodologies lectureship, raises the following questions:

• How can we create anti-colonial approaches to AI?
• How can ‘slow’ principles afford better ways of designing, deploying and engaging with the technology across different fields?

This presentation will briefly introduce the project of ‘slow AI’ by unpacking the slow principles and ways of working that guide it. Through a short world-making exercise, participants will also get to engage in a small part of one of the workshops that have taken place under the guidance of Mariana during the research.

Racism and technology

Have you ever been locked out (or locked in or put on a list) by a technology or algorithm because of a physical characteristic? And if so, how or at what?

Of course, this often happens to people who are hard of hearing or visually impaired. Also occasionally with people who are left-handed. People are also excluded because of the colour of their skin.

Design is therefore sometimes called ‘applied ethics’. Our technological reality is a reflection of our social reality. What we consider important or not in the world (including its history) translates into the technology around us.

Do you think technology can be racist?
Should AI-generated art be banned for the time being?

In this contribution, Hans de Zwart, researcher at the research group Responsible IT, will discuss these questions with the audience. Racism cannot be solved with technology but we as a society can work on symptom reduction and awareness.

About the speakers

Mariana Fernandez is a researcher and visual artist working at the intersection of art, research, and AI. She is fascinated by technology's impact on knowledge production and focuses on developing anti-colonial methodologies for algorithmic cultures.

She is a researcher at the Visual Methodologies collective, where she initiated the “Slow AI” coalition in collaboration with the Algorithmic Cultures Group at the Sandberg Institute. She also platforms and disseminates artistic research through her work at ARIAS Amsterdam, where she leads the Artificial Worlds Group.

In her book 'Dear Machines' published in 2022, an experimental thesis on co-writing with AI, she explores how AI technologies are changing and challenging how we communicate, determine intelligence, and, consequently, how knowledge is created. You can find it in the collections of the Stedelijk Museum Library, If I Can't Dance, Design Museum Gent, The Sandberg/Rietveld Library and Stockholm University.

Side passions include tennis, girl theory, fashion, gossip, trash culture, guinea pigs, stickers memes and running.

Hans de Zwart is lecturer-researcher from the Responsible IT research group. As a philosopher, he deals with the ethics and philosophy of technology. He is one of the founders and sits on the board of the Racism and Technology Center, as well as on the board of the Center for the Advancement of Infrastructural Imagination (CAII).

Previously, Hans was director of the digital civil rights organisation Bits of Freedom, championing freedom of communication and privacy on the internet. Before that, he was Senior Innovation Adviser for Global HR and Learning Technologies at Shell, Moodle consultant at Stoas Learning and he started his career as a teacher of physical education at a secondary school in Amsterdam Zuidoost.

His field of work is the interface between technology (which he prefers to see ‘open’) and social developments, often viewed from the perspective of citizens' rights. He knows that technology is always also political, is not a fan of intellectual property and believes in the power of design.

Loes Wernsen acts from now on as permanent moderator during our Food for Thought sessions.

She is a versatile education professional with a background in concept development, branding and creativity. Loes works as a lecturer-researcher and education advisor at the AUAS and previously at HKU.

Within COCB (Communication & Creative Business) education, Loes developed an ‘educational game’.

She is also involved in various projects, including the Megagames project.

At the Education & Research team of the DMCI faculty, she fulfils the role of educational advisor.

Visual Methodologies Collective

Want to know more about the Visual Methodologies research group at the Centre for Applied Research FDMCI? Then take a look at this portal.

Responsible IT

Further background information on the Responsible IT research group can be found at this page.

Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation

If you are curious what exactly the CoE Creative Innovation does, you can find more information on the website.