Researcher and professor Kate Crawford and investigative artist Trevor Paglen are currently working together to explore the ethical and political implications of AI. Their collaborative research project “Excavating AI” (subtitle “The Politics of Images in Machine Learning Training Sets”) explores how our own - very human - biases influence how machines learn. At Sónar+D 2022, the pair will deliver an audiovisual address covering their research and associated topics.

Kate Crawford is a professor, researcher and one of the leading voices in the current conversation surrounding the social and political implications of artificial intelligence. Her work focuses on understanding large-scale data systems in the context of history, politics, labour and the environment. She is the author of “Atlas of AI: power, politics and the planetary cost of artificial intelligence.”

Trevor Paglen is an artist with an investigative mindset who’s worked in a wide range of disciplines, from photography to sculpture to journalism. His work has been exhibited around the world, with projects like ‘Trinity Cube’  - a block of irradiated glass created from material found in exclusion zone in Fukushima -  and ‘Orbital Reflector’ -  a satellite artwork he sent to orbit around the earth in 2019 - receiving widespread coverage and acclaim. He was also a notable contributor to the Academy Award-winning documentary on whistleblower Edward Snowden, Citizenfour.