Carnegie Museum’s 1st podcast series looks at pros, cons of AI
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Carnegie Museum of Art today is launching its first-ever podcast series, investigating the intersection of photography, surveillance and artificial intelligence.
Each episode of the free, six-part series, “Mirror with a Memory,” will feature artists, writers and academics exploring a different facet of the conversation surrounding AI and photography. The host will be Los Angeles-based artist Martine Syms, whose work in publishing, video, installation and performance focuses on identity and the portrayal of self through themes such as feminism and Black culture.
“Our thought was how to bring in the experiences and voices of experts to explore these issues that are becoming more and more relevant every day,” said Dan Leers, the museum’s curator of photography. “Not to pat ourselves on the back, but the lineup is really exceptional.
“This is a new and exciting way to engage with these topics, and we’re hoping many people will turn to the podcast to hear new ideas and compelling stories in a unique format,” he said.
Episodes will be released each Monday through March 8, available for free viewing on the museum website and other podcast outlets.
The series accompanies the exhibition, “Trevor Paglen: Opposing Geometries,” on view through March 14, along with the “Mirror with a Memory” publication by Leers and curatorial assistant Taylor Fisch. The Paglen exhibition examines how images can be weaponized against humans and the environment through the use of artificial intelligence.
“One thing we learned was how prevalent data monitoring is, and how it affects every moment of our daily lives,” Leers said. “AI has revolutionized so many aspects of our lives, and we wanted to do a balanced telling of these stories.”
The podcasts have a loose narrative arc, Leers said. The arc starts with the unseen effects of AI, both positive and negative, on individuals and landscapes. It moves to the idea of harnessing its use in positive ways, what Leers calls “speaking truth to power.”
“That includes being wary of information being gathered, for people to arm themselves with technology, a citizen activism through photography,” he said.
Streaming options
“Mirror with a Memory” podcasts will stream on the museum website, along with other streaming services and podcast outlets. The series is part of the museum’s Hillman Photography Initiative.
Episodes and launch dates include:
• Biometrics, Feb. 1 — Photography has been used as a tool to record our bodies from the creation of the first mugshots in the late 19th century to recent developments in facial recognition technology. In this episode, Zach Blas and Manthia Diawara discuss what it means to leave it to machines to verify our identities.
• (In)Visibility, Feb. 8 — The episode explores the benefits and disadvantages of going unseen by surveillance technologies. Simone Browne, Sondra Perry and Mimi Onuoha examine notions of visibility and invisibility in the context of AI imaging systems.
• Evidence, Feb 15 — If we know that it is impossible for a photograph to be objective, then why do we rely so heavily on photography as evidence? Artists Lynn Hershman Leeson and American Artist respond to this question, dissecting how AI complicates our relationship to pictures and the notion of visual “proof.”
• Storytelling, Feb. 22 — Episode four explores the algorithmic potential of storytelling. Artists Stephanie Dinkins and Stan Douglas discuss how they use the language of photography, surveillance and AI to narrate pasts and reimagine futures.
• Land, March 1 — What is the environmental impact of AI on our planet, and what colonial impulses does this technology enable? Leading AI researcher Kate Crawford, technology writer Arthur Holland Michel and photographer Richard Misrach will look at how cameras are used to divide, extract, survey and monitor landscapes.
• Power, March 8 — Do we have the power to refuse mass surveillance? Forensic Architecture founder Eyal Weizman explains how artists, activists and researchers can use the tools of photography, surveillance and AI to hold corporations, governments and institutions accountable.
Forensic Architecture is a University of London-based research group that uses architectural techniques and technologies to investigate state violence and human rights violations around the world.
Details: cmoa.org