Mapping the Oblivion
If we live only within the boundaries of the algorithm, what does it mean to be human?
Algorithms are increasingly influencing our lives: where to go, what to buy and who to listen to. AI creates frictionless experiences: tailored, targeted and optimised for you. But at what cost? Frictionlessness comes with obedience. To the machine, the market and your own prophecy.
Between frictionlessness and the right to oblivion
Mapping the Oblivion explores the impact of data on human autonomy and the right to be forgotten in AI. The installation shows the impact of recommendations on our lives through the lens of her families Netflix account and raises questions about to what extent we want to quantify our choices. ‘Do you only watch films that score higher than 64%? Do you only dine at restaurants if they meet your taste for over 76%? Do you date people when the compatibility rate is above 89%? Do you not choose the career you desire because there is only a 12% chance of success?’ Do we want to replace our intuition with systems we don’t understand? Follow a map of probabilities and statistics?
The right to oblivion is an EU right to request the deletion of data. An important right, but the role of AI in our lives and the complexity of data gathering infrastructures requires a new understanding of oblivion. What does it mean to be forgotten in a world built on data? Do we want to live within the margins of algorithms, or escape them? Erase data? Choose against the odds? Embrace randomness? Achieve a state of oblivion.
Project by: Julia Janssen
