Amongst the chaos and panic of hundreds of students writing assignments and preparing for their upcoming exams, a small (very small!) exhibition sits in the Information Commons waiting for someone to cast their eyes over and become interested in what it has to say. Yet despite its hugely relevant subject matter, Supercharged by AI fails to capture imaginations, due not only to its location, but lack of anything much at all.
Comprised of nothing more than four poster boards, Supercharged by AI attempts to showcase the dangers that Artificial Intelligence is ushering in by highlighting problems from deepfakes to harassment…factors which the vast majority of people are all too familiar with anyway, and not exactly requiring a short ‘exhibition’ to highlight. Nevertheless, the fact that these concepts are being focused on can’t be claimed to be a bad thing.
Yet despite this, the various aspects of the displays quickly make themselves inaccessible. By placing these posterboards in a space as open as level one of the Information Commons, where multiple floors of voices can be heard simultaneously, it can quickly become overwhelming trying to read and understand the content presented in front of you, particularly given at points, its complexity.
On top of this, one of the displays in particular attempts to showcase types of reported harassment on a large board. Yet, the details disclosed by those who shared them is ineligible, with lines of different coloured text overlayed with one another so it cannot be understood. And for the sections that aren’t, one of the text colours used is yellow. Anyone who has ever tried to read yellow text on a white backdrop can understand the frustration this ushers in. Whilst the option is there to use your smartphone to view each submission individually, this particularly negates the physical element of this display.
However, some other aspects were particularly interesting, such as the way public figures and influencers are being aided by AI by change our thoughts and actions. Whilst one section faced the same colour issue as discussed previously, seeing this circular field of influencing methods is a stark reminder of the hold that technology, and its users and creators, can have over us, no matter how aware we attempt to be.
Supercharged by AI is a great concept, but one that is very clearly underbaked. Its four posterboards can only go so far in explaining these complex topics, and aided by inaccessibility, makes enjoying this installation particularly difficult. But it is clearly the foundations of something truly important, and with further development, may reach something more significant if developed further.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Supercharged by AI is on display in the Information Commons until January 31st
