ON/OFF RELATIONSHIP

But if people hand over more and more responsibilities to their new assistants, does this really simplify everyday life in the long run?

People are increasingly sharing their lives with new ‘flatmates’: chatbots and robots are being designed to become more and more like us and to work more closely with us. We’re augmenting our bodies with wearables, implants and prostheses, and integrating machines into our personal and professional routines.

We ask artificial intelligence for advice, share our emotions with it, and use it to assist us with our tasks. These technologies promise to simplify our daily lives and optimise their functions for our purposes. Yet a sense of unease remains, as the question inevitably arises as to who gains control over our data and our self-image.

The technological advances of recent years have had an enormous impact on the way people interact with machines. How is our social interaction changing as we deal with increasingly intelligent systems? What do intelligence and consciousness mean in the context of machines? Who among us makes use of their functions, and who remains excluded? What interests and ideologies are driving this development? And last but not least: when do we say ‘yes’ and when do we say – perhaps for ethical reasons – ‘no’ to innovations?

Centred on these hotly debated societal issues, Futurium’s new thematic focus examines how the relationship between humans and machines can be shaped to deliver genuine added value. It explores ideas on how we would like to live and work with technologies in the future – and in which areas we might prefer to switch ON or OFF.

In the exhibition

Intelligent machines, empathetic algorithms, brain implants and augmented realities: the boundaries between humans and technology seem to be blurring more and more. How will our understanding of what it means to be human change? Some see rapid technological development as the dawn of a golden age, whilst others fear the risks. So where is caution called for, and where is optimism warranted? Discover a range of perspectives on the future of the relationship between humans and machines in the exhibition.

Doppelgänger

‘Doppelgänger’ creates digital copies – of us and the way we communicate. This AI gets to know us through conversation: our preferences, hobbies and memories. It turns us into 3D avatars who meet the avatars of other visitors in a virtual world. But what do our digital reflections get up to when we’re not there? And just how much of us is actually in them?

TECHnotOXIC

In his project ‘TECHnotOXIC’, Italian artist Christian Fogarolli explores the invisible connections we humans have with the digital world. Through futuristic sculptures and a film, TECHnotOXIC explores new forms of dependency and vulnerability – which Fogarolli sees as symptoms of the human condition today. He asks how attention, time, emotions and behaviour become data, economic value and instruments of control. His artwork thus creates a landscape of body, technology and power

Is that AI?

Taking a selfie, uploading it, waiting for likes and comments… those days are gone. The internet of the future will no longer be created by humans: AI generates text, images, voices and videos – not always grounded in truth or reality. The boundaries between reputable news, deepfakes, entertainment and manipulation are becoming increasingly blurred. What can we do to find our way through this online maze?

The ever-increasing prevalence of AI-generated images, videos and audio is changing the way we perceive information online. If everything could be fake, what can we still believe? And how do we recognise trustworthy sources? Test how well you can spot deepfakes: first, assess your own judgement, take a close look and then decide: real or fake.

Borrowed Senses

What if technology enabled us to experience the world through someone else’s senses? For the ‘Borrowed Senses’ exhibit, Futurium has worked with students to explore how we might technologically expand the boundaries of our perception in the future.

This has resulted in two very different approaches.

The first path takes you inwards:

‘Nuances’ focuses entirely on hearing. You put on headphones, and a world of sound opens up. Through 3D audio, you immerse yourself deeply in the dimensions of a bird’s song and discover details that the human ear usually misses. The acoustic installation was developed in collaboration with the Music Design Lab at the Trossingen State University of Music.

The second path opens your gaze to the vastness around you.

In “Vielwelt”, you navigate through space using your body on a VR flight simulator, the ICAROS: even slight shifts in weight alter your course. Smell, movement, warmth – little by little, a world beyond human perception reveals itself. The installation from the Future Realities Lab at HTW Berlin makes visible what would otherwise remain hidden from the senses.