logo
‘Pretty revolutionary': a Brooklyn exhibit interrogates white-dominated AI to make it more inclusive

‘Pretty revolutionary': a Brooklyn exhibit interrogates white-dominated AI to make it more inclusive

The Guardian2 days ago
At the Plaza at 300 Ashland Place in downtown Brooklyn, patrons mill around a large yellow shipping container with black triangles painted on its side. A nod to the flying geese quilt pattern, which may have served as a coded message for enslaved people escaping to freedom along the Underground Railroad, the design and container serve as a bridge between the past and the future of the African diaspora. At the center of the art project by the Brooklyn-based transmedia artist Stephanie Dinkins, a large screen displays artificial intelligence (AI) generated images that showcase the diversity of the city.
Commissioned by the New York-based art non-profit More Art and designed in collaboration with the architects LOT-EK, the AI laboratory If We Don't, Who Will? will be on display until 28 September. It seeks to challenge a white-dominated generative-AI space by highlighting Black ethos and cultural cornerstones.
During a time when society has become increasingly reliant on AI, Dinkins wants the models to learn the history, hopes and dreams of Black and brown people to more accurately represent US demographics. She sees her work as shifting the AI landscape, which has been trained on biased data and encapsulates a worldview that is not reflective of the global majority. Black people are underrepresented in the AI field, with Black workers composing just 7.4% of the hi-tech workforce. Research has shown that lack of representation in AI can lead to discriminatory outcomes, such as predictive policing tools that target Black communities and tenant screening programs that reject renters of color.
'What stories can we tell machines that will help them know us better from the inside of the community out, instead of the way that we're often described, from outside in, which is often incorrect or misses a mark in some way, or knows us as a consumerist body, not as a human body,' Dinkins said. 'I have this question: 'Can we make systems of care and generosity?''
At the AI laboratory, one image on the screen is of a young Black girl with an afro hairstyle who stares at the viewer, her steady gaze belying her artificial nature. QR codes stationed around the public art project lead to an app where people are invited to submit their own personal stories or to answer prompts such as 'what privileges do you have in society?' People around the world can also answer questions through the app. A ramp leads to the inside of the container, where after a few minutes, a large screen displays a generated image that reflects the information that patrons submitted in the app. Images that appear on a loop until another response is uploaded are mostly portraits of people of color, even if the person who submitted it is not one themselves.
Dinkins programmed the generative art to prioritize Black and brown worldviews and figures. She did so by fine-tuning different AI models, programs that recognize patterns through datasets. Dinkins and her team of developers fed the models images by the Black photographer Roy DeCarava, who captured photos of Black people in Harlem. They also programmed it using African American Vernacular English so that the models would learn to recognize its tonality and better generate images based on the stories of people who use it. She also created imagery of okra, a main ingredient in the dishes of enslaved Africans and their descendants, which are displayed in the portraits as a talisman that she sees as connecting the past and present.
'We're in this AI technological landscape that is changing our world. I don't have a clue how it can do well by us if it does not know us,' Dinkins said. While she empathizes with the public's desire to protect their privacy in the AI era, she said, 'We also have to have those spaces where we say this information isn't for ourselves. It should be shared because it is a way that we are current, training and nurturing the technology that we are living under.'
Dinkins, who was named one of the 100 most influential people in AI in 2023 by Time magazine, is a self-proclaimed 'tinkerer' without formal technology training. She became interested in AI more than a decade ago after coming across a YouTube video of a Black woman AI robot, Bina48, which depicts Bina Rothblatt, co-founder of the not-for-profit Terasem Movement Foundation, which researches ways to extend human life.
Her ongoing project Conversations With Bina48, which began in 2014, features recorded video interviews of her talking with the robot. She later created her own AI system that served as a Black American family memoir. In her project Not the Only One, Dinkins created a voice-interactive device that spoke to passersby and was trained on conversations that she had with her niece and aunt.
Dinkins's projects are a step toward democratizing AI by bringing technology to underrepresented people in spaces where they normally would not have access to it, said Louis Chude-Sokei, a Boston University English professor. There is a long history of algorithms outputting racist or sexist material because they are trained on the internet, which is teeming with racist and sexist stereotypes, said Chude-Sokei, who specializes in literature as well as technology and race.
'What Stephanie wants to do is [pose the question]: 'What if we can start to train different algorithms to respond to different datasets that have liberating content or socially just content?'' Chude-Sokei said. 'Let's just take a hold of the datasets and create different patterns for it to recognize and see what kind of conclusions it will produce based on different materials and different patterns.'
Dinkins and other artists of color focusing on technology are shifting the paradigm of the AI landscape, he said, by putting the tools into the hands of the global majority. 'There's a much larger reorientation of the social world, the political world, the cultural world that's happening with AI,' Chude-Sokei said. Dinkins's work, he added, embraces a philosophy she coined called Afro-now-ism, which she defines as taking action toward a better world today. It's a 'celebration of seeing technology, not as this horrific thing that we have no control over', Chude-Sokei said, 'but something that we can engage in very joyful, creative and positive ways, while at the same time, being aware of the dangers'.
For Beth Coleman, a professor at the University of Toronto who specializes in technology and society, it's imperative that AI models be trained on a wide range of datasets to ensure that they produce an accurate representation of the world. Dinkins' work, she said, interrogates which voices are included in technical systems.
'There's a good spirit of 'how can we build a better world together?' in Stephanie's work,' Coleman said, 'and at this moment in time that feels pretty revolutionary.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nicola Peltz copies lookalike mother-in-law Victoria Beckham as she poses in hotel bathrobe and hair towel - after Posh Spice snubbed Brooklyn from family post amid family feud
Nicola Peltz copies lookalike mother-in-law Victoria Beckham as she poses in hotel bathrobe and hair towel - after Posh Spice snubbed Brooklyn from family post amid family feud

Daily Mail​

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Nicola Peltz copies lookalike mother-in-law Victoria Beckham as she poses in hotel bathrobe and hair towel - after Posh Spice snubbed Brooklyn from family post amid family feud

Nicola Peltz appeared to copy her lookalike mother-in-law Victoria Beckham in recent Instagram snaps, she posted on Thursday, amid the family's feud. The model, 30, slipped into a white hotel bathrobe and hair towel as she posed for photos, similar to Victoria's post in June. It's not the first time Nicola has taken inspiration from her famous mother-in-law, 51, as she's previously been seen mirroring the footstep's of the fashion icon. As far back as February Nicola paid homage to Victoria as she stepped out in a stylish Dolce & Gabbana leather jacket, which was the exact same one worn by the fashion designer, 49, in 2001. Nicola's post came hours after Victoria snubbed her son Brooklyn from her family tribute to his grandad Ted. The eldest son, 26, is currently locked in a bitter feud with his parents, with him and his wife Nicola being pitted against the rest of the family. Brooklyn avoided his father's 50th birthday party last month and remained quiet on social media, however he did post a birthday tribute to his sister Harper. Brooklyn shared a photo with David's dad Ted, he wished him well writing: 'Happy birthday grandad. I love you xx.' Meanwhile back home Victoria honoured her father-in-law with a family snap that did not include her eldest son and his wife. She captioned the post: 'Happy birthday @tedbeckham kisses' before going on to tag sons Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, as well as daughter Harper, 14. In another update, Brooklyn embraced his billionaire father-in-law in snaps from the family getaway to St Tropez. He enjoyed a friendly beer with Nelson Peltz, 83, before packing on the PDA with wife Nicola onboard the businessman's superyacht. Amid the trip the couple enjoyed a swanky lunch with Brooklyn's godfather Elton John, who sources revealed planned the dinner in a desperate attempt to calm the family's feud. Nicola shared a slew of final holiday snaps from the couple's lavish trip before heading home to the US. In a snap shared to her Instagram, Nicola threw her arms around Brooklyn's neck as they smooched while watching a sunset. She later stunned in a black mini dress as she strutted her stuff on the dance floor before enjoying a lavish fireworks display. The heiress later showcased her figure as she headed ashore and turned heads in a Chanel crop top which she teamed with a fluffy shrug, despite the hot weather. Brooklyn later confirmed the lavish holiday was over as he shared a snap of himself enjoying a huge pizza as the couple arrived in NYC. Sir Elton, who has been friends with David and Victoria Beckham for over 30 years, treated Brooklyn and Nicola to food at fancy La Guerite beach club in the South of France. According to The Sun, Sir Elton 'briefly' spoke about the family's feud in the hope Brooklyn would patch things up with his parents. A source said: 'Elton of old may have relished in taking sides - in this case his young godson, Brooklyn - but two years off his 80th birthday, he's a man who has seen and done it all. He just wants everyone to be happy. 'There is no sidetaking as such; he simply adores his godson, and really has a laugh with Nicola who he thinks has a great sense of humour. He wants to look after them in his role as 'spiritual adviser' as a godfather, it's a role he takes seriously. Amid their trip the couple enjoyed a swanky lunch with Brooklyn's godfather Elton John, who sources revealed planned the dinner in a desperate attempt to calm the family's feud 'Elton and David think the situation is terribly sad, and has gently suggested to all involved that life is short - to patch things up.' The source added Sir Elton is 'adamant he doesn't want to stick his nose in' the feud, he just simply 'wants peace'. MailOnline contacted the Beckham's and Elton's representatives for comment. Nicola couldn't wipe the smile off her face during the lunch as she sipped on Aperol Spritz at the fancy beach club. Sir Elton is also said to have generously picked up the entire bill, after dining on the restaurant's signature lobster linguine which comes in at an eye-watering £190. David affectionately calls the musician 'Uncle Elton' after becoming friends in his football heyday. Sir Elton was due to perform at the Beckhams wedding in 1999 but suffering a heart attack that prevented him from playing. He later sang at one of the children's christenings. Meanwhile Victoria once disclosed that it was Elton who inspired her to say goodbye to the Spice Girls, penning an emotional letter to her older self where she confessed that watching her friend perform made her realise that her true calling lay beyond singing. It comes after Nicola doubled down on the family feud as she declared Brooklyn 'her everything' on Instagram last week during their luxury St Tropez trip. Nicola took to her Instagram Stories with snaps of the pair embracing during their sun-soaked getaway on board her billionaire father's yacht in St Tropez. The couple only had eyes for each other as she wrapped her arms around his neck while he pulled her in close. She wore a bikini top and skimpy white shorts while her husband shielded his eyes behind shades and a baseball cap and cheekily squeezed her bottom. Nicola captioned the post: 'My everything @BrooklynBeckhamPeltz' with Brooklyn later resharing it with his followers. Last week, it was revealed that Brooklyn and Nicola's Instagram accounts no longer follow his younger brothers Cruz and Romeo in the latest family drama. However, Brooklyn's friends told MailOnline on Friday that Cruz and Romeo have actually blocked them on the social media platform. This would make sense given that Brooklyn and Nicola are still following Victoria and David. One throwback snap showed father and son playing pool as the footballer joked his dad could still not beat him Cruz and Romeo were still following Brooklyn and Nicola earlier this month but appeared to take action after Brooklyn posted a birthday tribute to sister Harper, sharing a family photo without them in it – which Nicola reposted. There was much speculation whether Brooklyn would reach out to Harper on her 14th birthday, but despite him doing so, it seems all is not well in the camp. Brooklyn's birthday tribute to Harper marked his first public interaction with his family since he paid tribute to his grandmother Sandra on June 26, despite remaining silent and shunning his father's 50th birthday earlier that same month. Sources close to the family have told MailOnline of their fears that Brooklyn and his wife Nicola have also distanced themselves from Harper after they failed to visit her when they flew into London in May to film an advert for French-Italian clothing brand Moncler just over a mile from the family home in Holland Park. David and Victoria had no idea whether Brooklyn, who Harper has idolised since she was a little girl, would message her privately or publicly on Instagram because they have no communication with him.

HR director caught on Coldplay ‘kiss cam' quits company
HR director caught on Coldplay ‘kiss cam' quits company

Telegraph

time4 hours ago

  • Telegraph

HR director caught on Coldplay ‘kiss cam' quits company

The HR director caught cuddling the chief executive of her company on a 'kiss cam' at a Coldplay concert has resigned. Kristin Cabot has stepped down from her position at Astronomer, a software company, after the footage of her in the arms of Andy Byron went viral on social media, according to TMZ. 'Kristin Cabot is no longer with Astronomer – she's resigned,' a source told the celebrity news website. Mr Byron, who is reportedly married, stepped down as the company's chief executive on Saturday, shortly after its directors announced it would hold an investigation into the incident. When footage of the pair was beamed around the arena on the 'kiss cam', Ms Cabot quickly covered her face and moved away, while Mr Byron ducked out of sight. The crowd could be heard laughing as Chris Martin, the Coldplay singer, said: 'Oh, look at these two ... Either they're having an affair or they're very shy.' Sports fans and even team mascots have re-enacted the moment on 'kiss cams' across the US. According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Byron led Astronomer, a New York-based company, for two years. On Friday, Astronomer announced its board of directors had launched an investigation into its own chief executive. 'Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability,' it said in a statement. 'The board of directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.' A woman understood to be Mr Byron's wife has changed her last name on her Facebook account, according to reports. Ms Cabot joined in 2024 as chief people officer, with Mr Byron describing her as a 'proven leader' with a 'passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces'. Reports suggest she was married but divorced in 2022. The incident took place just months after Astronomer raised $93m (£69.3m) from investors. The company is said to be valued at around $1bn.

Hulk Hogan's sex tape lawsuit had a lasting effect on cases involving celebrity privacy
Hulk Hogan's sex tape lawsuit had a lasting effect on cases involving celebrity privacy

The Independent

time5 hours ago

  • The Independent

Hulk Hogan's sex tape lawsuit had a lasting effect on cases involving celebrity privacy

Famous for his fearless bravado as a pro wrestler, Hulk Hogan won one of his most notable victories in a Florida courtroom by emphasizing his humiliation and emotional distress after a news and gossip website published a video of Hogan having sex with a friend's wife. A 2016 civil trial that pitted the First Amendment against the privacy rights of celebrities ended with a jury awarding Hogan a whopping $140 million in his lawsuit against Gawker Media. Though both parties later settled on $31 million to avoid protracted appeals, the case put Gawker out of business. It also ensured Hogan, who died Thursday at age 71, and his legal team would have a long-term impact on media law. The case showed that, in certain circumstances, celebrities could persuade a jury that their right to privacy outweighs the freedom of the press — even when the published material was true. The case put media outlets on notice that 'the public doesn't necessarily like the press,' especially when reporting intrudes into intimate details of even public figures' private lives, said Samantha Barbas, a University of Iowa law professor who writes about press freedoms and First Amendment issues. She said it also emboldened celebrities, politicians and others in the public spotlight to be more aggressive in suing over unflattering news coverage — as seen recently in President Donald Trump 's pursuit of court cases against the Wall Street Journal, ABC and CBS. 'I think the lasting effect of the Hulk Hogan case was it really started this trend of libel and privacy lawsuits being weaponized to kind of take down these media organizations,' Barbas said. Hogan wept hearing the verdict in a case that was 'real personal' Hogan, whose given name was Terry Bollea, sued Gawker for invading his privacy after the website in 2012 posted an edited version of a video of Hogan having sex with the wife of his then-best friend, Florida-based radio DJ Bubba The Love Sponge Clem. Clem gave his blessing to the coupling and recorded the video that was later leaked to Gawker. Hogan insisted he was unaware the intimate encounter was being filmed. The former WWE champion testified that he was 'completely humiliated' when the sex video became public. Hogan's lead trial attorney, Ken Turkel, recalled Thursday how his muscular, mustachioed client cried in court as the jury verdict was read. 'To him the privacy part of it was integral. It was important,' Turkel said. 'Eight-year-old kids were googling 'Hulk Hogan' and 'Wrestlemania,' and they were getting a sex tape. That was hurtful to him in a real personal way.' The three-week trial was closely followed far beyond the courtroom in St. Petersburg, Florida, as thousands of wrestling fans, First Amendment watchers and others stayed glued to their screens as the trial was streamed live online. Salacious details emerged about Hogan's sex life as jurors and spectators viewed. images of him in thong underwear. Other testimony focused on how New York-based Gawker practiced journalism differently than traditional news outlets. And Hogan explained to the jury about the difference between his wrestling persona and his private life. Jury rejected that First Amendment protected publishing sex tape The jury ultimately rejected arguments by Gawker's attorneys that Hogan's sex tape was newsworthy and that publishing it, no matter how distasteful, was protected speech under the First Amendment. 'Now more people, including judges, understand that it's possible to sue someone for revealing something truthful, as long as that something is deeply personal and its publication is highly offensive,' said Amy Gajda, a Brooklyn Law School professor who followed and wrote about the case against Gawker. News outlets still have broad legal protection for publishing information about public figures, even things that would generally be considered private, Gajda said 'As long as there is news value in what is published and the media can argue that effectively, they can get a privacy case dismissed very early on,' she said. ___ Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store