“Liberate the possible from the tyranny of the probable.” (Dan McQuillan, Goldsmith University)
In this module, we will develop a critical perspective and some hands-on experience at the same time.
Our starting point is to consider «Artificial Intelligence» (AI) as a historical-material practice, i.e. shaped by the concrete conditions of its development and use. In particular, we want to look at the issue of “normalization”, the tendency of commercial generative AI to create very similar-looking content, drawn from a relatively narrow range of possibilities.
We will investigate the roots of this issue and its political and cultural consequences. We will look at artistic practices that break the mold of the normal and use it as a tool to interrogate the past and imagine different futures.
Orientation
Positions in Art Schools
ZHDK:
What do we want from AI at an Art School?
Brain-storming session, list with as many possible points as you think of, not all of them need to be included in the next version.
What do we want from AI at an Art School?
Choose the points you agree, and write a statement, you can use any tools you like, but in the end, it's your statement.
Start at 10:30, lunch break at 13:00, end at 19:00
“Solving of problems by an indirect and creative approach, typically through viewing the problem in a new and unusual light.”
Oblique Strategies, by Peter Schmidt Brian Eno, 1975
Draw five cards from the deck, chose the one most productive for you and revise the statement following the strategy chosen.
— Kino Toni Toni Areal,
«Platform Brutality»
Geert Lovink, a media theorist and internet critic from the Netherlands, will discuss the current projects of the “Institute of Network Cultures” in Amsterdam, which he directs, and present his new book, “Platform Brutality.” The keynote address will be delivered in English.
More Information: https://cast.zhdk.ch/news/geert-lovink-from-platform-brutality-to-social-media-alternatives/
«Bilder aus dem Prompt: KI zwischen Markt, Kunst und Verantwortung»
Ab 17:30 Uhr sind Tobias Fueter und Boris Eldagsen «zu Gast bei Cast». An unserem Panel «Bilder aus dem Prompt: KI zwischen Markt, Kunst und Verantwortung» treffen die zwei profilierten, konträren Positionen aufeinander, um das Spannungsfeld zwischen kommerzieller Anwendung und künstlerischer Intervention auszuloten. Moderation: Filmemacher und Forscher Manuel Flurin Hendry.
More information: https://cast.zhdk.ch/news/bilder-aus-dem-prompt-ki-zwischen-markt-kunst-und-verantwortung/
Piotr Winiewicz, About A Hero, 2024, 85 Minutes
What do we want from AI at an Art School?
Finish and presentation.
Feedback & End
Additional Information
IEA (2025), Energy and AI, IEA, Paris
US tech firms successfully lobbied EU to keep datacentre emissions secret, The Guardian, UK, 17 Apr, 2026.
Ben Jordan Data Centers' Hidden Health Hazard: The Infrasound Threat, 20 Feb, 2026