EcoGuards

– Speculations on man-nature-machine ecologies

This hybrid installation incorporates video, sound, recycled electronics and biomatter to envision a near future where a global AI, designed to protect the planet, takes radical measures to preserve nature amidst the escalating environmental crises we face.

Through transmedial story-telling, it challenges us to consider the ethical dilemmas of autonomous decision-making and whether we could coexist with an ecological AI.

In the near future, the earth and its environment have changed. Mega-corporations monopolize resources, and continue to exploit and pollute nature. In a last-ditch effort to save the planet, a global AI is created to represent natural rights and conservation: the EcoGuards. The AI develops autonomous decision-making, and interprets environmental threats without human judgment. This leads to anti-human orders from the algorithm, since any activities that harm nature are understood as a direct threat.

The multimedia installation is based on Theresa Schubert’s reflections on the ecological crises on Earth, the rapid development of AI, and the new widespread availability of AI technologies. What will the meaningful future applications of AI be, and what risks and ethical complications come with them? What could coexistence with autonomous AI look like, with an emphasis on ecological awareness? Is this possible?