Intelligent software
Just how central algorithms are to digital technologies is demonstrated using the example of automated decision support systems, which are increasingly used to decide who is invited to a job interview, who receives a loan, or how high an insurance premium will be. But do these systems always decide fairly? This question is explored in four short films for which researchers at ZHAW teamed up with the non-profit organization AlgorithmWatch Switzerland and the design studio Tristesse.
Closely related to this issue is our fear of surveillance, which is addressed in a fictional story called M.D. likes to have a beer in the evening. A psychologist, a designer, and a historian wrote the story based on a collection of actual surveillance logs.
Artificial intelligence is also increasingly being used today in animal ecology, with machine learning applications helping researchers to identify or count individual animals for example. The installation Triggered by Motion reveals the enormous amount of data that has to be evaluated for this purpose. The walk-through video pavilion, made from recycled PET bottles, assembles wildlife camera footage from 21 locations around the world. In addition to the University of Zurich, numerous other research and environmental protection organizations are involved.