Blackbox AI is a multidisciplinary art installation in the form of a labyrinth, inspired by Bruno Latour’s characterization of new technologies as “black boxes”, where the input and the output are only known to the user, while the process remains untransparent. The project aims to raise awareness of gender biases in artificial intelligence (AI) applications that can lead to the (self-)exclusion of women from technology. Different aspects of this phenomenon are exhibited, namely natural language processing and algorithmic facial recognition biases, beauty standards, gender stereotypes, and women’s access to the STEM work field. In addition to the research conducted on these topics, we have put in place a survey to collect testimonials on bias and discrimination in the workplace. Also, image-generating software, gender swap, and facial recognition apps were used to create novel and interactive content showcasing the main ideas of our work. The project was developed as part of the EthicAI=Lab project by Goethe Institute and was exhibited in Athens. After the exhibition, the team took part at the International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction 2023 with the paper “A Multimodal Installation Exploring Gender Bias in Artificial Intelligence” that was published by Springer.
The expected result of the exhibition is empowering women to have more agency by pointing out the biases in AI applications and challenging all visitors to rethink their role in creating our shared digital future, as consumers or as developers.