Colophon
+A Nourishing Network is a peer-to-peer publishing experiment starting from the feed as a potentially multi-directional circulation device.
+A Nourishing Network is initiated by servus.at (Davide Bevilacqua) in collaboration with varia.zone (Alice Strete & Manetta Berends) and is published in the context of AMRO 2020 (Arts Meets Radical Openness).
+ Editing: Davide Bevilacqua
Design and development: Manetta Berends, Alice Strete
Paper: xxxx
Typeface: Gnu Unifont, White Rabbit, Ansi Shadow
Print and production: Varia
This project is produced with Free Software tools. The feeds are made with Pelican & Weasyprint.
+
Davide is an artist and curator working is the blurry area between media and contemporary art.
Manetta Berends is a designer working with forms of networked publishing, situated software and collective infrastructures.
Alice Strete is an artist and researcher interested in the intricate relationship between humans and the technologies they surround themselves with.
Many thanks to our partners, collaborators, authors and the AMRO community.
+Published under the CC-BY-SA 4.0 license.
++----------------------------------a----------------------------------- +-------------------------- - - - - - ----------------------------- +----------------------n--n--n--n--n--n--n--n--n----------------------- +--------------------o----o---o----o----o---o----o--------------------- +----------------u-----u-----u-----u-----u-----u-----u----------------- +-------------r------r------r------r------r------r------r-------------- +----------i-------i-------i-------i-------i-------i-------i----------- +-------s--------s--------s--------s--------s--------s--------s-------- +-----h---------h--------h---------h---------h--------h---------h------ +----i---------i---------i---------i---------i---------i---------i----- +----n---------n---------n---------n---------n---------n---------n----- +----g---------g---------g---------g---------g---------g---------g----- +----- --------- -------- --------- --------- -------- --------- ------ +-------n--------n--------n--------n--------n--------n--------n-------- +----------e-------e-------e-------e-------e-------e-------e----------- +-------------t------t------t------t------t------t------t-------------- +----------------w-----w-----w-----w-----w-----w-----w----------------- +--------------------o----o---o----o----o---o----o--------------------- +-------------------------r--r--r--r--r--r--r-------------------------- +---------------------------- k-kk-k-kk-k ----------------------------- ++ +
Defining our current network scenario: from “Telephone/Fax”, through “Early Internet”, to “Virtual Touring Software”, towards “a Slow-Speed Virtual-Physical Residency”
+ ++ █████╗ +██╔══██╗ +███████║ +██╔══██║ +╚═╝ ╚═╝ ++s soon as the COVID-19 pandemic severely started to kick in Europe in March 2020, many of the local cultural events were switched to online. Like many others, It took me sometime to get accustomed to proprietary online meeting environments such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet (all of which I only use on the Windows side of my dual-boot Linux-base ThinkPad [Jitsi is an exception]). While I enjoyed the vibe of “anyone could attend anything from anywhere in the world”, I felt the novelty of “at home” or “remoteness” had quickly disappeared. These days, I still do book interesting-looking online events, but can barely get motivated to actually show up in front of the screen. When “online” has been rendered almost completely flat by the surge of repetitive Zoom conferences and streaming events, perhaps it is time to look back some of the first virtualization efforts of art in history. In fact, “available from home” was nothing new. +
+In 1991, the Project InterCommunication Center (ICC), founded by the Japanese telecom giant NTT, hosted an event titled “The Museum Inside The Telephone Network” by inviting almost 100 artists ^[^1]^. Literally, it was an experiment to set up an invisible museum using telephone/Fax which were back then the most common and fastest ways to transmit audiovisual data. In the early 90s, telephones were mostly available from home and the level of mobility only stretched as far as a cordless landline phone. However, they managed to offer five different “channels”: Voice & Sound channel where prerecorded audio-based pieces could be listened to, Live channel through which you could attend live performances and talks, Interactive channel which involved interactions by physical telephone buttons, Fax channel by which you could print image-based pieces in black and white, and Personal Computer channel that allowed you to view computer graphics-based pieces on the computer screen. Some of the artists found optimal uses of the media: e.g. for Fax channel, the Japanese painter Tadanori Yokoo selected 1080 images from his extensive waterfall postcard picture collection and made them available to print at home ^[^2]^. As a result, a cascade of images incessantly came out of a Fax machine as though a real waterfall.
+ ++Following this, there was another virtualization attempt by ICC called “on the Web -The Museum Inside The Network-” in 1995 ^[^3]^. By this time, the Internet was becoming partially available at some homes and pieces of artwork were accessible through websites from personal computers. Some of the art projects foresaw the age of social media: Kazuhiko Hachiya presented “Mega-Diary” where the links to diaries written by 100 people were gathered and updated on a daily basis ^[^4]^, Kouichirou Eto made “Real Panopticon”, a web platform that worked on top of the exhibition website and allowed the viewers to observe what other visitors were currently looking at online ^[^5]^. I have always been thrilled by ambitious remarks made while speculating on the future of the Internet from 90s. One of the committee members of the project, theorist Toshiharu Itoh left a quote that lets us reflect on where we are today ^[^6]^:
+ +The technology of information communications is a “technology of consciousness” that belongs to the realm of the spirit and the senses more than to the realm of practicality and function. Bearing this in mind, I hope to immerse myself within the fabric of the network.+
+My question now is: What is our current state of consciousness and how should it be expressed through the network available? As an example of a pandemic-ready practice, Norwegian visual artist/musician Lars Holdhus a.k.a TCF comes into my mind.
++I met TCF physically for the first time in 2016 at TodaysArt, an audiovisual electronic art festival hosted in The Hague, the Netherlands. I got to know him through a mutual friend and went to see him performing some compositions based on the same algorithms used for cryptocurrency mining ^[^7]^. At that time, TCF was already well-established both in the fields of contemporary art and music, often touring around Europe and beyond. Then he, such a talented musician, somehow stopped making music a couple of years ago and relocated himself back to Norway where he is originally from. Not having heard anything of him for quite some time, TCF, after the COVID-19 pandemic, suddenly appeared on the Internet radio run by Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art. He said he just picked 50kg of mushrooms last month (at the time of the interview) ^[^8]^.
++TCF said he is trying to localize his practice as much as possible, be self-sufficient, and lower his impact on the environment, while keeping himself as an active agent in the field of contemporary art. TCF apparently does not tour any more and instead distributes a piece of software in which his 3D avatar learns how to walk/run through machine learning and the AI composes music on the fly.
+ ++TCF presented “Awne” at Unsound Festival hosted from Kraków, Poland in October 2020 ^[^9]^:
++Awne is a system where natural farming, permaculture and biomimicry meets music and art. In recent years TCF has worked on setting up a way to compose art and music that draws inspiration from biological processes, natural farming techniques, the twelve design principles of permaculture, our understanding of nature, microclimates and how to lower your impact on the environment... It will be built around the software (Unity + Machine Learning) that TCF is currently using in parts of his live performances.
++It was live streamed from YouTube and was embedded in the festival website. Someone commented on the video: “I don’t exactly know exactly how my awareness of agricultural processes is increased if I watch plasticky looking 3D models of mushrooms bounce on other objects 😅. Nevertheless some of the animations and sounds were fun to look at / listen to. ^[^10]^”
++I see our present network scenario to be somewhere between the following: reduced travel, an ever more powerful set of online tools, and environmental emergency (and urgency). Although Awne was a streaming event, I could still feel enough “flesh” of TCF, even compared to his live performance back in the day.
++Based upon the above mentioned network components, I am currently in the process of setting up a “slow-speed” virtual-physical residency program between The Hague and Minamisanriku, a small municipality in Japan known to be one of the areas most affected by the 2011 Tsunami. It is an ethereal attempt to connect the two coastal regions beyond two vast oceans and one continent while setting “water management” as the common theme. “Virtual does not need to be fast” is the tag line and we are aiming to leave a “physical” trail in Minamisanriku through which the local residents can gradually shed the abominable image of a disaster-stricken area.
+Colophon
+A Nourishing Network is a peer-to-peer publishing experiment starting from the feed as a potentially multi-directional circulation device.
+A Nourishing Network is initiated by servus.at (Davide Bevilacqua) in collaboration with varia.zone (Alice Strete & Manetta Berends) and is published in the context of AMRO 2020 (Arts Meets Radical Openness).
+ Editing: Davide Bevilacqua
Design and development: Manetta Berends, Alice Strete
Paper: xxxx
Typeface: Gnu Unifont, White Rabbit, Ansi Shadow
Print and production: Varia
This project is produced with Free Software tools. The feeds are made with Pelican & Weasyprint.
+
Davide is an artist and curator working is the blurry area between media and contemporary art.
Manetta Berends is a designer working with forms of networked publishing, situated software and collective infrastructures.
Alice Strete is an artist and researcher interested in the intricate relationship between humans and the technologies they surround themselves with.
Many thanks to our partners, collaborators, authors and the AMRO community.
+Published under the CC-BY-SA 4.0 license.
++----------------------------------a----------------------------------- +-------------------------- - - - - - ----------------------------- +----------------------n--n--n--n--n--n--n--n--n----------------------- +--------------------o----o---o----o----o---o----o--------------------- +----------------u-----u-----u-----u-----u-----u-----u----------------- +-------------r------r------r------r------r------r------r-------------- +----------i-------i-------i-------i-------i-------i-------i----------- +-------s--------s--------s--------s--------s--------s--------s-------- +-----h---------h--------h---------h---------h--------h---------h------ +----i---------i---------i---------i---------i---------i---------i----- +----n---------n---------n---------n---------n---------n---------n----- +----g---------g---------g---------g---------g---------g---------g----- +----- --------- -------- --------- --------- -------- --------- ------ +-------n--------n--------n--------n--------n--------n--------n-------- +----------e-------e-------e-------e-------e-------e-------e----------- +-------------t------t------t------t------t------t------t-------------- +----------------w-----w-----w-----w-----w-----w-----w----------------- +--------------------o----o---o----o----o---o----o--------------------- +-------------------------r--r--r--r--r--r--r-------------------------- +---------------------------- k-kk-k-kk-k ----------------------------- ++ + +
+ █████╗ +██╔══██╗ +███████║ +██╔══██║ +╚═╝ ╚═╝ +s the pandemic settled into consciousness across the globe, humans devolved. People in countries where the response to COVID-19 was most mismanaged started to snack a lot.^[^1]^ Pre-sliced packaged charcuterie. Ritz crackers. Oreo cookies. In their growing helplessness, people also sharply increased their consumption of alcohol, especially women in the US.^[^2]^ For some it was drugs. Those lucky enough to keep their job doubled down on work, staying at their stations or desks for longer hours – part avoidance and part stuckness into systems that could offer no other plan. + +
+The dread by now is cumulative. Pick your pain: covid19, white supremacy, climate catastrophe. People are reaching new levels of “doomscrolling” on social media, playing online video games, and “binge-watching” Netflix as ways to pass the time, waiting on the virus to run its course, or for politicians to make a plan. As things shut down, Zoom quickly took over as the way to communicate at a safe social distance. Education quickly became clicking at screens. No more shopping in person meant ordering by way of interfaces. All of these screens more or less allowed things to continue, if not as normal, as a viable alternative in the meantime. It remains to be seen if this online world we’ve adopted so quickly is the new normal, and here to stay, or if it’ll reflect to us the inefficiencies of how we lived before and save us from ourselves. Or, maybe it will call into question the terrible inequities that are only made more evident by this pandemic.
++By April, the news media were already reporting that lockdowns had meant cleaner air and clearer water.^[^3]^ Satellite images showed less pollution over China and the US. Animals were found roaming freely in different parts of India.^[^4]^ “Nature is healing” became a popular meme celebrating the lessening of human impact and nature’s recovery.^[^5]^ But were the effects of lockdown, or quarantine, of humans being trapped in their homes, and of doing everything online, truly a more sustainable way of going about life? Had the turn to “the cloud” proven to be the weightless way forward? Social isolation and disinformation propagation problems aside, could the internet become a tool to inadvertently save the environment?
++In thinking of the internet and the many devices connected to it, these account for approximately 2-4% of global greenhouse emissions, which only promise to double by 2025.^[^6]^ Data centres and vast server farms (where data is stored and transmitted) draw more than 80% of their energy from fossil fuel power stations. Online video alone – porn, Netflix, YouTube, Zoom – generated 60% of the world’s total data flows before covid19 hit. A Google search uses as much energy as cooking an egg or boiling water in an electric kettle.^[^7]^ Yearly emails for work (and not accounting for spam) have been calculated to be equal in terms of CO2 emissions to driving 320 kilometres.^[^8]^ These numbers have likely gone up considerably since the pandemic.^[^9]^ This way of living wasn’t sustainable then, and it certainly isn’t now.
++There are search engines (eg. Ecosia^[^10]^) and add-ons (eg. Carbonalyser by The Shift Project,^[^11]^ green-algorithms.org^[^12]^) that help measure user impacts on the environment, but these miss addressing the bigger questions – such as moving away from confronting personal use to the systemic, material, and ideological issues baked into the internet. Why is the internet like this? The question is more political than it is purely technological. It’s more emotional, even, than it is political. Because we’ve drifted so far away from understanding nature as inherent to human and non-human wellbeing alike, towards unrelenting and exploitative capitalism and extractivism, it means we now have these massively entangled systems that reinforce one another, generate profit for the very few, but in the end benefit nothing and nobody.^[^13]^ These systems are harder to abolish or undo, so instead we turn to solutions that lessen their impacts, and we consider the rest inevitable – or worse, natural. We might, for example, shift data centers to cooler climates to save on cooling costs, we might develop more efficient software, we might offer carbon offsetting and plant trees, but none of these technofixes reach the heart of the our current predicament: our solutions and our problems originate from the same short-sighted, greed-driven, competitive, and market-driven agendas that caused this global deadly pandemic in the first place.
++In 2020, we are generating 50 million tons worldwide of electronic waste, with an annual growth of 5%.^[^14]^ This means that we produce e-waste at three times the rate that humans reproduce. Much e-waste is toxic and severely impacts land, water, plants, animals, and humans. This damage is permanent. At the other end of the supply chain, fields of wheat and corn have become lakes of toxic sludge to accommodate the rare earth mining industry.^[^15]^ From Mongolia to China to the Congo, people labour in dangerous conditions, mining through the ore-laden mud to find rare minerals to power our devices. Elsewhere, people work endless shifts to assemble computers, phones, tablets. It should be no surprise then that the internet that connects this all is toxic too, evidenced by both the work of content moderators who filter the internet, and the shady tactics used by Big Tech to evade taxes to get filthy rich off the backs of this global human-powered machine. As Ron Deibert put it recently in his 2020 CBC Massey Lectures, “If we continue on this path of unbridled consumption and planned obsolescence, we are doomed.”^[^16]^
++So we can either become extinct from the repercussions of our centuries old destructive neoliberal colonial institutions, as the planet pushes back with more pandemics, storms, and violence, or we can get together and admit to our failures as colonisers. These failures tap into something profound, deeply broken, about what settlers have historically valued and continue to enact. We are living largely in the dark fantasies of ghosts – and these old, settler ideas haunt and break us. We can imagine better. We can make other decisions. We can tune our emotions to move from awareness to anxiety to action. We return public lands to Indigenous peoples. We defund police and dismantle white supremacy. We transform ourselves, and our communication systems will follow.
+ + The Pandemic's Dark Cloud was written in November 2020 as a
reflection on the relationship between the pandemic and environmental
media, with a focus on "the cloud" and its undergirding networked
infrastructure. The central idea of this piece is to demonstrate the
interconnectedness of all things -- covid, care, community, nature,
ewaste, racism, greed -- in both the making and undoing of our modern
communication systems.
-
+
This piece is intended as a provocation, so your thoughts and feelings
-are very welcomed!
+are very welcomed!
Colophon
+A Nourishing Network is a peer-to-peer publishing experiment starting from the feed as a potentially multi-directional circulation device.
+A Nourishing Network is initiated by servus.at (Davide Bevilacqua) in collaboration with varia.zone (Alice Strete & Manetta Berends) and is published in the context of AMRO 2020 (Arts Meets Radical Openness).
+ Editing: Davide Bevilacqua
Design and development: Manetta Berends, Alice Strete
Paper: xxxx
Typeface: Gnu Unifont, White Rabbit, Ansi Shadow
Print and production: Varia
This project is produced with Free Software tools. The feeds are made with Pelican & Weasyprint.
+
Davide is an artist and curator working is the blurry area between media and contemporary art.
Manetta Berends is a designer working with forms of networked publishing, situated software and collective infrastructures.
Alice Strete is an artist and researcher interested in the intricate relationship between humans and the technologies they surround themselves with.
Many thanks to our partners, collaborators, authors and the AMRO community.
+Published under the CC-BY-SA 4.0 license.
++----------------------------------a----------------------------------- +-------------------------- - - - - - ----------------------------- +----------------------n--n--n--n--n--n--n--n--n----------------------- +--------------------o----o---o----o----o---o----o--------------------- +----------------u-----u-----u-----u-----u-----u-----u----------------- +-------------r------r------r------r------r------r------r-------------- +----------i-------i-------i-------i-------i-------i-------i----------- +-------s--------s--------s--------s--------s--------s--------s-------- +-----h---------h--------h---------h---------h--------h---------h------ +----i---------i---------i---------i---------i---------i---------i----- +----n---------n---------n---------n---------n---------n---------n----- +----g---------g---------g---------g---------g---------g---------g----- +----- --------- -------- --------- --------- -------- --------- ------ +-------n--------n--------n--------n--------n--------n--------n-------- +----------e-------e-------e-------e-------e-------e-------e----------- +-------------t------t------t------t------t------t------t-------------- +----------------w-----w-----w-----w-----w-----w-----w----------------- +--------------------o----o---o----o----o---o----o--------------------- +-------------------------r--r--r--r--r--r--r-------------------------- +---------------------------- k-kk-k-kk-k ----------------------------- ++ +
+██╗ +██║ +██║ +██║ +╚═╝ ++n order to lay the foundations for a discussion around the argument that the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies benefits the powerful -few, 1 focussing on their own existential concerns, 2 we +few,^[^1]^ focusing on their own existential concerns,^[^2]^ we decided to narrow down our analysis of the argument -to social justic (i.e. restorative justice). This paper +to social justice (i.e. restorative justice). This paper signifies an edited version of Adnan Hadzi’s text on -Social Justice and Artificial Intelligence, 3 exploring the -notion of humanised artificial intelligence 4 in order to +Social Justice and Artificial Intelligence,^[^3]^ exploring the +notion of humanised artificial intelligence^[^4]^ in order to discuss potential challenges society might face in the future. The paper does not discuss current forms and applications of artificial intelligence, as, so far, there is no AI technology, which is self-conscious and self- aware, being able to deal with emotional and social -intelligence. 5 It is a discussion around AI as a speculative +intelligence.^[^5]^ It is a discussion around AI as a speculative hypothetical entity. One could then ask, if such a speculative self-conscious hardware/software system were created, at what point could one talk of personhood? And what criteria could there be in order to say an AI system was capable of -committing AI crimes? +committing AI crimes? +
Concerning what constitutes AI crimes the paper uses the criteria given in Thomas King et al.’s paper Artificial Intelligence Crime: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Foreseeable -Threats and Solutions, 6 where King et al. coin the term “AI +Threats and Solutions,^[^6]^ where King et al. coin the term “AI crime”. We discuss the construction of the legal system through the lens of political involvement of what one may want to -consider to be ‘powerful elites’ 7 . In doing so we will be +consider to be ‘powerful elites’^[^7]^. In doing so we will be demonstrating that it is difficult to prove that the adoption of AI technologies is undertaken in a way, which mainly serves a powerful class in society. Nevertheless, analysing the culture @@ -38,72 +88,76 @@ philosophical and sociological focus enables us to demonstrate a utilitarian and authoritarian trend in the adoption of AI technologies. Mason argues that “virtue ethics is the only ethics fit for the task of imposing collective human control on -thinking machines” 8 and AI. We will apply virtue ethics to our -discourse around artificial intelligence and ethics. +thinking machines”^[^8]^ and AI. We will apply virtue ethics to our +discourse around artificial intelligence and ethics.
+As expert in AI safety Steve Omonhundro believes that AI is “likely to behave in antisocial and harmful ways unless they are -very carefully designed.” 9 It is through virtue ethics that this +very carefully designed.”^[^9]^ It is through virtue ethics that this paper will propose for such a design to be centred around restorative justice in order to take control over AI and thinking -machines, following Mason’s radical defence of the human and +machines, following Mason’s radical defense of the human and his critique of current thoughts within trans- and post- -humanism as a submission to machine logic. - +humanism as a submission to machine logic.
+The paper will conclude by proposing an alternative practically unattainable, approach to the current legal system -by looking into restorative justice for AI crimes, 10 and how the +by looking into restorative justice for AI crimes,^[^10]^ and how the ethics of care could be applied to AI technologies. In conclusion -the paper will discuss affect 11 and humanised artificial +the paper will discuss affect^[^11]^ and humanised artificial intelligence with regards to the emotion of shame, when -dealing with AI crimes. +dealing with AI crimes. In this paper we will aim at re-centralizing AI ethics through social justice, with focus on restorative justice, allowing for an advanced jurisprudence, where human and machine can work in symbiosis on reaching virtue ethics, rather than being in conflict with each other.
+ +In order to discuss AI in relation to personhood this paper -follows the descriptive psychology method 12 of the paradigm -case formulation 13 developed by Peter Ossorio. 14 Similar to how +follows the descriptive psychology method^[^12]^ of the paradigm +case formulation^[^13]^ developed by Peter Ossorio.^[^14]^ Similar to how some animal rights activists call for certain animals to be -recognised as non-human persons, 15 this paper speculates on +recognised as non-human persons,^[^15]^ this paper speculates on the notion of AI as a non-human person being able to reflect on -ethical concerns. 16 Here Wynn Schwartz argues that “it is +ethical concerns.^[^16]^ Here Wynn Schwartz argues that “it is reasonable to include non-humans as persons and to have legitimate grounds for disagreeing where the line is properly drawn. In good faith, competent judges using this formulation can clearly point to where and why they agree or disagree on -what is to be included in the category of persons.” 17 +what is to be included in the category of persons.”^[^17]^ In the case of AI technologies we ask whether the current vision for the adoption of AI technologies, a vision which is mainly supporting the military-industrial complex through vast -investments in army AI, 18 is a vision that benefits mainly -powerful elites. In order to discuss these questions, one has to +investments in army AI,^[^18]^ is a vision that benefits mainly +powerful elites.
+In order to discuss these questions, one has to analyse the history of AI technologies leading to the kind of ‘humanised’ AI system this paper posits. The old-fashioned -approach, 19 some may still say contemporary approach, was to -primarily research into ‘mind-only’ 20 AI technologies/systems. +approach,^[^19]^ some may still say contemporary approach, was to +primarily research into ‘mind-only’^[^20]^ AI technologies/systems. Through high level reasoning, researchers were optimistic that -AI technology would quickly become a reality. +AI technology would quickly become a reality.
Those early AI technologies were a disembodied approach using high level logical and abstract symbols. By the end of the 80s researchers found that the disembodied approach was not -even achieving low level tasks humans could easily perform. 21 +even achieving low level tasks humans could easily perform.^[^21]^ During that period many researchers stopped working on AI technologies and systems, and the period is often referred to as -the “AI winter”. 22 -Rodney Brooks then came forward with the proposition of -“Nouvelle AI”, 23 arguing that the old-fashioned approach did - +the “AI winter”.^[^22]^ Rodney Brooks then came forward with the proposition of +“Nouvelle AI”,^[^23]^ arguing that the old-fashioned approach did not take into consideration motor skills and neural networks. Only by the end of the 90s did researchers develop statistical AI systems without the need for any high-level logical -reasoning; 24 instead AI systems were ‘guessing’ through +reasoning;^[^24]^ instead AI systems were ‘guessing’ through algorithms and machine learning. This signalled a first step towards humanistic artificial intelligence, as this resembles -how humans make intuitive decisions; 25 here researchers -suggest that embodiment improves cognition. 26 +how humans make intuitive decisions;^[^25]^ here researchers +suggest that embodiment improves cognition.^[^26]^ With embodiment theory Brooks argued that AI systems would operate best when computing only the data that was -absolutely necessary. 27 Further in Developing Embodied +absolutely necessary.^[^27]^ Further in Developing Embodied Multisensory Dialogue Agents Michal Paradowski argues that without considering embodiment, e.g. the physics of the brain, it is not possible to create AI technologies/systems capable of -comprehension. +comprehension. + +Foucault’s theories are especially helpful in discussing how the “rule of truth” has disciplined civilisation, allowing for an adoption of AI technologies which seem to benefit mainly the @@ -111,10 +165,9 @@ upper-class. But then should we think of a notion of ‘deep-truth’ as the unwieldy product of deep learning AI algorithms? Discussions around truth, Foucault states, form legislation into something that “decides, transmits and itself extends upon the -effects of power” 28 . Foucault’s theories help to explain how +effects of power”^[^28]^. Foucault’s theories help to explain how legislation, as an institution, is rolled out throughout society -with very little resistance, or “proletarian counter-justice” 29 . - +with very little resistance, or “proletarian counter-justice”^[^29]^. Foucault explains that this has made the justice system and legislation a for-profit system. With this understanding of legislation, and social justice, one does need to reflect further @@ -123,64 +176,66 @@ its distributed nature in the modern state. Namely one has to analyse the distributed nature of those AI technologies, especially through networks and protocols, so that the link can now be made to AI technologies becoming ‘legally’ more -profitable, in the hands of the upper-class. +profitable, in the hands of the upper-class.
+In Protocol, Alexander Galloway describes how these protocols changed the notion of power and how “control exists -after decentralization” 30 . Galloway argues that protocol has a +after decentralization”^[^30]^. Galloway argues that protocol has a close connection to both Deleuze’s concept of control and -Foucault’s concept of biopolitics 31 by claiming that the key to +Foucault’s concept of biopolitics^[^31]^ by claiming that the key to perceiving protocol as power is to acknowledge that “protocol -is an affective, aesthetic force that has control over life itself.” 32 +is an affective, aesthetic force that has control over life itself.”^[^32]^ Galloway suggests that it is important to discuss more than the technologies, and to look into the structures of control within technological systems, which also include underlying codes and protocols, in order to distinguish between methods that can support collective production, e.g. sharing of AI technologies within society, and those that put the AI technologies in the -hands of the powerful few. 33 Galloway’s argument in the +hands of the powerful few.^[^33]^ Galloway’s argument in the chapter Hacking is that the existence of protocols “not only installs control into a terrain that on its surface appears -actively to resist it” 34 , but goes on to create the highly +actively to resist it”^[^34]^, but goes on to create the highly controlled network environment. For Galloway hacking is “an index of protocological transformations taking place in the -broader world of techno-culture.” 35 +broader world of techno-culture.”^[^35]^
+Having said this, the prospect could be raised that restorative justice might offer “a solution that could deliver -more meaningful justice” 36 . With respect to AI technologies, +more meaningful justice”^[^36]^. With respect to AI technologies, and the potential inherent in them for AI crimes, instead of following a retributive legislative approach, an ethical - -discourse, 37 with a deeper consideration for the sufferers of AI -crimes should be adopted. 38 We ask: could restorative justice +discourse,^[^37]^ with a deeper consideration for the sufferers of AI +crimes should be adopted.^[^38]^ We ask: could restorative justice offer an alternative way of dealing with the occurrence of AI -crimes? 39 +crimes?^[^39]^
+ +Dale Millar and Neil Vidmar described two psychological -perceptions of justice. 40 One is behavioural control, following +perceptions of justice.^[^40]^ One is behavioural control, following the legal code as strictly as possible, punishing any -wrongdoer, 41 and second the restorative justice system, which +wrongdoer,^[^41]^ and second the restorative justice system, which focuses on restoration where harm was done. Thus an alternative approach for the ethical implementation of AI technologies, with respect to legislation, might be to follow restorative justice principles. Restorative justice would allow -for AI technologies to learn how to care about ethics. 42 Julia +for AI technologies to learn how to care about ethics.^[^42]^ Julia Fionda describes restorative justice as a conciliation between victim and offender, during which the offence is deliberated -upon. 43 Both parties try to come to an agreement on how to +upon.^[^43]^ Both parties try to come to an agreement on how to achieve restoration for the damage done, to the situation before the crime (here an AI crime) happened. Restorative justice advocates compassion for the victim and offender, and a consciousness on the part of the offenders as to the repercussion of their crimes. The victims of AI crimes would - not only be placed in front of a court, but also be offered -engagement in the process of seeking justice and restoration. 44 +engagement in the process of seeking justice and restoration.^[^44]^
+Restorative justice might support victims of AI crimes better than the punitive legal system, as it allows for the sufferers of AI crimes to be heard in a personalised way, which could be adopted to the needs of the victims (and offenders). As victims and offenders represent themselves in restorative conferencing -sessions, these become much more affordable, 45 meaning that -the barrier to seeking justice due to the financial costs would +sessions, these become much more affordable,^[^45]^ meaning that the barrier to seeking justice due to the financial costs would be partly eliminated, allowing for poor parties to be able to contribute to the process of justice. This would benefit wider society and AI technologies would not only be defined by a @@ -188,128 +243,90 @@ powerful elite. Restorative justice could hold the potential not only to discuss the AI crimes themselves, but also to get to the root of the problem and discuss the cause of an AI crime. For John Braithwaite restorative justice makes re-offending -harder. 46 +harder.^[^46]^
+ +In such a scenario, a future AI system capable of committing AI crimes would need to have knowledge of ethics around the particular discourse of restorative justice. The implementation of AI technologies will lead to a discourse around who is responsible for actions taken by AI technologies. Even when considering clearly defined ethical guidelines, these might be -difficult to implement, 47 due to the pressure of competition AI +difficult to implement,^[^47]^ due to the pressure of competition AI systems find themselves in. That said, this speculation is restricted to humanised artificial intelligence systems. The main hindrance for AI technologies to be part of a restorative justice system might be that of the very human emotion of shame. Without a clear understanding of shame it will be -impossible to resolve AI crimes in a restorative manner. 48 +impossible to resolve AI crimes in a restorative manner.^[^48]^
-Thus one might want to think about a humanised symbiosis -between humans and technology, 49 along the lines of Garry -Kasparov’s advanced chess, 50 as in advanced jurisprudence. 51 A ++Furthering this perspective, we suggest that reflections brought by new materialism should also be taken into account: not only as a critical perspective on the engendering and anthropomorphic representation of AI, but also to broaden the spectrum of what we consider to be justice in relation to all the living world. Without this new perspective the sort of idealized AI image of a non-living intelligence that deals with enormous amounts of information risks to serve the abstraction of anthropocentric views into a computationalist acceleration, with deafening results. Rather than such an implosive perspective, the application of law and jurisprudence may take advantage of AI’s computational and sensorial enhanced capabilities by including all information gathered from the environment, also that produced by plants, animals and soil. Thus one might want to think about a humanised symbiosis +between humans and technology,^[^49]^ along the lines of Garry +Kasparov’s advanced chess,^[^50]^ as in advanced jurisprudence.^[^51]^ A legal system where human and machine work together on -restoring justice, for social justice. Furthering this perspective, -we suggest that reflections brought by new materialism should -also be taken into account: not only as a critical perspective on -the engendering and anthropomorphic representation of AI, but -also to broaden the spectrum of what we consider to be justice -in relation to all the living world. Without this new perspective -the sort of idealized AI image of a non-living intelligence that -deals with enormous amounts of information risks to serve the -abstraction of anthropocentric views into a computationalist -acceleration, with deafening results. Rather than such an -implosive perspective, the application of law and jurisprudence -may take advantage of AI’s computational and sensorial -enhanced capabilities by including all information gathered -from the environment, also that produced by plants, animals -and soil. - +restoring justice, for social justice.
+Colophon
+A Nourishing Network is a peer-to-peer publishing experiment starting from the feed as a potentially multi-directional circulation device.
+A Nourishing Network is initiated by servus.at (Davide Bevilacqua) in collaboration with varia.zone (Alice Strete & Manetta Berends) and is published in the context of AMRO 2020 (Arts Meets Radical Openness).
+ Editing: Davide Bevilacqua
Design and development: Manetta Berends, Alice Strete
Paper: xxxx
Typeface: Gnu Unifont, White Rabbit, Ansi Shadow
Print and production: Varia
This project is produced with Free Software tools. The feeds are made with Pelican & Weasyprint.
+
Davide is an artist and curator working is the blurry area between media and contemporary art.
Manetta Berends is a designer working with forms of networked publishing, situated software and collective infrastructures.
Alice Strete is an artist and researcher interested in the intricate relationship between humans and the technologies they surround themselves with.
Many thanks to our partners, collaborators, authors and the AMRO community.
+Published under the CC-BY-SA 4.0 license.
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+██╗ +██║ +██║ +██║ +╚═╝ +In the last few months our lives have changed dramatically. Many of us lost their jobs while many others continued working under extreme conditions. Inequality and social injustices have become increasingly visible features of the economic system and the society in which we -live. - +live. +
The pandemic might have impacted everyone's life, but it has not affected everyone in the same way. Among the sectors that did not suffer, but rather benefited from the crisis, are online platforms such @@ -29,8 +74,8 @@ not contingent to the health crisis, but are instead key factors in the reorganization of "the extractivist society". A society that enables a few elites to extract more and more material and financial wealth from the territories and local communities that inhabit them, effectively -expropriating them from the power to decide upon their own lives. - +expropriating them from the power to decide upon their own lives.
+While most ongoing conversations center around the health crisis and the resulting recession, we want to bring attention to the systemic reorganization that is taking place as we speak. We are talking about a @@ -45,8 +90,8 @@ terminals, data centres and power stations, as well as new logistics centres covering hundreds of hectares. All this implies a radical and irreversible transformation of territories for the benefit of large private capital, where ports and production areas identified as "free -trade", or "Special Economic Zones" (SEZs), all become interconnected. - +trade", or "Special Economic Zones" (SEZs), all become interconnected.
+What are the manifestations in Italy and Europe of this global capital agenda? How will it change the social, economic and productive structure of our country and the continent? What impact will it have on the @@ -56,16 +101,16 @@ rhetorical: it is difficult to imagine a "globalization 2.0" which will accelerate production, transport and consumption of goods at an unprecedented speed while at the same time profoundly reduce the systemic impact on the environment and climate, an impact that goes far -beyond proposed calculations of direct and indirect emissions generated. - +beyond proposed calculations of direct and indirect emissions generated.
+Will the major infrastructure mega-corridors plan be challenged in the post-pandemic economic crisis or will the current crisis be an excuse to accelerate it? Will its overall impact be properly assessed? This remains doubtful since harmful impacts of the global infrastructure agenda are so far considered as the least of their problems by investors and policy makers dazzled by forecasts and data about the production, -logistics and global trade that is starting again. - +logistics and global trade that is starting again.
+How does this infrastructure masterplan meet the needs of the millions of people who are already paying the highest costs of a profit-driven model at all costs? How does it meet the needs of communities that will @@ -73,10 +118,17 @@ be removed from their lands to make way for new mega infrastructure? How will it make our societies more resilient to the great droughts, typhoons, and increasingly heavy rains? How will it counteract the increasing cementing of the most densely populated areas and how will it -enable everyone to have a roof over their heads? - +enable everyone to have a roof over their heads?
+We believe that it is high time to open up to such far-reaching -questions. - +questions.
+