rtificial intelligence has rapidly become an integral part of our lives and work. Behind the lofty promises of AI corporations and enthusiasts, however, are claims to power with far-reaching consequences for our lives and the planet – generative AI marks the new frontier of capitalist extraction.
What kind of future lies ahead when the promise of AI for a more participatory, diverse, and prosperous world is threatened by reactionary forces?
Clearly, the question of resistance and insurrection must be posed anew. To think is to resist, says the philosopher Alva Noë, but this can only be the beginning. In a technocapitalist world with authoritarian tendencies that are powered by black box AI infrastructure and promote fantastic, pseudo-religious and reactionary beliefs, there is no adversary to talk to, no common ground. Civil disobedience and resistance need other means than dissent and direct opposition.
It is time to renounce loyalty to corporate and state actors who seek to control people technologically, socially and psychologically and extract ever more profit and power from any living and material resource.
HOTHOUSE proposes shifting resistance from critique and dissent to disclosure and betrayal. This claim echoes in the German word “Widerständigkeit,” which combines resistance and resilience, implying an unwavering force that can actuate defiance into insurrection.
Investigative research is the foundation of knowledge in opaque areas such as AI and can provide effective countermeasures against its misuse. Aesthetic practice is indispensable for uncovering hidden potentials that nurture self-determination as well as solidarity. Art strengthens our ability to perceive what’s real and imagine alternative ways of living and acting together.