Centro Cultural La Moneda 2023
Visualizing AI's Terrestrial Footprint
As part of this research-creation project we created an interactive installation called “Hybrid Ecologies: Visualizing the Terrestrial Trace of Artificial Intelligence”. It was exhibited at the Centro Cultural La Moneda (Santiago, Chile) between December 2023 and April 2024. This work addressed critical questions about the intersection of AI development and water usage and explored the operational mechanisms of AI and its substantial water footprint. By making AI's processes tangible, the project challenges the perception of AI as an immaterial entity and highlights the essential role that water and other natural resources play in sustaining AI technologies.
The installation invited people to generate their own images by interacting with two AI models. After generating an image, it was projected onto one of the room's walls, while 32ml of water dripped from a sphere made of mycelium. This amount comes from a calculation we made to identify the water footprint of a single image generated by the Stable Diffusion model.
Throughout the exhibition, visitors generated a collection of images co-created with the AI (over 12,000) that explored the tension between technological development and the environment, thereby materializing AI's water consumption.
It is important to highlight that this project emerged from an interdisciplinary research process at the crossroads of design, social sciences, engineering, and art. This comprehensive approach reflects our broader practice, which consistently seeks to bridge disciplinary divides to address complex ecological and technological issues. By creating a space for interaction and contemplation, we focused on fostering new ways of understanding and addressing the global impact of AI.
Find more details in the project brochure.
