The Faculty of Information’s Beth Coleman debuts her upcoming international exhibition at the Centre for Culture and Technology. Titled, “Reality was Whatever Happened: Butler AI and other Possible Worlds,” the exhibit merges Generative AI with the work of science fiction author Octavia Butler.
Inspired by Butler’s 1980 Xenogenesis trilogy, Associate Professor Beth Coleman has designed an AI system that prompts us to reconsider race (human and alien), cognition and computability. Considering recent conversations on AI, bias and societal harms, she uses a speculative lens to imagine alternative futures, framing her conversation about contemporary AI-driven artistic practices and ethics in AI.
While the exhibition will be on display at the Centre for Culture and Technology from November 2 to 4, a special Symposium event will be held on November 3 from 3 to 6 p.m. Following its run at the University of Toronto, the exhibition will embark on an international tour of contemporary art venues in 2024.
About Beth Coleman
Beth Coleman is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Information and the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology. Working in the disciplines of Science and Technology Studies, generative aesthetics and Black poesis, her research focuses on smart technology and machine learning, urban data and civic engagement and generative arts. She served as the Founding Director of the U of T Black Research Network Institute Strategic Initiative and is a recent Jackman Humanities Institute fellow.
Event Information and Registration
Visit the event website and register for the Symposium.
Image credit: Alice Supreme / Alice Supreme Doppelganger B. Coleman 2023
