As we live on the brink of an environmental emergency, a new. understanding of Technological ecology must be cultivated. The carbon cost of one email with an attachment of 1MB is 19 grams of CO2. It is of no exaggeration when we say that every click counts; data-led systems contribute to new ecologies while obscuring the old ones. In this session, we explore how algorithms were often inspired by nature, embedded in nature, but also how they alter our own ecology. How can we use algorithms to subvert the environmental emergency? How can we build new hybrid ecosystems of Human, Machine, Animal, Earth, and Data?

On Algorithmic (In)Equality:

The cyber space is a non-neutral space of constant consternation. Multiple dualisms ensue; the individual and the space, the individual and the platform and the individual with their own self-image. It becomes really important, then, to critically engage with the space, decolonize it and reclaim it. The hyper presence of the algorithm in our daily lives means our awareness and engagement need to be active as much as it is theoretical. This reading group ensures just that.

During the course of this reading group, we will look at the (in)justice which this contestation brings. Since the algorithm and its ensuing injustice are both ubiquitous, we will look at the various areas of human experience which they touch. The 10 areas detailed below grant us 10 sessions of discussion, and 10 opportunities to build a creative manifesto of the ideas discussed. The results of the discussion and the creative process will then be on display.

This reading group is initiated and curated by Abdel-Rahman Hassan, as part of the Future based platform.

Banner: Dana Dijkgraaf