Unionizing the Speculative

The working conditions of creative professionals have changed greatly due to the influence of generative AI. There is a growing fear that the use of AI technology could devalue or even replace human design performance. Can creative workers unionise together with generative AI - in the sense of collaboration rather than instrumentalisation? How can creative workers take responsibility in relation to AI-assisted automation?

In the workshop, led by thehost.is resident artist Noam Youngrak Son, participants will speculate together on these questions and use AI Stable Diffusion to create images that will be engraved on speculoos biscuits. The biscuits, which already have speculation in their name, will serve as symbols for a speculative fundraiser to communicate forward-looking AI work ethics.

Participants are encouraged to bring their computers; however, there will also be options for program participation using a smartphone. No prior knowledge is needed.