University of Westminster
So Much Power (2025)
Ellie Schuetze
The exponential growth of technology is unsettling and could threaten the future of humanity, but the vision sold to us says something different. Acknowledging a contradiction between what technology promises and what it hides, ‘So Much Power’ presents a dystopian outlook on how technology is advertised. In criticising its claims to make the world a better place, the images provide a tension between working with technology and against it, meanwhile highlighting its subtle imperfections. Through documenting frequent encounters with these advertisements, we are presented with the polished and familiar look of new technologies. In contrast, opening up the infamous iPhone showcases technology in its raw, vulnerable and complex state, exposing a hidden reality.
Where Are We Going? (2023)
Ellie Schuetze
‘Where Are We Going?’ explores the use of generative artificial intelligence to visualise a society, who are unaware of the risks AI development could pose on humanity’s future. Symbolising a choice in direction, the train station setting offers a dystopian outlook at our current technological condition and how it has impacted our world today.
Referred to as the technological singularity, this future event horizon is when machines become more intelligent than the smartest human being. Beyond this point lies a completely unpredictable future, one where our current perception and trajectories of how AI behaves will no longer apply. The exponential acceleration of AI development means the singularity is approaching faster than you think, and we should be asking ourselves, how can we ensure the direction we are heading is a positive one? Ultimately, the way generative AI is implemented today will decide the values acquired by it and therefore, determine the future relationship of super-intelligent machines with our biological civilisation.
