Systems Overhaul

Systems Overhaul: How can Architects embrace AI is a series organised by Kirsty Edginton which explores the intersection of AI, architecture, and action. As AI tools, predominantly owned by large corporations, become increasingly profit driven and reflect Western biases through their training data, there is growing concern about their ethical implications and the agendas behind them. A recent RIBA survey revealed that 41% of architects now use AI, primarily with these out-of-the-box commercial tools. However, open-source and self-coded AI is still accessible and can be taught, allowing for grassroots innovation and disruption.

The collection of talks highlights the work of architects and artists addressing AI's inequalities and designing ethical AI tools. It also explores how AI can be used to inspire us to envision different and imaginative futures. By focusing on these efforts, we can underscore the importance of taking action to shape the future of AI.

Session 1: Disrupting the System, Thursday 13 February
How are architects and artists using AI to challenge conventional thinking? This event invites speakers to share ways AI has enabled them to expose fault lines in our existing paradigms or offer solutions to better our lived environment.

Session 2: Cultivating the System, Thursday 20 February
Cultivating the System will engage with educators to think about how we position ourselves in the world of AI as disruptors and critics of commercial AI tool norms. The event will explore the narratives constructed around AI. What power do we give these tools in the way we frame them and who are we including in the stories we tell.

Session 3: Owning the System, Thursday 27 February
The final event in the Systems Overhaul series will feature artists and activists who strive to create ethical systems that operate outside emerging corporate frameworks. Join them to imagine ways we can build our own foundational AI systems and practices to serve our communities.

Image: Hanna Barakat, AIxDESIGN, Archival Images of AI / Better Images of AI / Frontier Models 3 / CC-BY 4.0

Please get in touch to let us know of any access requirements that you might have and how we can best accommodate these. If you are unable to attend physically but would like to participate in the event remotely please email publicprogramme@aaschool.ac.uk