ABOUT US
Marie Cheng asks: “What can a team of undergraduates do to change the inevitable path of technology?” That feeling of powerlessness is all too common. Camera Digita: Portraits of AI’s Role in the Futures of Allwas a project of inclusion, representation, and empowerment.
Together we explored ways that digital technologies—especially emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies—are bringing about massive social changes, while at the same time many of the communities most impacted by these changes have limited voice in the development of these technologies. We aimed, as student Athena Yao notes, “to ask the difficult questions for which there are no easy answers ...[and to] build towards a future in which thereis transparency, equity, and intentionality.”
To explore these issues, we sought to hear different voices and to use non-traditional techniques, and we found special power in storytelling and the visual arts. Over six weeks, our team integrated technology desk research with artistic creation, stories of community members’ particular experiences, and tools of design justice. We listened to traditionally marginalized stakeholders through free-form interviews and then elevated their concerns and their visions for a better AI future through artistic works to help ensure our AI futures empower all.
In the end, we empowered ourselves, too, as student Amber Park makes clear in her curatorial statement that accompanies our web gallery: Ultimately, we are the creators of our own destiny with AI. From implementing smart AI gadgets in our homes to fighting for privacy rights against non-consensual facial recognition, we determine how we engage with evolving technology. You can take a walk through the interactive website and art gallery we created both to document our journey and to invite you to reflect on your own experiences with artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
ARIANA EILY
Advisor & Project Manager
Dr. Ariana Eily completed her PhD in Biology with certificates in Cell and Molecular Biology and College Teaching. She then served as a postdoctoral associate with Duke’s Initiative for Science and Society, where she focused on science communication and the intersection between art and science. Now, she is a faculty in Biology at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Her goal is to make science accessible to everyone, through cool initiatives like the Art of a Scientist. Dr. Eily was incredibly proud to be a part of the Camera Digita team and extend her science communication skills to the world of AI and society. If you're interested in learning more about her, you can find it here.
Jeff Ward
Faculty Advisor
Jeff spends most of his days thinking about emerging technologies and their impacts on the people and communities we care about. He was encouraged and reinvigorated by witnessing the power of art as an invitation to discourse among a much wider range of stakeholders. He learned much from this Story+ project that he will take with him.
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Marie Cheng
Undergraduate Researcher
Marie is a Duke undergraduate exploring how science can be shared and portrayed through visual storytelling. She wanted to pursue this story+ project because of its unique perspective on the technology that we let into our lives and the people that are behind it. She currently studies biology and computer science. Outside of the classroom, she is an active leader in the Duke arts community. More of her artwork can be found on her website.
Amber park
Undergraduate Researcher
Amber is a Duke undergraduate interested in the dismantlement of power structures and the single narrative. She was excited to engage with this Story+ project because it conjoined her major’s study of the everyday life with technology’s pervasive influence over our daily behaviors. Other topics Amber is passionate about include student activism, AAPI representation, and eyewitness testimony research.
Athena yao
Undergraduate Researcher
Athena is a Duke undergraduate from Long Island, NY with a passion for the intersections of art, science and technology. As a neuroscience and visual & media studies double-major, she spends her time exploring the fields of design, VR/AR technology, and human-computer interaction while considering the ethical and humanistic implications of new advancements. Her favorite part of this project was being able to connect for conversations with people from all around the world while considering the impacts of AI on our society.