Machines that Judge Us

How would machines make us feel if we could give a human voice to their algorithmic logic? By attempting to answer this question this project explores our relationship to algorithms, surveillance, and inherently biased systems. Through audible dialogue Machines that Judge Us aims to manifest the thought process within tracking and policing algorithms. The human-like mannerisms in these conversations make it apparent that if such judgements were made by fellow humans, they would be the clear villains in our society. With the hope of eliciting anger toward these algorithms and the entities that make use of them. A series of small, identical, machines observe humans moving within a space. One person becomes their focus once a machine singles them out. Each, then, makes a judgement on how valuable that person would be, purely based on visual appearance. If deemed valuable, they talk about how they want to exploit this human being. If deemed worthless they talk about why that is the case, and how they would rid themselves of this person as soon as possible.

Boris Kourtoukov (NO)
Boris is an Oslo based artist that works within a wide range of the digital medium. From bending reclaimed technology, to making expressive wearables, to co-opting algorithms for individual introspection.