A Project by Pamela Breda

The Unexpected: Inquiries into Human–AI Interaction

Artist and filmmaker Pamela Breda is a nominee in the category Data Democracy and the Green Transition, overseen by digital policy expert Francesca Bria. Breda's project comprises a visual and theoretical exploration of the impact of AI interfaces and digital assistants on human rights, with a focus on the field of mental healthcare.

AI employed to enhance well-being and overcome mental-health issues is creating new social and ethical questions about how AI affects human rights through data storage and analysis. The project considers possible benefits of digital assistants to enhance healthcare and social support.

However, AI can potentially undermine or violate human rights protections, in particular the right to equality and privacy as well as the prohibition of discrimination. Breda will study the emotional responses users have in interactions with AI, to consider how digital technology can serve people and protect their rights.

At the Forecast Forum, Breda will show excerpts from an experimental four-channel video installation in which she explores these questions using a visual ethnographic approach.