konS / We Need to Talk, AI

Artificial intelligence has become a buzzword used each day by more and more people even outside the technology sector. Increasingly intertwined with our lives, AI has penetrated our homes, jobs, phones and other devices; we use it at every turn. Many of us can no longer imagine life and work without AI. But few people understand what AI is all about – many people don’t even know they use it on a daily basis.

A comic essay entitled We Need to Talk, AI by Dr. Julia Schneider and Lena Ziyal is a simple but not simplistic overview of the basics of AI, its effects, advantages and disadvantages. Suitable for those already familiar with the topic, as well as for those just getting involved in debate, it is experiencing international success. It is expecting its sixth translation, schools and universities are using it to educate students, and more than 30,000 people have downloaded it online since its release in 2019.

“People should understand as much as possible about a technology that will determine their insurance, finances, cancer diagnoses and educational opportunities in the future,” writes one of the comic’s many reviews. In an interview with Nika Mahnič, the author, Dr. Julia Schneider, will discuss these and many other dilemmas caused by the rapid rise of AI. How can computer science be made to be more attentive to the issue of minorities and the poor? Are some institutions better left undigitized? Is banning certain technologies a necessary solution or is it just feeding our paranoia? In a free market, is that even possible? Should we renew our conceptions of privacy?

The printed comic in Slovenian language is available at Aksioma and MKC Kulturni inkubator in Maribor. It is also available as a free digital version at:
https://aksioma.org/sl/moramo.se.pogovoriti.ui

And in English at: https://weneedtotalk.ai/

MORE: https://aksioma.org/streaming

As part of konS module at International Festival of Computer Arts (MFRU).