The techniques used in current trends in artificial intelligence are not exactly new. The concept of “generative” artworks and the notion of a “language model” to create an infinity of results are an old dream. Hosted by Swissnex San Francisco, Assembling Intelligence – Hybrid Strategies for AI, Art & Design reunited a diversity of approaches that do not oppose the old and the new, seeking instead a form of “lateral thinking” in an era of ever-accelerating technologies.

Assembling Intelligence, a multidisciplinary symposium organised by HEAD – Genève (HES-SO), brought together artists, designers, and researchers to highlight a spectrum of alternative definitions for ‘artificial intelligence’. The discussions introduced much-needed diversity into the otherwise monochromatic and frequently cynical perspectives manifested in mainstream corporate AI models.

A series of talks, workshops, screenings, and performances brought attention to overlooked intellectual histories of AI, explored intersections between popular culture and human-machine intimacy, looked at open software as means for creative emancipation, and highlighted diverse futures for our damaged planet by extrapolating from the material and environmental underpinnings of AI infrastructures.