Code Ecologies

Description

Code Ecologies is an open forum to explore the environmental impact of computation. This public event is organized by a group of faculty and alumni from the School for Poetic Computation who are passionate about environmental justice. Through presentations and discussions, we will explore the negative influence of computational technologies and network infrastructure on the natural environment, and the precarious conditions they create for the habitat we share among various species. “Digital” is falsely seen as virtual or non physical, when in fact “cloud computing” doesn't happen in the clouds -- there are massive data centers, cooling facilities, fiber optic cables, mineral extraction, electronic waste, and other physical infrastructures. On the other side of the arms race for smarter and faster AI, there's a lack of understanding and accountability -- individual or organizational -- for how our use of machine learning, blockchain or 'whatever new' impacts the Earth. Tech companies offer forgiveness and even encouragement for misusing and abusing electronic devices, for example on Black Friday. Online services and apps create an illusion of seamless interaction between computational devices and data which evaporate into thin air after their life cycles. None of this make-believe is true. We need to challenge the disparity between the conveniences of smart devices, and our complicity with destructive technology, as users and creators. At the School for Poetic Computation, we approach code from artistic, poetic, critical and philosophical perspectives. Considering how poetry explores the transformative qualities of the language and computation enables transfer of information at scale, we hope to bring together activists, poets, scientists, artists and community members to discuss "What should we do about it?" Co-organized by Taeyoon Choi, Nabil Hassein, Sonia Boller