Digitalization and AI

In November 2024, DE/MO launched ECHO with the Campaign Design Sprint in Amsterdam,
where 16 participants explored the implications of digitalization and AI
on creativity, democracy and human connection.
In this full intensive week, the concepts for three campaigns were developed.
These campaign concepts came to live in the weeks thereafter, and would become the ECHO Events.

The ECHO Academy in Amsterdam came to a close at Pakhuis de Zwijger during the Reverb Event,
“Democracies in the Age of AI”. Here, we showcased the ECHO campaigns and
discussed the future of democracy with experts, artists and changemakers.

The Campaign Design Sprint

The ECHO Events

1. Future Beyond Imaginaries

10 January, 2025 @ Nxt Lab, Amsterdam
Adil Boughlala, Ioanna Chasikou, Bas Jansen, Caitlin van Bommel, Elena Zaghis Parpinello
The ECHO Event centered on the theme of AI and Speculative Futures, using the five thematic pillars—Ecology, Culture, Regulation, Connection, and Knowledge—to structure an exploration of how artificial intelligence might reshape different dimensions of human experience. The campaign aimed to challenge reductive narratives around AI and inspire the audience to imagine nuanced and alternative futures shaped by its influence.

The event was structured as an engaging exploration of speculative design artifacts, in the form of an exhibit and a thought-provoking guest speaker.

A special highlight was the guest lecture by Rasa Bocyte (Sound & Vision - Research & Heritage, Hilversum), who provided fascinating perspectives on using heritage and culture to critically examine AI, adding depth to the discussions sparked by our exhibition.

Visitors are invited to envision their own future scenarios where AI has (re)shaped the world after seeing the exhibition. Through contributions to a collaborative pinboard, they can add their voices to this evolving conversation about our collective destiny. The event was a success with a lot of interesting conversations and input on the pinboard.

2. Stupid AI Saloon
21 January, 2025 @ Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK)
Ilja Kolosovs, Joyce den Hertog, Maarten Both, Praya Aisyah & Puck Wagemaker
Our event, the #UseYourBrain AI Thought Saloon explored the question:
"Is convenience the price we pay for losing critical thinking?” The event aimed to inspire the audience to think more critically about AI and use it more intentionally. The focus was on bridging the gap between two groups: AI enthusiasts, who see the technology as flawless and use it for almost everything in their daily lives, and AI sceptics, who are reluctant to use AI. Our goal was to encourage balanced critical thinking about AI - to encourage users to carefully evaluate AI results and develop a nuanced mindset when interacting with AI.

We kicked off the event by sharing more about us and our online campaign, in particular the ideation process, and listing the things we think you should be critical about.

The keynote speaker at our event was Emma Beauxis-Aussalet, Professor
of Ethical AI at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Emma took the audience through a list of critical checkpoints when engaging with AI, offering new perspectives. She challenged the audience to think about the wider implications of the convenience-driven adoption of AI, highlighting blind spots in our collective understanding.

Following Emma's insights, we hosted an open discussion between
the audience and a team of panellists, which provided a good debate.

3. This Event was AI Generated
24 January, 2025 @ Cinetol, Amsterdam
Orestis Kollyris, Liselotte Tolsma, Ginevra Petrozzi, Max Nguyen, Tea Ferrari, Lana Bachaliashvili
Our campaign focused on the impact of AI on the arts and specifically on the ways in which AI is presented as capable of replicating, and eventually replacing, human creativity. We believe that the generative capabilities of AI are used as an excuse to keep defunding the cultural sector. For this reason, our campaign worked on two levels. First, we issued a call (represented by an online petition) for stopping the defunding of culture in the Netherlands and asked people to stand by the side of creative professionals.

Second, we organized the event at Cinetol to give the audience an experience of how the generic replications that AI-generated art is comprised of lack a fundamental emotional core inherent in live human-to-human artistic exchange.

The artists started each of their performances by interpreting a song/poem created with AI, with the specific prompt of producing a work in the style of the artists themselves. The artists performed this piece and then moved on to their actual performances, letting the audience feel for themselves and form their own thoughts on how they connected with what they encountered. After each performance, the host of the evening, which was a member of our team, did a short interview with the artists on how they perceived this piece that was supposed to mimic their work and how they felt when having to perform it.

The Reverb Event
Special DE/MO Meet-Up: Democracies in the Age of AI

29 January, 2025 @ Pakhuis de Zwijger, Amsterdam
Deepfakes like a Taylor Swift clip urging voters to support Donald Trump,
political parties using AI to draft election programs, and algorithms controlling our news
– AI is no longer a question of if but how far it will change democracy.
Disinformation spreads faster than ever, raising doubts about whether elections can still be free and fair.
Can AI be used to manipulate public opinion, making it impossible to trust what we see and hear?
Or could it be harnessed to strengthen democracy—by educating citizens, enabling dialogue, and helping politicians understand their citizens?