Sandra Rodriguez’s exhibition, “Sex, Desire and Data,” at the Centre Phi in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on August 8, 2023, aims to demystify artificial intelligence (AI) by showcasing its power and potential to impact our lives. The exhibit features an AI trained on millions of online searches for erotica, generating a mosaic of pornographic videos that eventually mesh into a soup of abstract shapes. Rodriguez used generative algorithms to create images that highlight the social biases in mass pornography. She also unveiled a conversational bot inspired by Noam Chomsky to chat with the public in a virtual world. Rodriguez’s work aims to dispel fears and unrealistic craze surrounding AI. She plans to integrate AI with dance for her next project. Born to a Spanish humanitarian aid worker and a Quebec teacher, Rodriguez grew up in Montreal and developed a course of research on ways the public can reappropriate new tech tools and the resulting social impacts. Her works have earned award nods at festivals including Sundance and Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria. Rodriguez has a strong “desire to break the limits (of these technologies) and to go beyond them, but in an intelligent way, to bring value,” says Eliane Achcar of Studio Normal. She warns of the real danger for citizens posed by technology companies and the need to take breaks in the development of AI. In 2015, Rodriguez was recognized for her work highlighting abuses by technology companies in the ”DoNotTrack” project, a documentary series produced by international media.
