Amazon Echo
Anatomy of an AI System
Vladan Joler (RS), Kate Crawford (AU)
Anatomy of an AI uses the example of Amazon Echo to show the countless components and factors behind the production of artificial intelligence systems. But this process is so complex that its full extent can hardly be comprehended.
Anatomy of an AI System
Kate Crawford (AU), Vladan Joler (RS)
Anatomy of an AI System is a large-scale map and long-form essay investigating the human labor, data, and planetary resources required to build and operate an Amazon Echo. The exploded view diagram combines and visualizes three central, extractive processes that are required to run a large-scale artificial intelligence system: material resources, human labor, and data. The map and essay consider these three elements across time—represented as a visual description of the birth, life, and death of a single Amazon Echo unit.
