Where Do We Draw the Vertical Line? Technology, Territory, and the Material Cost of Intelligence

David Odiase

What we often conceptualise as "digital" or immaterial technology is in fact deeply embedded in planetary resources, infrastructures and cultural ideas. The lecture will shed light on this shift in perspective and combine approaches from comparative anthropology, indigenous material culture and Achille Mbembe's concept of "vertical sovereignty". AI and quantum computing are thus categorised in a longer history of raw material extraction, power and imagination. New questions arise for the creative industries: What narratives characterise technologies? And how can creative actors contribute to transparency, cultural responsibility and governance of digital systems?

In cooperation with the Goethe-Institut.

This programme item will be held in English.