This blog summarizes the interview with Julia Janssen published on the Falling Walls Foundation’s website, and explores the relevance of Janssen’s work to DSD.
In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms and artificial intelligence, the question of autonomy takes on new significance. Julia Janssen, an artist and digital rights advocate, is at the forefront of exploring how data and AI influence human autonomy through her groundbreaking project, "Mapping the Oblivion". By visualizing Netflix’s prediction models, Janssen provokes critical questions about living in a world dominated by algorithms and challenges the structures that limit our choices, creativity, and ultimately, our humanity.
Breaking the Wall of Digital Heteronomy
Our lives today are shaped by the invisible walls of algorithms that predict and influence our behavior. From what we buy to which news we consume, or even who we date, algorithms nudge us in certain directions based on the data they harvest from our digital interactions. Janssen's work delves into this phenomenon of digital heteronomy, where human choices are guided and often constrained by data-driven systems created by corporations and AI models.
Through "Mapping the Oblivion", Janssen makes visible the opaque workings of Netflix’s percentage-based prediction models. She raises the question: how much of our autonomy are we willing to sacrifice to these systems? Should we allow algorithms to dictate our preferences, relationships, and careers based on statistical probabilities? Her work challenges the growing dependency on algorithms and asks whether we want to live in a world where every decision is quantified, every choice predicted, and spontaneity replaced with certainty.
A Call to Reclaim Autonomy
Janssen’s art installations make complex, hidden systems understandable, inspiring viewers to rethink their relationship with technology. Her project advocates for breaking the wall of digital heteronomy by reclaiming control over our data, identities, and choices. She argues that the increasing reliance on data-driven systems has turned Homo Sapiens—the knowing being—into Homo Stultus, a controllable and predictable entity shaped by algorithms. Living in this quantified world means less creativity, fewer risks, and a loss of true autonomy.
The Relevance of Digital Self-Determination (DSD)
Janssen’s work resonates deeply with the concept of Digital Self-Determination (DSD), which emphasizes the right of individuals and communities to exert control over their digital identities and data. In a world where digital platforms increasingly shape our decisions, DSD is crucial to ensuring that people retain the freedom to navigate the digital realm on their own terms.
Digital heteronomy represents a direct threat to DSD, as it limits personal agency by confining choices to algorithmic predictions. Janssen’s art encourages individuals to question the extent to which algorithms should influence their lives. It pushes us to think critically about the value of unpredictability, randomness, and the freedom to make mistakes. By promoting awareness of digital heteronomy, her work champions a future where DSD is central to governance and technological design.
Janssen highlights how a one-size-fits-all approach to algorithmic decision-making can marginalize communities and alienate individuals, making it essential to localize digital governance. Just as DSD demands flexibility and adaptability to different contexts, her art suggests that true autonomy in the digital age requires systems that prioritize fairness, freedom, and individuality over mere efficiency and profit.
A Future Beyond Algorithmic Walls
Breaking the wall of digital heteronomy means taking back control over our data and embracing the unknown. Janssen calls for a world where we honor spontaneity, risk, and creativity—where our future is not preordained by algorithms but shaped by human choice. She challenges the profit-driven motives of Big Tech, which capitalize on our vulnerabilities, and advocates for a system that prioritizes people over profit.
Ultimately, Janssen’s vision aligns with the goals of DSD by fostering a digital environment where individuals are not just data points in an algorithm but autonomous beings with the freedom to navigate their own digital journeys. By questioning the role of AI and algorithms in shaping our choices, Janssen’s "Mapping the Oblivion" offers a powerful reminder of what it means to be human in the age of AI and data.
Read the full original piece here!
Image from Original Article.