In a remarkable fusion of ancient craft and cutting-edge technology, the acclaimed artist and stage designer Es Devlin has orchestrated a conference where participants literally get their hands dirty with 160-million-year-old Jurassic clay while grappling with the profound ethical questions surrounding artificial intelligence. The event, held at Oxford Kilns, brought together a deliberately diverse group of AI researchers, spiritual leaders, academics, and global tech experts, all invited anonymously to foster open dialogue.
A Resonant Call to Order
Devlin, known for her immersive set designs for theatre and major pop tours, commenced the session by striking a singing bowl, a bell used in Buddhist rituals that emitted a frequency causing pleasant temple vibrations among attendees. This symbolic act set the tone for a day dedicated to tactile creation and intellectual exchange, moving beyond traditional conference formats.
Preparing for a Monumental Installation
The workshop serves as preparation for the opening ceremony of Oxford University's Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, the institution's largest-ever building project. Unlike much of Oxford's historic architecture, this centre will feature a publicly accessible ground floor with a gallery, cinema, two theatres, and the world's first Passivhaus concert hall. It also houses the Institute for Ethics in AI, with which Devlin has collaborated closely.
The pots created during this and subsequent public workshops will form part of 360 Vessels, a choral installation by Devlin and American composer Nico Muhly. This work will be performed during the centre's opening festival, with the 360 vessels arranged on three circular tables beneath the great hall's octagonal dome. "A vessel for every degree of difference of point of view," Devlin explained, emphasising the project's inclusive ethos.
Mucking In with Meaning
Participants, guided by skilled potters, rolled up their sleeves to coil clay, create pinch pots, and shape simple bowls into more elaborate pieces. This hands-on approach was intentional. "I felt the most appropriate place to hold the conference would be in a potters' workshop – with our hands in contact with 160m-year-old Jurassic clay! It's an antidote to eyes in front of screens with our hands dancing over keyboards," Devlin stated, highlighting the physical counterpoint to digital abstraction.
Debating AI's Future Through Historical Lenses
As clay was kneaded, conversations flowed, referencing pivotal figures and concepts in technology and literature. Discussions touched on Alan Turing and whether his 1950 test for machine intelligence should be updated to assess compassion. Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, first published in 1942, were debated alongside modern ideas like Ethan Mollick's concept of "centaurs or cyborgs" from his 2024 book Co-Intelligence, which explores human-AI collaboration.
Other topics included the Compost computer, a prototype that converts bioenergy into electricity, and literary references such as Jorge Luis Borges's 1945 short story The Aleph. One participant shared insights from a recent discussion on AI with the Dalai Lama, adding a spiritual dimension to the ethical deliberations.
A Global Perspective on Technological Disparity
A poignant moment arose when one of the workshop's potters noted the privilege inherent in such discussions. She pointed out that her family, hailing from what is often termed the developing world, is rarely consulted about AI, despite its pervasive impact. This observation underscored the global inequality in technological discourse, reminding attendees that billions experience AI's effects without a voice in its direction.
Devlin's Personal Reflections on Digital Shadows
Following the conference, Devlin expressed satisfaction with the outcomes, particularly reflecting on a participant's admission of anthropomorphising AI despite logical reservations. Having explored large language models for a decade, Devlin is deeply interested in the language surrounding AI. She referenced Shoshana Zuboff's The Age of Surveillance Capitalism and its concept of digital shadows, likening it to Peter Pan losing his shadow.
In a concluding thought, Devlin articulated a hopeful vision: "I am aware that my art and my words and my every choice, my presence, is being used to train the algorithms that concentrate wealth among a small number of individuals, and, in spite of this – however confusing, however painful – I would like to try to stitch my digital shadow back on to my feet and dance with it myself, and invite others to dance with it too."
The installation Es Devlin and Nico Muhly: 360 Vessels – A Choral Installation will debut at the Open House festival, a free event at the Schwarzman Centre in Oxford on 25 April, inviting the public to engage with this unique intersection of art, ethics, and technology.
