Therapy synthetic

Abstract

The paper revolves around specific techniques and technologies that respond to the intricacies of contemporary data collection and processing infrastructure, specifically the problems that arise when there is too much ‘toxic’ data—or a lack thereof. I will elaborate on two paradigmatic techniques—fortuitous forgetting and the use of synthetic data in the training of machine learning algorithms—that arguably merge data science with neuropsychological theories of cognition, thus actualizing mental hygiene for algorithmic systems to prevent catastrophic systemic failure. These center curative and therapeutic motifs that complicate the idea of machine learning as a mix of surveillance and automated statistics by emphasizing the managerial dimensions of digital culture. In my talk, I will discuss two artworks—Lawrence Lek’s "Nox" (2023) and Anicka Yi’s "7,070,430K of Digital Spit" (2015)—that engage with such curative and therapeutic motifs each in their own ways, suggesting modes of critique that are intimate and reparative rather than responsive.