Afro Algorithms: Imagining new possibilities for race, technology, and the future through animated storytelling

摘要

Enter the world of Afro Algorithms, a 3D-animated short film created by multimedia artist and filmmaker Anatola Araba Pabst. The film explores Afrocentric visions for the future while advocating for a new standard of leadership, the importance of diverse perspectives, how creativity is our greatest superpower, and more. Embark on a journey that at once entertains, enlightens, inspires, and educates. Enter the world of Afro Algorithms, a 3D-animated short film created by multimedia artist and filmmaker Anatola Araba Pabst. The film explores Afrocentric visions for the future while advocating for a new standard of leadership, the importance of diverse perspectives, how creativity is our greatest superpower, and more. Embark on a journey that at once entertains, enlightens, inspires, and educates. The year is 2220. Robots serve as crossing guards and humans jaunt on hoverboards through the city streets. Tomorrow, people from far and wide will tune in to a very special broadcast: the inauguration speech of Aero, the world’s first AI leader. Welcome to the world of Afro Algorithms. This 3D-animated short film in the Afrofuturist genre explores the topics of AI and bias. Through an enchanting science-fiction aesthetic, this story follows the journey of Aero, the first artificial intelligence leader of Earth, as she discovers who she really is—beyond her programming. Commonly referred to as the lovechild between Black Panther and I, Robot, this short film explores Afrocentric visions for the future while advocating for a new standard of leadership, the importance of diverse perspectives, how creativity is our greatest superpower, and much more. My name is Anatola. I am a multimedia artist, filmmaker, and futurist from New York City. I am also the creator of Afro Algorithms. While in my senior year at NYU, I went into a deep dive researching the pros, cons, and controversies of artificial intelligence. I sourced inspiration from nuanced studies on race, technology, and the social implications of AI. The most influential of these works are provided at the end of this article for further exploration on this topic. I distilled the insights from these studies into Afro Algorithms, with the aim of creating a work of science fiction that at once entertains, enlightens, inspires, and educates. AI is powered by data, and data are a reflection of the past. For some matters, like being able to tell the difference between a rose and a tangerine, this is totally fine. The AI-powered algorithm is simply taught the history of how roses and tangerines look respectively and eventually can distinguish between the two. But for other matters, like what resume should be considered for a job interview or who may be a suspect for a crime, things aren’t quite as simple. Earth is a planet that has been plagued with inequalities for millennia. Inequalities across demographics, “us” versus “them,” race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and class. Historical data illustrate to AI that some level of discrimination is, well, just how things are done around here. Therefore, AI will dutifully continue to perpetuate oppressive behavior toward certain groups into the future unless the technology, or human nature, transforms for the better. In the world of Afro Algorithms, Aero is voiced by Ava Rain, a musician with a record-breaking album and former background vocalist to Solange, Carly Rae Jepson, Blood Orange, among others. Aero is programmed with the data of every great leader throughout history, or so she has been led to believe. Aero’s lead scientist and mother-figure, Miriam, is voiced by long-standing radio personality on The Howard Stern Show, Robin Quivers. Miriam is confident that she has programmed Aero with all the knowledge she needs to be a better ruler than anyone who has come before her. However, the day before her inauguration, Aero realizes that there is important information missing from her databank. Discovering this, Aero embarks on a mission to find