Utopian Ethical Machine

Exhibition Period | 2025.01.11 - 2025.03.23
Opening Hours | Tuesday to Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Saturday & Sunday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Closed on Mondays
Opening Ceremony | 2024.01.11 (Saturday) 3:00 PM
Exhibition Venue | National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Multiple Screens Area

Project Support | This exhibition was supported by the Ministry of Culture (Taiwan) R.O.C., under the Technology Art Venues Innovation Project.

In this project, the artist aims to explore and challenge the ability of artificial intelligence (AI) in understanding and responding to the complex, abstract concepts of human society, especially those related to ethics. This concept not only reflects a thoughtful examination of current technological advancements and their influence on human values but also uses art to explore the interaction between AI and the deeper ethical values of society, as well as how this interaction shapes society’s understanding and expectations of machine capabilities.

The project first uses artificial intelligence to collect and analyze crowd-sourced data. In one section, viewers observe images generated by Stable Diffusion displayed on screens. Upon viewing these images, viewers determine whether each image is “ethical” or “unethical” and input their judgments into the system, which serves as the foundation for AI training. Through this collective process, the artist attempts to establish an ethical criterion system that challenges AI’s decision-making capabilities while reflecting on how humans define and interpret ethics. By presenting this system to the public, the artist hopes to spark broad discussions about ethics, AI judgment, and the human decision-making process.

In another section, several autonomous mobile machines equipped with cameras continuously capture footage of the audience, wirelessly transmitting the images to on-site screens. If the AI—trained through crowd-sourced ethical judgments—deems the captured images “unethical,” the machines automatically shift their focus away until they capture an image considered “ethical.” This introduces a series of dialectical questions: the machines perceive a utopian vision of the good and ethical, yet these ethical judgments are determined by AI, which in turn relies on human evaluations of AI-generated images. This recursive process reveals inherent complexities within the system.

Through these three interconnected sections, the project uses art as a way to raise and explore critical questions about AI, ethics, and human societal values. The artist hopes this work inspires deeper reflection on the role AI plays in human lives and how it shapes the understanding of ethics. It is not only an exploration of existing technologies but also a forward-looking consideration of the challenges and opportunities humanity may face in the future.

Artist｜Lien-cheng Wang ｜ Installation Design and Production｜Zi-yi Yang , Jing-zong Guo , Shu-Hsien HO, Hsin-Yuan Ho, Qi-Luo Chen｜ Programming｜Yu-ling Chen ｜ Exhibition Execution｜Zhi-xian Chen, Yu-ling Chen, Hsin-Yuan Ho

Lien-Cheng Wang 

Lien-cheng Wang is a technological artist whose works span interactive installations and sound performances. His installation works often employ multiplicity to create unique bodily perceptions, while his sound performances are frequently accompanied by real-time visuals generated through programming and real-time sound computation. In recent years, he has focused on achieving synergy between algorithmic visuals and sound. Wang is currently a full-time assistant professor at the Taipei National University of the Arts. He has received numerous accolades, including First Prize at the Taipei Art Awards, First Prize in the Interactive Installation and Digital Art Performance categories at the Taipei Digital Art Festival, and First Prize in the 3D/Sculpture Award at the Lumen Prize in the UK. His works have been exhibited at prestigious international festivals, such as Ars Electronica in Austria, MADATAC in Spain, Grame CNCM in Lyon, France, and NTAA in Belgium.