How data can strengthen our interactions
Data Correlations
How can we use data to improve democracy? That is what the installation "Data Correlations" by Studio Brüll aims to explore. It gathers people's opinions on current societal issues and uses artificial intelligence to study them. This is an experiment to understand how we can gather and use data to strengthen democratic discourse.
Station 1: Data collection
The installation has two stations. At the first station, data is gathered. There is a monitor displaying questions about current social issues and visitors can respond using a microphone. They can answer questions like: What problems do you see in your neighborhood? What unpaid work do you do every day? What could the city do to improve our living environment? The answers are automatically recorded using speech recognition and analyzed with artificial intelligence.
Station 2: Visualizing and analyzing data
The second station shows the gathered data. The responses are sorted using artificial intelligence and shown in a 3D graph. This graph is a network where each response is a point and similar responses are connected by lines. Visitors can use a touchscreen to explore this map of opinions and see connections and patterns.
Fostering a network for enhanced understanding
This way of analyzing data shows different opinions. Visitors can see how their responses compare to others, which helps them understand where they agree or disagree with different viewpoints. The main goal is to promote meaningful conversations instead of people isolating themselves. By allowing diverse opinions to coexist, the installation aims to counteract the polarization that often characterizes contemporary discussions.
Digital sovereignty and the aesthetic value of data
In our digitized world, being able to process data (data literacy) is essential for actively taking part in democratic processes as sovereign citizens. The collected data is shown on screens in a visually appealing way. David Brüll says, "It's also about recognizing the beauty of data and highlighting its power for good." The Data Correlations installation allows visitors to experience its beauty in action.