In āUtopian Algorithm #1,ā a non-cynical algorithm seeks to find the Internetās lost Utopia by thwarting social media popularity algorithms to reveal the videos nobody gets to see.
Composer: Amy Alexander
Utopian Algorithm #1 is a composition by Amy Alexander and Curt Miller for PIGS (Percussive Image Gestural System) generated from personal video narratives on the moment as posted by members of the public on YouTube.
As of Spring 2018, PIGS compositions can be created using a pseudo/anti-artificial intelligence. A ācuratorā algorithm analyzes newly uploaded public YouTube videos for specified characteristics. The AlgoCurator is run immediately before the performance, so Alexander and Miller are seeing these videos of āthe momentā for the first time as they improvise. Loosely provoked by the question: āWhat if an algorithm attempted to convert YouTube intoĀ Stan VanDerBeekās utopian vision of a networked āculture intercom,’āthe AlgoCurator currently works against YouTubeās algorithms, which encourage posters to upload content intended for commercialization. āIntelligentā algorithms seek to tell us whatās important, but often simply popularize the sensational while burying quieter voices. The AlgoCurator deliberately works against these algorithms. Read more in theĀ AlgoCurator FAQ.
The AlgoCurator made its live debut at ICLI in Porto, June 2018 with āUtopian Algorithm #1.ā āUtopian Algorithm #1ā was also used to curate the content inĀ these videos.