LO: “Not the Only One”

Stephanie Dinkins is a transdisciplinary (and transmedia) artist that explores the intersectionality between creating visual artifacts pushing the boundaries of AI/computer software and using these tools to create real-life solutions in confronting race and gender induced biases found in our daily lives. In addressing issues like social equity and data sovereignty in her work, Dinkins has actively engaged with communities of color to amplify and highlight the richness of culture and history found with these marginalized people.

In one of her recent works, Not the Only One (N’TOO), Dinkins looked to incorporating Deep Learning algorithms and computer AI to create an interactive sculpture piece that communicates with users. N’TOO responds to spoken word questions, formulating answers from a large and rich database of history from three generations of Black women (from one family). Given the context of knowledge N’TOO has ‘learned’ from, Dinkins hopes to explicitly contribute to building communal nuance and transparency for those that are underrepresented in the tech sector, being women and members of the BIPOC community.

When looking at the broader scale of Dinkins’ work, I admire the nuanced methods of how she is able to communicate and build a narrative around wanting to create a more equitable tech sector. Not only does she appeal to the target audience (being the tech community) by incorporating tech and computer AI elements into her artwork, but she is also able to weave the importance of reflection and close examination of history and tradition in order to help better inform steps we should all be taking to reform and take active control to change the future of tech.