-1 Séances #5: Desire&Technology Reading Group
What processes of appropriation and exploitation lie behind AI? How should we view them, and are they something new, or just business as usual? In this final public session of -1 Séances: Desire & Technology, a six-part reading and discussion series organised by -1 Digital Lab, the reading group will explore how AI’s data extraction shapes our current technology, and what this reveals about contemporary capitalism.
25 June 2026 16:30 - 17:30
In this final session of the reading group, guest speaker Claudio Celis Bueno will discuss the history of data extraction. Drawing on recent developments, such as the rise of the attention economy, the emergence of machine vision and the explosive growth of generative AI models, he will illustrate how this phenomenon has evolved.
The focus will then shift to a more specific notion of data extraction, reflecting on the conceptual differences between extraction and exploitation. To illustrate this dichotomy, we will examine the hidden labour involved in AI, including both data labour and user labour. Finally, we will explore the terms ‘technofeudalism’, ‘rentier capitalism’, and ‘cybernetic capitalism’: three ‘diagnoses’ that offer insights into our current times.
Languagel: English | Location: Nieuwe Instituut | Ticket price: free | Limited capacity
RSVPAbout Claudio Celis Bueno
Claudio Celis Bueno is an Assistant Professor of New Media and Digital Cultures at the University of Amsterdam. He is the author of The Attention Economy: Labour, Time and Power in Cognitive Capitalism (2016). He jointly coordinates the AIsymmetries research project and directs the AI and Cultural Production research group.
-1 Digital Lab & –1 Séances
–1 Digital Lab, the dynamic laboratory and exhibition space in the basement of the Nieuwe Instituut, is where local and international digital makers develop and showcase their work addressing critical issues in digital culture. In 2026, -1 Digital Lab is exploring the challenging intersection of technology and desire through a six-part reading and discussion series: -1 Séances: Desire&Technology.