AI: More than Human is part of Barbican’s 2019 overarching season, ‘Life Rewired’ that explores what it means to be human at a time when technology is both enhancing our lives and challenging our identity. Our task was to position the exhibition as the ‘must-see’ summer experience, developing both the campaign and graphic components of the show.

With the lines being blurred between humanity and AI, it was important for us to communicate the nuances of this rapidly evolving relationship. This exhibition represents the largest collection of AI in today’s society, and its future impact cannot be underestimated.

We created a system inspired by a familiar visual language known as ‘classifiers’ which are rectangular boxes generated by object detection in AI. Building on the use of classifiers in our campaign work which was rolled out across London and online, we translated this vernacular into the exhibition graphics, from the subtle coloured edges of captions to the framing of text panels, maintaining consistency throughout.

We developed this simple creative platform to help unpack the theme of AI and frame the key question, what is it that makes us uniquely human? We tell both sides of the story; from the point of view of AI and humanity, and ask ourselves at what point, if ever, the gap between these perspectives will close.