Thirsty Machines: AI on Tap

The focus is on works by Lauren Moffatt and Theresa Reiwer, which explore the ecological impact of artificial intelligence. Their works demonstrate that AI is not an intangible technology – it is closely linked to natural resources such as water.


Water covers 71% of the Earth, yet only a fraction of the ocean floor has been explored. The human body is also made up of around two-thirds water – yet it is often overlooked in the context of digital infrastructure. Data centers that operate AI systems require enormous amounts of cooling. According to a study by the University of California, AI applications could consume up to 6.6 billion cubic meters of water annually by 2027 – equivalent to the annual consumption of entire countries such as Denmark and Austria.


The exhibition encourages reflection on individual and social responsibility and vividly explores the tension between technology and the environment.

The central work is Lauren Moffatt's immersive video installation "Lasting Generation." The work addresses the potential of AI as an active contributor to ecological and social transformation—not as a controlling entity, but as a mediator between humans and nature. Virtual avatars, essayistic texts, and AI-generated imagery combine to create a sensual and poetic exploration of responsibility and the future.


"Lasting Generation" has already been shown at the festivals Spy on Me – Enter AI (HAU Berlin) and Beyond Basel (Miami). In Berlin, it will now be presented in a fragmented version that follows the spatial conditions of SOMA Art Berlin and foregrounds the theme of "AI and Water."


The work was created in collaboration with the large language model ChatGPT and draws on ideas from James Bridle, Ursula K. Le Guin, K. Allado McDowell, Ben Vickers, Leroy Little Bear, Byung-Chul Han, and Samira El Ouassil. The hyperreal avatars (Unreal Engine 5.3 & MetaHuman) dissolve into abstract, live-generated AI visuals over time – an aesthetic cycle between technology, humans, and the environment.

• Exhibition with Lauren Moffatt and Theresa Reiwer
  
• curated by Dr. Marlene Bart (Prater Galerie/Prater Digital)
  
• accompanied by Nabi Nara (SOMA Art Berlin)
  

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