Humour as Resistance: Visceralizing the Environmental and Social Impact of AI through Humour-based Creative Practices

Abstract

The growth of AI does not come without cost. While we hear about the economic costs, the environmental and social costs are often obfuscated by mainstream narratives, and even when acknowledged, are accompanied by a sense of helplessness. To counter this, we, a group of designers and researchers, reflect on our experience leading a humour-based creative campaign surfacing the material impact of AI infrastructures. Through graphics design, physical installations, digital content creation and co-creation workshops, we leaned into humour as a creative practice to provoke collective reflection. Drawing on event ethnography, surveys and interviews with campaign engagers, we examine four roles of humour-based creative work in HCI: a connector to critical friends, a visceral and emotional harbour, social glue, and resistance to power. We argue for the importance of creative practices in bridging social and emotional gaps between people and concerns around technology, and in surfacing hidden perspectives for more inclusive conversations.