NEO-THEMIS

PLA 3D PRINT, ELECTRONICS, HACKED CCTV CAMERA

A bust of the Themis or 'blind lady justice' generally representative of the objectivity and impartiality of the law. Equipped with a CCTV camera that acts as the eyes of the sculpture following and unsettling anyone that enters the room. The piece inspects the politics of looking and the gaze of the machine.

Neo-Themis is based on research into how techno-solutionist thinking and automation bias have crept into the justice system through the appropriation of AI decision making tools, resulting in unanticipated outcomes. Facades of objectivity can be created by systems merely including an algorithmic process despite evidence showing that automation often entrenches existing bias instead of reducing it. This piece critiques the assumption of neutrality in automation.