Binary Calculations are Inadequate is an art project that asks how we can make the technological systems that control our relationships, governments, and institutions more caring.

The algorithmic ecologies surrounding us are increasingly complex, extractive, and embedded into every aspect of our lives. We empower companies, big tech, and governments to track us with the trail of information we leave behind with each encounter. Some of these systems are helpful, some of them are harmful, most are built atop data that incompletely describe most inhabitants on the planet. For example, common datasets used for AI assisted medical diagnoses often under-represent people with darker skin. Data extracted and often augmented with biased historical information is used to assess, control, serve, appease and even titillate. Our needs, hopes, dreams, and desires, along with multitudes of cultural nuance, get averaged to uphold and serve the demands of the status quo. Binary Calculations aims to push algorithmic networks to become less reductive and encourage complexity, plurality, kindness, and generosity instead.

Because binary calculations are inadequate to assess us, we are working to collaboratively design more nurturing algorithmic ecosystems centered on care and model their use.

Why Are Binary Calculations Inadequate?

Binary Calculations Are Inadequate—a project, app and workshop series that asks how we can make the data-driven algorithms that increasingly control our daily lives more caring. By answering questions anonymously, you donate data to create more descriptive, comprehensive, and supportive datasets that represent our communities with complexity, love and deep-seated understanding. Your offerings will help create nuanced datasets that center and honor lives, cultures and values often under considered or ignored in the technosphere.

Should I contribute?

​​Every answer you provide contributes to a people’s data commons of ideas, content, and more precise labelling. We aim to create more holistic, broadly representative, inclusive datasets reflecting the depth and artifacts of the communities we care about. The data commons—one for images and one for text—created through Binary Calculations, will model how supportive databases of care can be curated, maintained, and disseminated while centering the idea of building public trust and equity in the technosphere.

What about my privacy?

Our datasets will be open and available to anyone wanting to develop data-centric projects without relying exclusively on big data or tech. Read more of our privacy policy.

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Credits
Brought to you by:
Stephanie Dinkins Studio
With support from:
Mozilla Foundation, Knight
Foundation, Visions 2030
Advisor & Collaborator:
Surya Mattu
Collaborator:
Neta Bomani
Designer:
Pedro Sanches
Design, Website & App Development:
Andrew Herzog & Nicky Tesla & Ryan Sheehan
Backend Development:
Sukanya Aneja & Brent Bailey

Thank you.

Your contribution is helping craft a better digital future.