The Algorithmic Gaze: What Does It Mean to See — and Be Seen?

Thursday, June 12, 2025

As generative tools reshape how images are created, shared, and consumed, questions about authorship, bias, and representation take on new urgency. Join us for an exploration of critical digital literacies with Mackenzie Salisbury, formerly the Information Literacy Librarian at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This session unpacks how algorithms are trained, how cultural canons are formed, and how bias often hides behind the appearance of neutrality. Using traditional artworks, AI-generated images, and pop culture references, the program introduces a set of questions we can ask—of tools, of images, and of ourselves—as we navigate the increasingly automated world of visual culture. Designed for museum professionals, librarians, educators, artists, and curious thinkers, this session blends historical context with contemporary critique to offer practical ways of engaging with digital media more critically, creatively, and justly.