Do Algorithms Care?

Do Algorithms Care? is a collaborative project by artist Amanda Bennetts and data scientist Johanna Einsiedler, developed during the Spring Term at IT:U. Anchored in an N=1 study, later expanded to N=2, the project investigates how AI and predictive technologies engage with personal health data, merging quantitative sensor readings with qualitative self-reporting on fatigue, pain, and stress to question the assumptions embedded in AI-driven wellness.

The project culminates in an interactive installation styled as a minimalist tech store, where visitors encounter visualised data, an open-source DIY smartwatch, and interfaces designed to mirror consumer health tech. The smartwatch extends the critique of commercialised care systems and invites reflection on data sovereignty, algorithmic bias, and the limits of medical generalisation. Do Algorithms Care? asks whether AI can meaningfully engage with the complexities of illness—or merely simulate care in service of optimisation and market logic.

Impact / Outreach

The project employs an open-source approach, democratizing technology by publicly sharing code, smartwatch designs, and methods, empowering users and fostering critical reflection on bio-data’s ethical use in tech and healthcare contexts.

Project Showcase

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