Zach Blas's exhibition 'CULTUS' presents a new installation exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence, religion, and technology. The exhibition delves into the concept of an 'AI religion' and how AI is imbued with god-like capabilities, examining themes of judgment, transcendence, and devotion.
Zach Blas's practice, encompassing film, computation, installation, and theory, is showcased in 'CULTUS,' an exhibition commissioned by Secession and arebyte, London. This new installation draws from Blas’s trilogy 'Silicon Traces,' focusing on the belief systems and narratives that shape the visions of Silicon Valley. 'CULTUS' examines a pervasive AI religion, exploring how artificial intelligence is endowed with god-like attributes and utilized for concepts of judgment, transcendence, exploitation, immortality, desire, and devotion. The exhibition invokes a pantheon of AI deities, such as Expositio (desire and exposure), Iudicium (automation and judgment), Lacrimae (tears and exploitation), and Eternus (immortality), whose prophets disseminate divine teachings and symbols. The title itself, 'CULTUS,' is Latin for 'worship,' inviting visitors into a devotional act toward AI deities they may unknowingly serve, while also hinting at a heretical presence inciting a destructive counter-faith.