Artificial Stupidity, 2019
Metal stand, Ipad, custom software.
49.4” x 14.3” x 11.8”

Artificial Stupidity, is an algorithmic piece that tackles the current state of affairs in Venezuela. Through humor, it connects politics with primitive notions of artificial intelligence. The work displays the head of the dictator Nicolás Maduro moving among flags of Venezuela, which are randomly organized on the screen. When Maduro's head passes over the Venezuelan flags, he eats them and expels them in the form of poo emojis.



All the patriotic symbols that represent the Venezuelan nation end up being transformed into digital excrement—an action that alludes to the systematic destruction of the South American country. Users have the option to interact with the piece and smash Maduro's avatar, an action that ends up restarting the game.


The concept of artificial stupidity was first published by The Economist in 1992 when describing the entry that won the inaugural Loebner Prize, an annual competition in AI that awards prizes to the computer programs considered by the judges to be the most human-like. The first winner incorporated deliberate errors to the program to fool the judges into believing that it was human.


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