#UNHATE

flora&faunavisions was honoured to be invited to collaborate with lead agency Elastique. on the #Unhate experience. Developed for Deutsche Telekom and shown at MWC Barcelona in 2022, this project used AI to combat hate on the net with stunning visuals and acoustic elements. The telecommunications giant has been tackling the problem of online hate speech with projects like #Unhate, a part of Telekom’s ‘Gegen Hass im Netz’ (‘Against Hate on the Internet‘) initiative.

Hate speech is ugly. It contains the worst of the human psyche, splattered across the net for all to see– and be poisoned by. The #Unhate project used beauty as a tool to combat the malice of online hate speech. Our goal was to create an artistic experience that stimulates conversation around the interaction of the internet and modern social issues.

Hate speech has becoming an increasingly serious issue on the internet in recent years. In our world of rising polarization and online bullying, finding moments of peace and joy is an essential antidote to the poison of hate speech. #Unhate allowed visitors to choose which real hate post (drawn from across the web in real time) to react to with AI-generated images. The resulting visuals were published as a response to the original post, thus turning Artificial Intelligence into so-called ‘Artistic Intelligence.’ The posts were automatically recorded on the #Unhate microsite.

When visitors entered the space, they were surrounded by massive typographic animations and audio layers of spoken hate comments. Visitors could then select a hate comment that resonated with them to #Unhate.

Using this simple interface, visitors personalised their #Unhate in terms of visual and audio intensity. As visitors watched the original content transform, they witnessed the power of the #Unhate project in an immersive and emotional moment.

The project consisted of three Artistic Intelligences, each with their own aesthetic language. ‘Playful’ and ‘Mindful’ were developed by lead agency Elastique., while flora&faunavisions created the ‘Progressive’ mode. Our visuals transformed the typographic hate speech into small particles and blew them away, thus ‘dissolving’ the toxicity of the original post and allowing it to re-form into new materials.

flora&faunavisions wish to thank our partners for their trust in the work we have created. To Deutsche Telekom for the opportunity to realise such an important project and for their faith and trust in our work, as well as our friends at Elastique.⁠ for such an enjoyable collaborative experience.