This talk explores world-building in games through cultural exchanges across Asia, the Arab world, and Africa. Artists Wu Ziyang and Kachi Chan present their research-driven projects on technological infrastructure in Africa and digital labour in the UAE respectively, examining how artists construct immersive virtual worlds to reflect local realities, collective memory, and speculative futures.

Navigating Planetary Computation and Infrastructure

The panel discussion, moderated by Iris Long, delved into the complex intersections of artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and speculative media. Long framed the conversation around how contemporary world-building is deeply entwined with themes of extraction and optimization, prompting an exploration of the futures generated by these systems. The session brought together artists Wu Ziyang and Kachi Chan to examine how technological megastructures shape human experiences across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Human Vulnerability and Algorithmic Governance

Wu Ziyang opened the presentations by contrasting the fragility of the human body with the immense power of algorithmic systems. Drawing from his harrowing personal experience sheltering from drones in a Kyiv hotel bathroom, he introduced the concept of the “sanctuary algorithm” and critiqued planetary-scale computation, referred to as “the stack”. Wu further explored macro-infrastructures through his project “New Silk Frequencies,” which investigates the socio-political impact of the Chinese media company StarTimes and its initiative to install digital infrastructure across rural Africa. He described this technological export through the lens of techno-animism, illustrating how consumer electronics can morph into digital altars that radically alter local ecosystems and cognitive frameworks.

Digital Entities and the Exploitation of Invisible Labor

Transitioning to the Middle East, Kachi Chan shared insights from his residency in Saudi Arabia and his project titled “The Farm”. Chan’s presentation highlighted the stark contrast between futuristic, multi-billion dollar urban developments and the harsh realities of the migrant construction workers building them. He drew a compelling parallel between these physical laborers and the invisible, low-paid digital workers—often from the Global South—who continuously annotate data to train global AI systems. By utilizing machine learning algorithms where AI agents are trained to climb invisible walls, Chan’s installation visualizes the fragmented, repetitive, and often unseen labor that sustains both modern physical infrastructure and global data capitalism.

Fieldwork, Subjectivity, and Counter-Narratives

During the Q&A segment, Iris Long guided a discussion on the roles of subjectivity and visibility within massive computational structures. The artists reflected on how their subjects—ranging from local African technicians improvising with decaying devices to Southeast Asian food delivery riders navigating algorithmic dispatch systems—act as active negotiators rather than passive victims. The conversation concluded with a reflection on the importance of fieldwork, emphasizing that experiencing these environments firsthand empowers artists to create authentic counter-narratives that challenge the polished, hyper-visible representations of technological progress.