In collaboration with The Open Data Institute, award-winning artists Blast Theory have created a thought-provoking new artwork titled Constant Washing Machine. The innovative project uses soap as a metaphor for the importance of consistent, everyday good practice in Responsible AI.
Constant Washing Machine aims to demystify Responsible AI’ (RAI) through the relatable act of washing. Blast Theory encourages people to move beyond abstract discussions and integrate Responsible AI practices into daily business. As the soap gradually dissolves, the language etched on it – representing AI policies and ethical frameworks — disappears, but the habitual behaviours associated with Responsible AI endure.
The success of any AI system – whether in deep learning, planning, or knowledge graph applications – hinges on data. Yet data-related challenges persist, including bias, algorithmic fairness, and ethical concerns around sensitive information. Poor data governance can perpetuate these issues, undermining trust in AI applications deployed in critical sectors such as healthcare, finance, and public services. While policymakers worldwide invest in open data infrastructure to support RAI, all organisations holding data must adhere to rigorous standards of governance. Blast Theory proposes that the way forward with RAI is to move from ‘thinking’ into ‘doing’ as AI becomes a personal and collective activity.
In practice, this means developing iterative, systemic processes to ensure that data is collected, used and shared for public benefit, mitigating the ways that data can produce harm, and addressing how it can redress structural inequalities. Practical solutions such as adopting Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability (FAIR) principles in documentation practices can ensure datasets and models are discoverable and usable, promoting better data management and sharing.
Constant Washing Machine challenges us to ensure that responsible AI practices become as routine as everyday hygiene – habitual, essential, and enduring. It was commissioned by Data as Culture at the ODI as part of the University of Sheffield FRAIM project which aims to highlight arts and humanities perspectives in shaping Responsible AI dialogues.
A number of performances and installations of Constant Washing Machine are planned for the future.
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