Invisible Labour, the Automation Illusion, and Generative AI
Created by: Xinyang Zhang, Tengbo Wang, Haoyang Wu, Qianmei Ge, Siying Liu
Overview: This project is an AI-assisted moving picture book set in a medieval kingdom. It follows Alan, a young messenger who discovers that the kingdom’s magical box is powered not by magic, but by hidden workers behind the scenes. Through this story, the project explores the invisible labour that supports generative AI and questions the illusion of fully automated technology. By combining storytelling with AI-generated visuals and animation, The Box invites audiences to look beyond AI’s seamless outputs and reflect on the human work that often remains unseen.
Created with: GPT images 2.0, Gemini 3.1 Pro (Veo), Kling 2.5 Turbo, Dreamina Seedance, Suno
Concept
Poster description: The poster centres on a medieval kingdom contained within a large transparent box, surrounded by scenes of hidden workshops, exhausted workers, and symbolic moments from the story. It uses these visual metaphors to argue that the apparent intelligence of generative AI is sustained by invisible human labour, challenging the illusion of fully automated technology.