Tactile Agency: Rethinking Consent through Embodied AI Prototyping

Workshop Semmelweisklinik Centre for Arts and Culture, Vienna Austria This hands-on workshop explores the ethical, emotional and sensory dimensions of AI-driven human-machine interaction. Participants will engage with simple AI models and DIY touch-responsive interfaces using Arduino and open-source machine learning tools to examine how consent, agency and embodiment can be both problematic and reimagined within technological systems. By building interactive prototypes and experimenting with real-time feedback, the workshop invites critical reflection on intimacy, power and the politics of touch in today’s technosphere. Beginners are also welcome; no prior experience is required.