My name is Lin Ke, so I have always felt bound by fate to science and technology. (The ke in my name is the same as in keji or “science and technology.”) I have always lived and worked in places with a lot of locations named after ke around. I was honored to participate in this Tech Field Trip, and Times Museum has always been one of my favorite museums.

At one of the tech companies we visited, I saw a sculpture of a game character in a standard corporate exhibition space. When they told us in the conference room how this sculpture was created, I realized that they were describing a classic or traditional artistic workflow. Because I had seen better eye-tracking technology applied in interactive museum education, I wasn’t very interested in the eye-tracking technology they presented, nor their digital museum applications; nothing left a particular impression on me. The only thing I remember is that they talked about a proprietary blockchain platform.

Another tech firm we visited was a huge company, where I felt as if I were undergoing patriotic education. Visiting their exhibition space was a moving experience; I could see the outstanding work of solid engineers. The firm described a future model for a smart, completely automated neighborhood. In short, a world that doesn’t need people is right under your nose, although the 5G base station would consume rather a lot of power.

I don’t really watch livestreams or play games. Before the livestreaming industry really took off, I had used recording video in my art. As we toured the final company, I didn’t see any technique that particularly interested me. I still really enjoy just having one computer, working on this machine that thousands of engineers have built for me. I keep to myself in silence with my computer assistant. I’m alone in the studio, creating works of art. I have always worked with this assistant, and though I don’t know how it really looks, it surprises me every day. I rely on my eye for judgment, and the algorithm of art keeps operating in my brain. This algorithm combines with that of the computer, like a pair of farmer’s feet growing out of the field of AI innovation.