Signal to Noise explores how artists work with, challenge, or complicate the relationship between signals and noise—disruptions, glitches or interference—in communication technologies and the messages they send. These technologies include the internet, telephones, radio and television, artificial intelligence, social media algorithms, and even the sounds of the natural world.
Every time you order a meal, obtain directions, query an AI chatbot, or access your child’s virtual classroom, you’re interacting with a multi-sided digital platform—and you trade in more than just time or money. You relinquish data. You perform unpaid labor. And in nearly every case, that data, along with the profits, leaves your community and flows to distant companies with no stake in your local economy. But what if the digital economy worked differently—what if it respected privacy, strengthened local economies, and ensured communities benefited from the value they help create?
The 2025 ADM+S Symposium unites ADM+S researchers, technologists, social service professionals, and policymakers to showcase innovative responses to the challenges of building inclusive, ethical, and responsible automated social services.
Join us as we tune in to the signals and noises that shape our understanding of science, technology, and the worlds around us.