Valerie Veatch: Ghost in the Machine (2026)

Who built these AI systems? On whose shoulders do they stand? And what will humans become in a world they increasingly shape?

Valerie Veatch’s investigative documentary, opening this year’s Digital Humanism Conference, uncovers the buried origin story of Artificial Intelligence that Silicon Valley would prefer us not to examine. Across nearly 40 interviews with historians, computer scientists, and human rights activists, including Emily M. Bender, Alix Dunn, and Tiera Tanksley, Ghost in the Machine traces the roots of today’s AI industry: its ties to scientific racism, its debt to unregulated capital, its dependence on mass data theft and human exploitation.

After two acclaimed films exploring how emerging technologies reshape identity and culture, her 2026 Sundance contribution is Veatch’s most ambitious work yet, and, as far as anyone can tell, the only AI documentary currently on the market not funded by tech billionaires. The result is an uncompromised account of power and technology and tells the real story beneath the hype.

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After short welcome remarks, we will watch the film together, followed by a conversation with the director Valerie Veatch, moderated by Katja Mayer. The evening will conclude with a small reception in the cinema foyer.

The ticket for the film screening is included with a conference pass, additional tickets can be purchased at Gartenbaukino.