A Needle in a Haystack

Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet Sola (2025)

Abstract

Needle in a Haystack is a robotic art installation that explores the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence, big data, and environmental sustainability. Drawing inspiration from the idiom, the project features a robot tasked with finding a hidden needle in a haystack—a metaphor for the challenges AI systems face in locating critical information within vast datasets. This work questions the myth of AI as an omnipotent "black box" and highlights its reliance on human labour and resource-intensive computation. The installation engages with the limitations of large language models (LLMs) in handling extensive contexts, referencing contemporary research that exposes their struggles with big data. It also delves into the increasing computational power and energy demands required to train these systems, juxtaposed against the urgent realities of the climate crisis. By drawing attention to modern AI's labour, energy, and environmental costs, Needle in a Haystack prompts viewers to reflect on the ethical and ecological implications of technological advancement in the deep learning era.

Venue: ISEA 2025 – 30th International Symposium on Electronic/Emerging Art, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 23–29 May 2025.