Olivia Arthur: Meditations on the intersection of humanity and technology

Meditations on the intersection of humanity and technology

Documentary photographer Olivia Arthur has been exploring a new frontier: the evolution of the blurring line between humanity and technology. In this meditative talk, she shows her work documenting the remarkable ways humans have merged with machines -- from bionics and motorized limbs to synthetic muscles and strikingly realistic robots -- and offers wisdom on the complexity, adaptability and resilience of the human body.

Humans are merging with technology in ways that blur the line between flesh and machine, from camera eyes to motorized limbs powered by thought. A quadruple amputee now climbs mountains with mechanical arms and a chip in his body, while robots with lifelike faces trigger genuine empathy. These advances reveal that vulnerability, emotion, and self-awareness remain at the heart of what makes us human, no matter how much our bodies change.