by Shaw Yiran Xiao and Chongyang Rao, University of California, Santa Barbara

Echofract invites visitors to reflect on data privacy in the age of AI. Through a conversation with the installation, each participant leaves behind traces of speech that remain in the space after the exchange has ended. As more people take part, these traces begin to meet and alter one another. Data from different conversations enters a shared visualization, where each new contribution reshapes what is already present. Fragments of sound also return within the space, suggesting that information may continue to circulate beyond the speaker's awareness. The evolving visualization makes the relationships between different sets of data visible without presenting them as a clear record. Through this shared field, Echofract asks how much control we retain over personal information once it enters an AI system and becomes connected to the data of others.

Shaw Yiran Xiao is a Media Artist, Machine Learning Engineer, and Product Designer exploring the space between machine intelligence and human creativity. Her work transforms emerging AI technologies into visual, interactive, and experimental experiences, using generative models and computational systems as both creative tools and artistic media. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Media Arts and Technology at UC Santa Barbara, she is interested in new forms of human–AI collaboration and in reimagining how we create, perceive, and interact with intelligent systems.

Chongyang Rao is an interactive artist and creative technologist interested in human–AI interaction, haptic experiences, and spatial computing. His work combines AI, multimodal sensing, physical computing, and immersive media to explore new ways of communicating with intelligent systems through conversation, movement, and touch.