The Anatomy of a Refusal
Visual essay website
“The Anatomy of a Refusal” is the title of the second chapter of How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell. Thinking about AI, this phrase unearthed itself to me, like a whisper, or a prayer, and I began to repeat it to myself without realizing where it had come from. This visual essay/website explores nonlinear reading on the web through a flip-card format, and draws parallels between human and AI refusals throughout history and fields of work.
Premise
The anatomy of a refusal. A phrase with subtle richness, what meanings could it hold?“The Anatomy of a Refusal” is the title of the second chapter of How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell. Thinking about AI, this phrase unearthed itself to me, like a whisper, or a prayer, and I began to repeat it to myself without realizing where it had come from. This visual essay/website explores nonlinear reading on the web through a flip-card format, and draws parallels between human and AI refusals throughout history and fields of work.