Ghost in the Machine: Protecting Human Creativity in the Age of AI
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THE EXPERIENCE
Coming off its electrifying Sundance screening, Ghost in the Machine is a gripping and urgently relevant documentary from Valerie Veatch that excavates the buried history of artificial intelligence... not as a neutral system of algorithms, but as a technology shaped by racism, misogyny, eugenics, and entrenched structures of power long before it entered everyday life.
Following the screening, stay for a live panel moderated by Ned Hayes of Human Intelligence®, featuring David Cress, Hazel Rickard, PhD, Jack Phan, and Delfina Homen.
ON SCREEN: Ghost in the Machine
2026. Directed by Valerie Veatch. Runtime: 96 minutes.
Ghost in the Machine rejects the notion of AI as inevitable or objective, tracing how myths of progress and efficiency have obscured deeper political and cultural agendas while revealing the ideological foundations beneath the systems now reshaping modern society.
Structured as an eight-chapter inquiry, the film blends historical excavation with contemporary analysis to confront essential questions: who built these systems, whose values they encode, and who they benefit. Directed by Valerie Veatch, whose Sundance-premiering films ME @ THE ZOO and LOVE CHILD explored how emerging technologies transform identity, power, and culture, Ghost in the Machine offers a bold and accessible cinematic experience that is as unsettling as it is illuminating.
This is not a film about machines. It is a film about power.
ON STAGE: Panelists
Ned Hayes (Moderator) – Ned Hayes is the co-founder of Human Intelligence, the authentication and IP protection system for genuine human creators. He is an experienced technology executive who has led teams at Intel, Microsoft, Adobe and Xerox PARC/SRI. He is also a bestselling novelist, writer, and journalist who works with human and AI teams around the world to foreground the rights of human creators.
David Cress – David Cress is a Portland producer whose work has helped shape the region’s film and television landscape. He has produced acclaimed projects including Portlandia, Shrill, and Documentary Now!, and brings a longtime Oregon film-community perspective to conversations about storytelling, production, and the future of creative work.
Hazel Rickard, PhD – Hazel Rickard is a musician, artist, and scholar whose work bridges performance, creative practice, and critical thought. She brings an interdisciplinary perspective to questions of authorship, artistic meaning, and the role of human creativity in cultural life.
Jack Phan – Jack Phan is the Executive Director of the Oregon AI Accelerator, where he works at the intersection of emerging technology, entrepreneurship, and human-centered innovation. He brings a practical perspective on how AI is being developed, funded, and applied in the real world.
Delfina Homen – Miller Nash LLP
Coming off its electrifying Sundance screening, Ghost in the Machine is a gripping and urgently relevant documentary from Valerie Veatch that excavates the buried history of artificial intelligence... not as a neutral system of algorithms, but as a technology shaped by racism, misogyny, eugenics, and entrenched structures of power long before it entered everyday life.
Following the screening, stay for a live panel moderated by Ned Hayes of Human Intelligence®, featuring David Cress, Hazel Rickard, PhD, Jack Phan, and Delfina Homen.
ON SCREEN: Ghost in the Machine
2026. Directed by Valerie Veatch. Runtime: 96 minutes.
Ghost in the Machine rejects the notion of AI as inevitable or objective, tracing how myths of progress and efficiency have obscured deeper political and cultural agendas while revealing the ideological foundations beneath the systems now reshaping modern society.
Structured as an eight-chapter inquiry, the film blends historical excavation with contemporary analysis to confront essential questions: who built these systems, whose values they encode, and who they benefit. Directed by Valerie Veatch, whose Sundance-premiering films ME @ THE ZOO and LOVE CHILD explored how emerging technologies transform identity, power, and culture, Ghost in the Machine offers a bold and accessible cinematic experience that is as unsettling as it is illuminating.
This is not a film about machines. It is a film about power.
ON STAGE: Panelists
Ned Hayes (Moderator) – Ned Hayes is the co-founder of Human Intelligence, the authentication and IP protection system for genuine human creators. He is an experienced technology executive who has led teams at Intel, Microsoft, Adobe and Xerox PARC/SRI. He is also a bestselling novelist, writer, and journalist who works with human and AI teams around the world to foreground the rights of human creators.
David Cress – David Cress is a Portland producer whose work has helped shape the region’s film and television landscape. He has produced acclaimed projects including Portlandia, Shrill, and Documentary Now!, and brings a longtime Oregon film-community perspective to conversations about storytelling, production, and the future of creative work.
Hazel Rickard, PhD – Hazel Rickard is a musician, artist, and scholar whose work bridges performance, creative practice, and critical thought. She brings an interdisciplinary perspective to questions of authorship, artistic meaning, and the role of human creativity in cultural life.
Jack Phan – Jack Phan is the Executive Director of the Oregon AI Accelerator, where he works at the intersection of emerging technology, entrepreneurship, and human-centered innovation. He brings a practical perspective on how AI is being developed, funded, and applied in the real world.
Delfina Homen – Miller Nash LLP
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Where is it happening?
PAM CUT Tomorrow Theater, 3530 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202-1544, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherHuman Intelligence
