Designer’s film flags serious issues surrounding society’s obsession with productivity

Spotted: A film by designer Keiichi Matsuda offers a frightening look at the dangers of automation and society’s obsession with productivity. The film is part of the designer’s ongoing work, which looks at the dark side of technology. The four-minute, 360-degree-film documents the life of an unnamed accountant who unconsciously, and then consciously, merges with her AI-enhanced work station.

Work and the work station take over her life. She drinks a specially designed protein beverage instead of leaving for lunch. Mandatory exercise is hastily done at the desk and the only thing she sees all day is the work station’s screens and a never-ending stream of notifications and tasks. Her work station even sets up a date, which — not surprisingly — doesn’t go well. The protagonist’s life may seem too close for comfort for many of us office workers.