LAUREN LEE MCCARTHY: AUTO

AUTO hijacks the fantasy of driverless freedom, pulling passengers into a ride where their voices power the machine—a seductive loss of autonomy hurtling toward the future with no one at the wheel.

AUTO is a new kind of driverless vehicle created in collaboration with the public through a series of test rides. Each ride begins with the question: Where are we going? As the vehicle accelerates, new features are tested in a play between automation and control.

Using roadside signage and sound through the car’s speakers, the ride unexpectedly becomes a singalong. Passengers are prompted to sing the AUTO anthem as they interact with one another, becoming the engine of the ride.

About the Artist

Lauren Lee McCarthy is an artist examining social relationships in the midst of automation, surveillance, and algorithmic living.

Her work has been exhibited internationally at venues and festivals such as the Barbican Centre (London), Fotomuseum Winterthur, Haus der elektronischen Künste (Basel), Seoul Museum of Art, Chronus Art Center (Shanghai), SIGGRAPH, Onassis Cultural Center (New York), IDFA DocLab (Amsterdam), Science Gallery Dublin, and the Japan Media Arts Festival (Tokyo).

McCarthy is a 2024–26 Just Tech Fellow and was the 2022–23 Stanford Human-Centered AI Artist in Residence. She has received grants and residencies from Creative Capital, United States Artists, LACMA Art+Tech Lab, Sundance, Eyebeam, Pioneer Works, Autodesk, and Ars Electronica, and her work is held in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Her work SOMEONE was awarded the Ars Electronica Golden Nica and the Japan Media Arts Social Impact Award, while her work LAUREN received the IDFA DocLab Award for Immersive Non-Fiction.

Artwork Location