On September 16, RAW’s Lauren Gould appeared at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht as part of the De Futuristen series, hosted by Studium Generale Utrecht University. Her talk, titled “Hoe Big Tech zich in oorlogen mengt” (“How Big Tech Gets Involved in Wars”), explored the growing entanglement between technology giants and modern warfare.
Gould examined how companies like Microsoft, Google, and Palantir are increasingly embedded in military operations, from AI-driven targeting systems to predictive policing and battlefield logistics. Her insights raised urgent questions about civilian harm, ethics, accountability, and the privatization of war.
What makes De Futuristen unique is its hybrid format: a one-day collaboration between scientists and artists. After an in-depth interview with the guest speaker, theater makers, musicians, and writers from the Nieuw Utrechts Toneel transform the speaker’s vision into a live performance, written, composed, and staged within 24 hours. The result is a day-fresh theatrical interpretation of complex societal issues, blending academic insight with artistic imagination.
This fusion of science, theater, and music invites audiences to engage with future-oriented questions in a visceral and reflective way. Gould’s appearance, with its focus on algorithmic warfare and Big Tech’s role in conflict, aligns closely with the mission of the RAW program: to critically examine how digital technologies are reshaping the nature of warfare.
Watch the full talk here: Studium Generale Utrecht
