IFFK 2024: ‘Humans in the Loop’ cautions against Artificial Intelligence driven by dominant narratives

In one of the initial scenes of Humans in the Loop directed by Aranya Sahay, the protagonist Nehma, belonging to the Oraon tribe in a remote village in Jharkhand, is seen lying on a rock on one side with her ear on the ground, observing her surroundings for signs of life in the lifeless and the living. The couple has two children, 12-year-old Dhaanu and one-year-old Guntu and in order to gain custody of them, Nehma joins as a data-labeller in an Artificial Intelligence centre in the village. Another standout performance is by Suniti Mahto, from Sarugarhi village in Jonha, Jharkhand, where the movie was shot, who plays Nehma’s childhood. He has directed five short films of which Songs for Babasaheb and Chait were screened at Mumbai International Film Festival, Signs Films Festival and Jaffna Film Festival.