Joshua Ashish Dawson
Joshua Ashish Dawson is a Bangalore-born speculative designer and film director whose work The New York Times has described as “both slightly absurd and eminently believable.” His films have premiered internationally, earning the Jury Prize for Best Science Fiction Film at Cinequest, a Core77 Design Award, and a nomination from the Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival.
Originally trained as an architect, Dawson’s filmmaking frames the built environment as a political technology that disproportionately structures futures, entrenching inequality. Working across live action, CGI, and speculative worldbuilding, his work illustrates how climate change and resource extraction reshape everyday life, from land to labour. His projects expose the material dependencies of technological systems, revealing the environmental and human infrastructures that are often obscured by narratives of progress and innovation.
During the residency, Dawson will investigate the ethical implications of emerging “AI cities” and the technology-driven transformation of land use in Bangalore. Through speculative cinema and research-led worldbuilding, the project examines the impact of these developments on those most affected.
The UNESCO AI Ethics Residency is supported by the European Union-funded project “Supporting Member States in lmplementing UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Al through lnnovative Tools”.
