Loneliness and social withdrawal are defining experiences of our age, intensified by pandemic, migration and digitalisation. Yet isolation wears many faces: it can be burdensome, yet also protective—particularly in illiberal societies. It can signal fear and doubt—or self-determination and resistance.
With the short film series ›AIsolation‹, HAU Hebbel am Ufer explores this tension and asks about the role of artificial intelligence today: does it deepen loneliness, or counter it?
Twenty short films, each no longer than five minutes, offer artistic perspectives on the theme and explore the collaboration between humans and AI. Chosen from 205 submissions by an interdisciplinary jury as part of an AI short film competition run by the Goethe-Institut, they are now being shown for the first time during Berlin Art Week on the digital stage HAU4.
This international project by the Goethe-Institut, in cooperation with HAU Hebbel am Ufer, draws together contributions from China, Germany, France, the UK, Korea, Malaysia, Ukraine, the US and Uzbekistan, creating a shared space of resonance for diverse viewpoints. At the heart of ›AIsolation‹ is a critical engagement with artificial intelligence and its societal impact.
On 14 SEP 2025 at 2 pm (Berlin), the awards ceremony followed by a discussion will take place simultaneously at the Goethe-Institut China and via livestream on HAU4 (hau4.de). Participation is free of charge worldwide.
The short films will be available to view online on HAU4 until 31 DEC 2025.
Credits for images: © Lushan; © LI Yuke; © Daniel renn; © Wang Hanlin; Red Desire © Yang Shuoting; © Elsa iRuler; © Liu Ziyu; © Rosa Wernecke