A Southern Gothic Approach to Studying AI Infrastructure
By: Jen Liu and Sheila Tahir
Date: July 2026
Based on a March 2026 trip to the hyperscaler construction site in north Louisiana, this zine explores a southern gothic approach to understanding AI infrastructure where the ghosts of extractive economies past are still present in the building of hyperscalers of today. This zine was made for the 2026 DIY Methods conference.
About the creators
Jen Liu is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto working with the Toronto Climate Observatory and completed her Ph.D. in Information Science at Cornell University. She is a researcher, designer, and artist investigating the ecological, social, and political implications of computing technologies and infrastructures. Her research uses qualitative and design methods to cultivate sociotechnical practices for livable and equitable futures. Visit Jen’s website.
Sheila Tahir is a research assistant and graduate student at Tulane University. You can reach her at satahir504 at gmail dot com.
The Mind File 