By Ryat Yezbick and Milo Talwani

ABOUT
The Innocence of Unknowing investigates news media coverage of mass shootings in the United States since the 1960s. This immersive essay film - performed live by Ryat Yezbick, Milo Talwani, and the AI humanities scholar they built - takes viewers back in time to examine how we have arrived at the horrific reality of rampant gun violence in America today. Created from an archive of news media footage sourced by the artists, The Innocence of Unknowing examines our role as spectators of mass shootings while illustrating the history of the evolving media landscape — from TV to phones to social media — through which we make sense of the violence. This project is the first of its kind to examine our historical relationship to eyewitness news through the lens of AI.