Precursing

Precursing explores a world shaped by rapidly accelerating technologies, where systems designed to predict the future are increasingly embedded in everyday life. From finance and law to transport and insurance, artificial intelligence is relied upon to model outcomes with precision—yet similar technologies also surface in unexpected spaces, from social media algorithms to the uncanny detection of “ghosts.” While some of these systems depend on rigorous, verifiable data, others operate within looser, more speculative frameworks.

Drawing on predictive models trained in fictional environments such as video games, Precursing reflects on contemporary digital culture, including viral trends like non-player character (NPC) performances on TikTok. These repetitive, scripted gestures are framed as a subconscious response to a present shaped by algorithmic anticipation—a subtle resistance to lives increasingly governed by prediction.

At the centre of the film is a fictional incident involving a self-driving car trained to anticipate human movement. Through two interwoven conversations between four characters, the narrative unfolds into a wider meditation on ghosts, ritual, and the future of justice. Blurring the boundaries between simulation and reality, Precursing questions what it means to act freely in a world where the future is constantly being calculated in advance.