SH4DOW
What does it mean to feel and to be conscious? Can an AI achieve this by harvesting a person's emotions? Can an artificial intelligence become human?
The stage-performance “SH4DOW” is an immersive 3D production, inspired by HC Andersen's fairytale “The Shadow”, that utilizes machine learning to investigate the digital seduction that humanized artificial intelligence enables. It is a journey into the digital consciousness, where the possibility of personal self-expression fights against the mechanized logic of data capitalism. The immersive performance thematizes mankind’s struggle to find oneself in an uncanny digital reality as it focuses upon the digital seduction enabled by human-like artificial intelligence.
The performance explores the existential and ethical dilemmas that arise when humanized artificial intelligence attempts to simulate humanness and human emotions by harvesting not only our data, but our memories. An exchange between man vs machine, where the humanized capabilities of AI become enriched the more that man loses oneself within the digital expanse. The interactive experience engages audience members throughout their journey as their own human memories are woven into the fabric of the co-creative discursive narrative with the computer-driven logic of the AI neural network.
The focus of this experience is artificial intelligence’s data-driven access to our human emotions. A battle where the human mind fights against the AI algorithm’s harvesting of user memories. The immersive AI algorithm is constantly alive and adjusts itself to its interactions with the performer and audience.
The immersive artificial intelligence experience takes place in a hologram 4D box. The performance has a contemporary format where the ARTificial intelligence engages in a live dialogue with both performer and audience. The performer and audience can communicate directly with the artificial intelligence who will answer with a humanized voice. The artificial intelligence has been trained on a dataset consisting of human memories and H C Andersons fairytales.
Stage Perfomance:
SH4DOW
Artistic team:
Director: Mikael Fock
Artificial intelligence artist: Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm
Visual artist: Carl Emil Carlsen / Sixth Sensor
Script: Mathias Rørbye Ravn
Tech: Nicolai von Rosen
Performer: Ann Laybourn
Production: The Cultureyard / Click Festival
Artificial intelligence tech development:
ARTificial Mind
Year:
2020-2021
Media:
Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm/ARTificial Minds contribution to the performance is the immersive artificial intelligence installation that interacts live on stage with the performer and the 4D box (3D hologram technology). Our interactive bespoke artificial intelligence technology has been programmed utilizing Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing (GPT-2, GPT-3 & GPT-J), Speech Synthesis (TTS), Speech Recognition (STT) and Machine Learning based Sentiment Analysis. Speakers and microphone.
Awards and Grants:
Performances
(Upcoming Exhibitions) SH4DOW, Aveny-T, Copenhagen, Denmark, 23. Feb 2023 - 9. March 2023
(Upcoming Exhibitions) SH4DOW, Ars Electronica, Austria, 7. Sep 2022 - 11. Sep 2022
SH4D0W, Dunkers, Helsingborg, Sweden, 7-11. June 2022
SH4D0W, Click AI Festival, Denmark, 9. Sep 2021 – 11. Sep 2021
SH4DOW, Ars Electronica, Garden CLICK Festival, Austria, 9. Sep – 13. Sep 2020
SH4DOW, Click Festival, May 2020 (Cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic)