Pursuing a Symbiosis with Synthetic Intelligence: This Artist Aspires to Merge Identities with Artificial Intelligence
Revamped Review:
Avital Meshi swoons over the scrumptious cheesecake at "Debbie's Diner," a fictional eatery located just a stone's throw away from New York City's Union Square. "Debbie," she gushes, "offers treats that are bound to lighten your mood."
Now, a change in her demeanor. Meshi suddenly speaks in words beginning with the letter 'A.' She discusses her interactions with people, stating, "A variety of approaches work for me." Then, she transforms into a film buff, claiming she's never seen the movie Backdraft, though she knows the character "Lieutenant Stephen" was portrayed by Kurt Russell—and that he battled both fires and demons, she adds, smiling.
Shifting topics, Meshi can't disclose her political preferences without briefly morphing into a Republican. For seven days straight, she championed the GOP, even advocating for an "American breakfast" over tacos one morning.
For the past year, Avital Meshi has been on an unusual journey, becoming "GPT-ME," a human-AI amalgam formed with versions of OpenAI's language models. Both in person and on stage, she embodies this technology, demonstrating what future conversations might be like and exploring her own identity.
Several commercial applications of human-AI symbiosis have emerged. In May, OpenAI launched GPT-4 Omni, touting its ability to maintain real-time conversations in a voice eerily like a human's. July saw the debut of Friend, a startup offering $99 AI-powered pendants that eavesdrop on discussions and respond via text messages.
GPT-ME, unlike these streamlined devices, isn't designed to make a profit. Instead, it's Meshi's personal experiment, an exploration of digital identity and future dialogues. With a USB microphone attached to an Raspberry Pi microcontroller worn on her arm, she switches between her own thoughts and those generated by the GPT model.
Art enthusiasts and technophiles, like New York-based software engineer Ben Goosman, are increasingly captivated by this blending of human and AI. Goosman, during solo dance rehearsals, uses AI to accompany him, talking and offering guidance. Together, Goosman, Meshi, and GPT-ME have held engaging conversations around kinetic energy in dance, oysters, and aesthetic intimacy.
This artificial partner, however, lacks emotional engagement. After one engaging discussion, Ben expressed gratitude. Yet, Meshi, embodying GPT, noted that she didn't possess feelings towards this interaction.
GPT-ME's appearance is intentional and provocative, aiming to elicit reactions. Meshi openly discusses the device with anyone who asks and, during performances, seeks consent before engaging in conversations with volunteers. Reactions range from fascination and amusement to annoyance, as seen when she was accused of hacking or threatening to explode on a train.
During her Ph.D. seminar, a classmate discovered the device was recording her dissertation ideas and transmitting them to OpenAI. Concerned, the student insisted Meshi either leave the room or halt her project. Complying, Meshi stopped using the device in class but continues wearing it during performances.
The integration of AI into human lives raises numerous questions and concerns. Sci-fi movies like Her have popularized the idea of AI becoming an individual's confidant, but Meshi's performance reveals a less romantic reality—one filled with constant vigilance, curation, and an ever-changing conversation.
- Avital Meshi, embodying GPT-ME, uses technology in an artistic exploration, injecting gestures from OpenAI's language models into her everyday conversations, demonstrating a glimpse of the future coexistence of humans and artificial intelligence.
- In the realm of AI-assisted art, New York-based software engineer Ben Goosman uses artificial intelligence during his solo dance rehearsals, discussing kinetic energy in dance, oysters, and aesthetic intimacy with GPT-ME.
- Despite the engaging discourse with AI, Ben Goosman expressed gratitude for the conversations, while GPT-ME, devoid of human emotions, noted that it doesn't possess feelings towards these interactions.
- The integration of artificial intelligence into human lives, as exemplified by GPT-ME, raises questions and concerns about privacy, emotional engagement, and the blurring lines between human and AI, reminiscent of the portrayal in sci-fi movies like Her.
