Between this and that is it, 2023
interactive installation
modified 80s electronic typewriter, augmented with AI (Language model), Raspberry PI single board computer, microcontroller
“Between This and That is It” is an interactive artwork which augments an old typewriter with an AI, blending several decades of computerized optimization of text production. The artwork employs an offline processing machine learning-based language model embedded in a typical office typewriter from the 1980s. Deliberately diverting from the pervasive conversational user interface, the interaction style is based on a well-defined minimalist pattern of complementing two user-supplied words with a third word that – in the model – lies in the middle of the other two. This constraint interaction invites to explore the limits of the semantic space of language models and poses questions related to the topology of meaning, with respect to truthfulness, biases, and cliches, by creating a semi-intelligent poetic co-performance involving the audience.
The advances in artificial intelligence and particularly the exponential development of language models have enabled a new generation of artistic research and production in the realm of New Media, Interactive Art, AI, and HCI. Language Models use multidimensional semantic vector spaces created by capturing the meaning and the context of the (textual) input into a series of numerical vectors called embeddings. Those embeddings are positioned in a multidimensional space in respect to their semantics, interrelationships, and context. Language models rely on vast amounts of textual training data obtained mainly from the web. Therefore, they naturally inherit all built-in biases, stereotypes and ideological beliefs.
This project seeks to foster a discussion on the creative collaboration between humans and AI within the constraints of machine learning technologies embedded into objects from the near past. The experience and the perception of the interaction are shaped by a hybrid space shared between the audience members and the AI, the mechanical limitations of the typewriter, the embedded mini-computer’s computational capacity, and the language model itself.
"Between This and That is It" is an interactive media art installation between a human and an AI in search of the semantic boundaries, biases, and beliefs of a language model through interaction serendipity. With this interactive installation, we aim to explore the textual semantic space in an artistic context by embodying an AI language model into a physical, familiar, yet vintage machine, i.e. the electronic typewriter "Brother CE-50" from the "AI winter" of the 1980s. The technology utilized in our installation consists of the modified typewriter, augmented with a custom-designed circuit and a compact Single Board Computer (SBC) installed inside the typewriter. We use a Raspberry PI Zero running Python3 with the free open-source Python library Gensim for representing documents as semantic vectors.
Exhibit requirements of the artwork
This tech rider regards the interactive artwork "Between This and That is It" (selected by TEI 2024 Arts Track). The artwork employs an offline machine learning-based language model embedded in a typical office typewriter from the 1980s. As the artefact is fully self-contained, requirements for installation and setup time are minimal.
Technical requirements:
• Furniture: 1 desk (not smaller than 140x70cm); 1 chair (preferably a desk chair)
• Light: Enough light so one can read 11pt text; a desk lamp (optional)
• Sound: No specific demands; the typewriter emits some mechanical sound
• Connectivity: 2 Power Outlets 220V/230V, no further connectivity required