THE MINDFULNESS MACHINE
Seb Lee-Delisle (GB)
Alan Turing’s argument, to paraphrase, was that if an artificial intelligence can demonstrate emotions and feelings, who are we to say that it doesn’t truly feel them? As we approach the singularity, these robot brains will no doubt experience feelings of anxiety and stress just as we do and, as such, will need to find mediation techniques to help them.
Humans have tried many varied techniques for coping with the modern world — hence the recent trend for adult colouring books, to aid mindfulness and artistic expression.
The Mindfulness Machine is a robot that likes to colour in. It’s an exploration into a future where the AIs will need to chill out just as much as we do. It spends its days doodling, making artistic decisions based on its mood. And its mood, in turn, is based on a complex number of variables, including how many people are watching, the ambient noise, the weather, tiredness, and its various virtual biorhythms.
PROFILE
Seb Lee-Delisle is a digital artist who likes to make interesting things from code that encourage interaction and playfulness from the public. Notable projects include Laser Light Synths, LED-emblazoned musical instruments for the public to play, and PixelPyros, an Arts Council England-funded digital fireworks display that toured nationwide.
He won the Lumen Prize Interactive Award in 2016 for Laser Light Synths, three Microsoft Critter awards in 2013, and won a BAFTA in 2009 for his work as Technical Director on BBC interactive project Big and Small.