What defines a person if not their memories? Based on this question, we decided to challenge the artificial intelligence. Five students brought objects to our seminar with which they associated a personal memory. Each of us wrote a text describing the memory from a first-person perspective. At the same time we asked Chat GPT (Open AI, 2022) to also write a memory from the first-person perspective for each of the objects. Now we had two texts that were supposed to represent one and the same memory.
Fig. 1: The structure of the installation: videos projected onto two panels hanging from the ceiling
Both versions were read aloud and recorded on video. In an installation the two videos were projected simultaneously (see installation view at the exhibition: fig .1). Only by looking and listening carefully one could find out which was the “real” and which was the “artificial” memory. Photos of the objects of reference were printed on presented on the wall.
Fig 2: One of the pictures of the memorabilia. These were presented on the sides of the hall
The story with the bottle caps, told by ChatGPT
It was a warm summer night in 2022 when we met for the first time at a house party after the corona restrictions. The atmosphere was filled with joy and relief as we finally had the chance to get together with other people again and enjoy life to the fullest.
We stood together at the improvised bar and held our cool glasses of Gösser in our hands. The refreshing beer was a pleasant way to cool down on this summery night. The music was loud, but we were still able to have a good conversation and immediately connected with each other.
With every word we exchanged, our curiosity and interest in each other grew. We told each other about our experiences during the lockdown, the challenges we had overcome and the dreams we had for the future. It was as if we had always known each other, as if our souls had connected a long time ago.
The crown caps of the Gösser bottles lay on the table in front of us and we decided to keep them as a memento. It was a small but meaningful symbol of the beginning of our journey together. You carefully put the bottle caps in your pocket as we continued to talk about our shared interests, passions and dreams.
The hours flew by as we walked away from the party and through the quiet streets. Our conversations were lively and full of laughter, and we felt like we were the only people in the world. It was an unforgettable moment where we grew closer and felt that we shared something special.
Since that wonderful evening, we have made many more memories. The crown caps you kept as a keepsake have become a symbol of our love and the beginning of our journey. They remind us of how we found each other in a time of hope and new beginnings, when the world was slowly recovering from the difficult times of lockdown.
And so our story remains anchored in our hearts as a beautiful memory of love. Every time we look at the crown caps, we are reminded of that magical evening when our paths converged and we began to build a future full of love and adventure together.
The story with the bottle caps, told by a human being
My object is two beer mats. More precisely, two crown caps from Gösser bottles. Gösser is not my favorite drink at all. I even find warm Gösser disgusting, for example. However, the two Gösser bottles from which I kept the crown caps were perhaps the best I've ever drunk.
I kept these crown caps because they remind me of a situation that I like to think back on. After the eternal corona semesters, a real house party took place for the first time again. It was my first house party of my studies and, like everyone else, I was probably very excited. I first had to get used to facing people again without a mask, dancing, playing beer pong etc... whatever you do at a house party.
But with you, it was all very easy for me. With you, all your social anxieties have fallen away as a result of corona. Even the Gösser tasted good with you, even if it was a bit warm. We got to know each other at the house party.
We were both friends with the flatmates, but we met for the first time that evening. We drank beer and had shots at the party. We talked about how Heidi Klum grew up where you're from. And I said that it wasn't that special, but you thought it was pretty great.
The first time we met on our own, we talked briefly about Heidi Klum and how funny it is that she lives near you. You brought two bottles of Gösser for the meeting, but no bottle opener. And we're not the kind of people who can open beer bottles with a lighter, rings or teeth. I liked that.
So we sat there with closed bottles of Gösser and talked about Heidi Klum. And to tell you the truth, I thought it was pretty nice. By the time we had forced the lids open with a key, the Gösser was already quite warm. But with you, even the Gösser tasted good, even if it was a bit warm.
Reflection
Artificial intelligence has become increasingly important in recent years. For this reason, it is not surprising to incorporate it into an artistic context and to test the limits of artificial intelligence. Through our work with the ChatGPT neural network, we were able to make various observations. On the one hand, we were surprised by the embellishment of the actual memories with which ChatGPT was fed by us. On the other hand, an exaggeration of the emotional expression became very clear, which was not congruent with the selected events. The artificial intelligence used a much more figurative language, which was unnaturally exaggerated in some places. In addition, after some discussion with ChatGPT, a system emerged with which the memories were constructed. This showed a recurring structure. First, a flashback was installed, which defined the time and place of the memory. As the story progressed, it was built up in great detail and ended with a moral reference as a reflection on the fictional experience. After a while, we were able to recognize structures and patterns that enabled us to recognize the fictional memory. Nevertheless, this did not diminish our astonishment at the capabilities that an artificial intelligence already has today. Nevertheless, the fragility of human memory cannot be copied in its entirety. However, should a machine be able to authentically create memories and thoughts in the future, this would, conversely, raise the question of dehumanization.
Hannah Graf, Elisabeth Mühlbauer and Susanne Wiesbeck study Art Education and Visual Literacy at the University of Passau.