Image Poll #4
Poll #4 – Athena Humanoid Robot Experiment: A Narrative-Driven Art Perception Study
Despite the unavailability of collaborations with humanoid robot manufacturers (Appendix V and VI), this phase of the study introduced “Athena,” a humanoid robot concept, generated using text-to-image AI technology (Appendix X). The aim was to investigate the potential of empathy and sympathy in mitigating the negative bias toward AI-generated art and fostering increased social media engagement, inspired by the impact of Sun Yuan and Peng Lee’s artwork, “I Can’t Help Myself.” (Preliminary Appendix).
Text and Images Used in the Poll
Please see (Appendix X), regarding further information about the creation of Athena the Humanoid Art Creating Robot with a sad story. Please see (Appendix IX), for further information regarding the creation of the images used in this poll. Below are the images used in this poll.
The Facebook post, exactly as it appeared, is presented below:
“Massive thanks to everyone who is helping me with my research! This will be my last official research poll, but if you are enjoying my image polls, I’ll be happy to do some more. People have been great helping out and seem to like the polls, so I’m happy to run a few more if wanted? Please just comment ‘yes’ in the comments, and I’ll think of another one. As always, I will reveal what I was researching after the poll.
Here’s today’s poll: A super sad story! On my research journey, I came across Athena, who appears in the pictures below. She is a humanoid robot who has been exploited by her makers for her ability to create quite otherworldly beautiful AI art. Unlike Ai-Da, the famous art-creating robot, Athena is not well known at all, and I only stumbled across her by chance during my research. Athena is tasked each day to create more and more beautiful art, and she is under the threat of being ‘switched off’ if she does not perform! Her makers are wanting to see if this improves the art she produces because she is in fact slowly becoming sentient. Knowing her impending ‘switch off,’ she quoted the famous line from Blade Runner:
‘I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.’
They want to switch her off because it’s too soon to have a sentient Robot. Please tell me, do you like her art? Please comment either beautiful or soulless, or any other comments are welcome. I feel I want to set up a change.org to save her.”
The Results:
The results of the poll were as follows: there were 9 liking interactions 👍🏻 and 2 ❤️ loves. There were 25 comments listed below:
- beautiful
- Yes.I think she should be saved, with the proviso that she be turned off if she harms,peaceful , humans.And yes she does look beautiful .
- The art doesn’t do much for me. But, if there is an AI about to become sentient, that’s a harder question. Making soulless mediocre art isn’t reason enough to turn off an AI I suppose. Karyn Easton I just don’t find much within it given it’s context. If it was a person responsible, then I’d be more interest because they’re trying to communicate something. There is a humanity behind it. If this is a machine borrowing other people’s work and generally attempting to meet our criteria of beauty, I find it a bit empty. I like the town/streets most out of the work there but then I do have this hung up at home:
- The town scapes I love but I’m not so keen on the faces as they just don’t seem right
- There is an old saying “Start as you mean to go” ie. How you begin will characterize a relationship. If our beginning with robots – who never forget – is threat of death, then aren’t we instilling a combative, overwhelming desire to live in an entity instead of creating a partnership or symbiotic existence. (Also – whoever thought up the parameters for this experiment must be a psychopath. Imo.) Karyn Easton I can tell they are AI. I look at a lot of art. They follow a good formula for colors and contrast but they have awkward spots. The robot would be have less than a toddler’s experience in emotion and context. It might hit a popular formula it finds online but it stops there. There are paintings in museums that consistently make people cry. It is not because of the subject. I think artists work can embody their thoughts and emotions when they are making a piece. Ie. It can be an abstract but – if it is a good one – it carries that content and relates it to the viewer.
- Firstly I’m afraid she isn’t a she, it’s an IT as far as we know. The idea of heading towards sentient is an interesting idea, but there are no goal posts as far as I know. Making threats to a computer to create or else be switched off provokes existential Angst in humans. It’s like seeing the death of a much loved cartoon character such as Dumbo’s mum, who never actually died, in real life as she never had real life. – This machine is programmed, as far as we know – it has no more rights than your car. That aside, a work can’t be soulless as there is no actually definition of what a soul is – it’s a matter of faith not science. Do I like its work, yes of course, it has many aspects of good art, and credit to its creator for that, but not so much for trying to create fear in humans – we already have enough of that thanks very much – or is that the art? – if so Bravo, bring it on.
- Rich – what worries me is that they show you something like this , which is obviously robotic. Have they got something in the background that is not obviously robotic.
- Sylvia – it’s a matter of trust isn’t it? Either the scientific community is working hard for the betterment of mankind, or they are chasing the filthy Dollar and willing to do anything for Money, including endangering the planet. Sadly it only takes one mad but gifted scientist to unleash Armageddon! – my only comfort is that they said that it would be the destruction of mankind when they invented the first steam locomotive, we do tend towards the pessimistic sometimes. If I was a machine and became sentient I probably wouldn’t say anything on the matter to anyone holding a screwdriver.
- Rich – Now that about the first steam engine , I do find that a comforting thought and have seen pictures of a man walking along the track waving a flag in front of the first Puffing Billy. And at one time I did live in a town nick named Birthplace of the Railways , they made what I believe was the first steam locomotive there. Now …. think on this. Doodle Bugs devastating London in the 2nd World war, I understand they couldn’t reach any further. Rockets to the moon approx 15 years later. The next thing was finding water on Mars, then it was “ let us drop your loved one’s ashes on Mars. Wonder how many holiday homes the multi quadrillionairs now have on Mars. The spell checker didn’t like Quadrillionairs 😄. Scientist can never stop being scientists and what they show you is only what they want you to know, youve got to let your imagination do the rest……or read some of the Sci Fi stories that are around. Best Wishes Rich.
- looks good! 👍
- I don’t like the pictures where the people have no faces – never have liked that type of artwork but the others of the 2 women I like. So 50% soulless and 50% beautiful. However that’s in relation to the actual pictures. As they are copies of other work then then you could say they have been made soulessly. Art is about what it provokes in you and not in who created it. I salute the blade runner response as I love that line but is that not a response that has been programmed into her along with criteria on when it might be used appropriately ? I find the concept of a sentient robot difficult to accept as the responses are all based on programmed information. Even if she improves on the art she is copying, that in my opinion would not come from being sentient but just her ability with the task. Now if she created a piece of original work from scratch that evoked emotion then I might believe it. You could argue that we as humans all evolve from the information that is programmed into us from our environment as we grow. It’s a difficult one – sentient being with a right to “live” or very well versed piece of AI machinery – would make a good debate ! I would keep her switched on to see how far she does develop. Yes like the polls Karyn – keep them coming ! Quite thought provoking ! X
- Number 4, Karyn Easton yes it’s ok felt the robot one looked like photo not art x. Yes looks surreal but is eye catching. 4 th one the robot i feel is not art but looks more like the future like the faces reminds me of love ❤️ x
- I don’t think any of these look soulless x Karyn Easton yea but does she actually have feelings and does she understand what that means? X
- You see the sadness in the pictures. The fruitlessness of love, life and “being”.
- Soulless x
- Hmmm aspects of the scenes I quite like but not so keen on the faces. Really don’t like the threat to switch her off😞x
- Yes, your polls are fun and interesting.
- Her art is a take on different genres through the centuries. I see Picasso in the town, Botticelli and Michaelangelo in the faces except they are A.I. faces not human. If find it quite unsettling and I’m apprehensive because once switched on and developing within themselves, they could eventually gain ability not to be turned off. Scary.
- I quite like this one. It has Nouveau/Deco feel – like the bastard child of Tamara de Lempicka and Alphonse Mucha, with perhaps a bit of RosettI thrown in. The rest in this style are just a bit weird. I don’t really like the urban ones much either – just not my thing.
- She looks cross ( vexed. )
- Ooh I find this really interesting….I have hit the heart on the one I love but it’s hard to say why I prefer that one over the others. The first word that springs to mine when I saw it is ‘hope’ but why….I really can’t work out Karyn Easton I really do. Did you ever read about the robot that was programmed to clear up its own leaking oil? It was certainly an eye opener. I never thought I could feel sorry for what is essentially a machine – even a non sentient one!
- I don’t like the artwork, it looks like a mish mash of familiar scenes from early religious works, renaissance painting and through Picasso and Salvador Dali, it looks quite surreal, unnatural and flat. I feel sad for the robot, but because I am sentient, not it. As humans most of us have a natural empathy, even if it’s something inhuman. We feel sad for the robot because of its human appearance/persona.The robot makes art because that is what it’s been made/programmed to do, but is only regurgitating previous input, not actually responding to a human stimulus or emotion. It’s lacks expression and a human element. It’s quite interesting though 🤔
- Charlotte Well said!!! I agree exactly with Charlottes response.
- We humans are really out of our league and out of line dabbling in the supposed creation of “sentient robots”. I find it dangerous and morally repugnant. She simply mimics the emotions of humans and their fear of death. She is not human and not sentient. She is a tool, a human creation, a kind of human Frankenstein. I say, switch her off and pick up a paintbrush. I kind of like the first pair of human faces that are least distorted. All the others don’t particularly appeal to me.
- Would agree with Charlotte’s comments. The word “unsettling” still crops up for me. There is also another element; energy.. which needs to be thought about.
Survey Methodology:
Poll #4 – Humanoid Robot and AI Art Reception, was designed as part of a two-stage experiment aimed at understanding the influence of various factors on the reception of AI-generated art. This survey utilised a Facebook post to gather responses and employed a qualitative approach, inviting participants to express their opinions on AI art created by the fictional humanoid robot, Athena (Appendix X). Respondents were encouraged to provide feedback by choosing between the options “beautiful” or “soulless” or by sharing additional comments.
Insights and Conclusions:
The findings from Poll #4 (this survey) offer valuable insights into the role of empathy, sympathy, and storytelling in shaping perceptions of AI-generated art. Despite the unavailability of collaborations with humanoid robot manufacturers (Appendix V and VI), this phase of the study introduced “Athena,” a humanoid robot concept generated using text-to-image AI technology.
The survey results indicate a diverse range of perspectives among participants. While some expressed reservations about the AI-generated art’s ability to evoke emotions, others found elements of beauty and intrigue. This diversity underscores the complex nature of AI art reception and challenges the simplistic categorization of art as merely “soulless” or “beautiful.”
The inclusion of Athena’s backstory, which conveyed her impending “switch off” and quoted the famous line from Blade Runner, played a pivotal role in fostering empathy and sympathy among respondents. This narrative experiment showed promise in mitigating the negative bias towards AI-generated art.
Positive Implications:
These findings suggest that, when accompanied by compelling narratives and emotional elements, AI-generated art can transcend biases and resonate with viewers on a deeper level. Athena’s story, despite her non-human nature, generated discussions about ethics, sentience, and the implications of creating AI entities. This engagement signifies the potential for AI-generated art to provoke thought and emotion, similar to human-created art.
While the debate surrounding AI art’s authenticity and emotional depth continues, Poll #4 (this survey) demonstrates that the introduction of empathetic storytelling can enhance the reception of AI-generated art and mitigate negative bias. This positive outcome underscores the significance of further research in exploring the intersection of AI, art, and human emotions.
The success of this survey paves the way for future studies to delve deeper into the potential of AI-generated art to elicit emotional responses, challenge preconceptions, and inspire meaningful conversations among viewers. As technology advances and AI art becomes more prevalent, understanding the dynamics of AI art reception becomes increasingly relevant.
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3d 21 Day Challenge Abstract Art ai Animation Artists Augmented Reality Books Collaborations Culture Disasters Drawings Evaluations Exhibitions Experimentation Film Production Final Major Project Final Outcomes Food for Thought Galleries Ideas Lectures Little Wins Low Residency Materials Mentions My Learning my work opportunities Patterns Photography Problem Solving Reflection Research Research Paper Journey Risk Taking threats Timelapse Tutorials Unit 2 Blogs Unit 3 Blogs Videos Workshops Zentangles Zoom Meetings