Am I a Strange Loop? asks whether a humanoid robot equipped with artificial intelligence can become self-aware? The installation features an “android lab” to carry out live AI experiments featuring the Alter3 humanoid robot, which has components for perception, actuator control, and episodic memory. Following in the footsteps of Douglas Hofstadter, Am I a Strange Loop? hypothesises that self-awareness arises when AI processes couple the robot’s outputs to its own inputs, creating a strange loop that turns back on itself and thus creates a “virtual I.” Visitors are asked to make up their own mind whether they believe the Alter3 android exhibits self-awareness.
Participants
TAKASHI IKEGAMI AND LUC STEELS
TOKYO, JAPAN; BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Takashi Ikegami, Tokyo, Japan, 1961. Lives and works in Tokyo, Japan.
Luc Steels, Belsele, Belgium, 1952. Lives and works in Brussels, Belgium, and Venice, Italy.
Technical Collaborators
Guido Lucassen, Studio Stelluti
Team
Suzune Baba, University of Tokyo; Atsushi Masumori, University of Tokyo and Alternative Machines, Inc.; Itsuki Doi, University of Tokyo and Alternative Machines, Inc.; John Smith, 1987, University of Tokyo and Alternative Machines, Inc.; Takahide Yoshida, University of Tokyo; Massimo Warglien, Ca’Foscari University of Venice; Sofia Greggio, Ca’Foscari University of Venice
Supporters
Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grant Number 21H00300, Grant Number 22H04858, and JSPS Invitational Fellowship; Vlaamse Gemeenschap Ministery of Culture, Belgium; European Innovation Council HORIZON- EIC-2021-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01-01; EU Pathfinder VALAWAI Grant Number 101070930; DVRI – Distretto Veneziano della Ricerca e dell’Innovazione; Ca’Foscari University of Venice
