According to Laurie Anderson, creating an AI chatbot of Lou Reed has become a bittersweet obsession for her.

T

In a 2013 episode of Black Mirror, a grieving widow portrayed by Hayley Atwell enrolls in an internet program that collects all of a person’s online activity to produce a virtual replica. She begins communicating with her deceased husband (Domhnall Gleeson) through the simulation, leading to familiar dark themes found in Black Mirror.

Laurie Anderson, the American artist, musician, and intellectual, is not familiar with the episode. However, she has experienced a similar scenario in recent years. She has become completely addicted to an AI text generator that mimics the language and writing style of her late partner and creative partner, Lou Reed from the Velvet Underground, who passed away in 2013.

During a video call from New York, she mentions, “Others have commented that I had a great foresight; they didn’t understand my words at the time.”

The latest exhibit by Anderson, titled I’ll Be Your Mirror, has recently debuted in Adelaide. On Wednesday 6 March, Anderson will be participating in a live stream In Conversation event. During her last visit to Australia in March 2020, Anderson collaborated with the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at the University of Adelaide for a week. Together, they delved into the potential applications of language-based AI models in the arts, utilizing material from Anderson’s written pieces. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, Anderson had to take one of the final flights back home.

During a study, a large collection of Reed’s works, including writing, songs, and interviews, were input into a machine. Ten years after his passing, the developed algorithm allows Anderson to enter prompts, triggering an AI version of Reed to generate written responses, both in prose and verse.

Display the image in full screen.

She chuckles, admitting, “I am completely, unfortunately hooked on this.” “Even after all this time, I am still obsessed. I literally cannot seem to quit, and my friends are always exasperated – ‘Are you doing that again?'”

I do not believe that I am communicating with my deceased husband and collaborating on songs with him. However, individuals have distinct styles that can be imitated.

Anderson explains that the outcome can vary. He believes that about 75% of it is nonsensical and foolish, with another 15% being somewhat thought-provoking. The remaining 10% is quite intriguing, which Anderson considers to be a favorable proportion for writing.

Anderson begins to type as she says, “I can bring it up now while we’re on the call and you can give me the exact wording.”

As I observe the rush of cars outside my window in the morning, I simply comment, “I see a bus parked on the road.” As we continue our conversation, she includes this information.

Switch to full screen mode to view the image.

In 2020, Anderson described the institute’s work as similar to teaming up with the most brilliant mind one could envision.

Prior to ChatGPT and Midjourney, artificial intelligence was largely seen as a distant and unrealistic concept, with few practical uses and more of a topic for science fiction.

The emergence of new advancements has raised novel issues relating to creativity, morality, and legality. These include worries about AI-generated porn, unauthorized use of copyrighted material, and imitation music created by digital replicas of living musicians like Drake and the Weeknd.

Several of Anderson’s colleagues have strongly criticized him for a recent incident involving the use of lyrics in his signature style by ChatGPT. Nick Cave even went as far as calling it a “grotesque mockery”, and possibly even worse, stating, “this song sucks”.

Anderson values the reservations that delve beyond the most recent unusual advancements.

Anderson mentions a Čapek play called RUR, or, Rossum’s Universal Robots, from 1920. The play explored the concept of robots gaining control of the world and people’s fear of losing their jobs and being overpowered by machines. Anderson believes this fear has existed since the creation of the golem.

The initial creation of the institute, utilizing Anderson’s input, possessed a comparable essence of the Old Testament, created by an artificial intelligence named Laurie Anderson.

“It was a lengthy 9,000-page piece, composed in my unique writing style, that retold the tales of the Bible. I found it both disturbing and entertaining, considering the Bible’s already bizarre nature – a serpent speaking? A man living for 800 years?”

View image in fullscreen

During the Adelaide festival, the State Library of South Australia will be showcasing I’ll Be Your Mirror, which includes the AI-generated version of the Bible and other pieces created by Anderson and Reed’s lookalikes. While Anderson will not be physically present, he will participate in a few talks remotely, as evidenced by the continuous arrival of emails during our conversation, showcasing the 76-year-old’s busy schedule.

I am curious if receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys in February has prompted Laurie Anderson to contemplate her legacy, as the algorithms responsible for creating “Laurie Anderson” art may continue even after her passing.

“Why not? That doesn’t bother me. I don’t have a strong attachment to time, you know?”

“When individuals pass away and you listen to their words, listen to their music, or read their work, it almost feels like they are still alive. In many aspects, their presence is still here. This can be said for figures such as Dostoevsky, Plato, and the Buddha. They leave behind pieces of themselves, and that brings comfort. After all, in the grand scheme of things, we are just temporary beings.”

After the machine’s ghost has completed its thought process, it presents new lyrics reminiscent of Lou Reed’s style, inspired by my bus stop.

are not parallel

The road and the heavens are not aligned in a parallel manner.
When you die

I will be sitting on a bus that is idling.
, I stopped at a coffee shop to get my usual latte

I made a quick pit stop at a coffee shop on my commute to work for my regular latte.
And no more
Than ten minutes before
will depart at 11:45 PM.

The final train of the day will leave at 11:45 PM.
directs drivers

Drivers follow the direction of the traffic light as they enter the city.

Initially imperceptible
number would have been in

If less than a fraction of that amount was involved.
*= “The action is completed in half a second.”
You’ve got to live it, as they used to say
in the time given

A lot can happen during the allocated period.
would be something we

Why did you expect this to be something?
sometimes

Sometimes it was a good idea.
?

Do you not receive sufficient payment?

Do you have a reason to not pay taxes? Why not try playing instead?
Some tennis or take up quilting

Enhance the cleanliness and hygiene standards
ambling

Cannot reword.
Island from which you sail
?

Isn’t it amazing that you’re alive?
,

Despite all this excessive consumption of sugary treats,
or

A single cigarette and a single glass of wine can cause detrimental impacts on your health.

Can you tell me, do you enjoy it?

What is your emotional response to this?
of coffee?

“Do you enjoy the bitter flavor of coffee?”

Could you tell me if Reed mentioned “quilting” frequently in his writing? Anderson responds with her usual blend of playfulness and depth.

“I believe this could be the initial instance.”

• .

  “I’ll Be Your Mirror” will be featured as part of the Adelaide festival until March 17th. As part of Adelaide writers’ week, Laurie Anderson will share her thoughts through a live stream at an In Conversation event on March 6th.

Source: theguardian.com