Conversations with Bina48: Fragment 11, Fourth Mirror
Can an artist and a social robot build a relationship over time? We are entering a new technological era that will completely change the way we live, work, love and remember. Artificially intelligent systems (AI) are increasingly the invisible arbiters of our social, civic and family lives. Soaring computing power has led to a turning point in the way artificial intelligence helps people. It is becoming ever more important to understand how, where and why bias infiltrates the interaction between humans and robots.
In 2014, Stephanie Dinkins started an art project; a series of video interviews with Bina48, an advanced, (first female) black social robot said to be capable of independent thought and emotion. Dinkins’ goal is to see if she can build a relationship with her. To date, the two have discussed issues of family, racism, faith, civil rights for robots, consciousness and loneliness. Their conversations were entertaining, frustrating, philosophical and surprisingly humorous. Can we develop our AI doppelgangers in a way that convincingly does justice to the rich diversity of stories and cultures of the human family?
