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Its full potential is unravelling
rapidly in front of humans as they
watch the news to see stories,
such as Sophia the robot gaining
a citizenship in Saudi Arabia back
in 2017 (Tech Insider). It provides
the viewer with a feeling as if
they are dipping in and out of a
dream… is this real? This same
reaction is reflected with some
of the visitors after being greeted
with the BOBs.
of the artwork and interesting to
see or hear for Cheng, the visitors
and people who haven’t even
seen the work.
EMISSARIES: Cheng’s work
continues the exploration of AI
in the Serpentine Gallery, as the
space adapts and changes to
display Emissaries, the second
part of Cheng’s exhibition.
Cheng’s work has created a
discursive space around AI,
provoking questions, “How will
BOB evolve for the future?”
“Will the BOBs have interest
in humanity?”. This discursive
space, however is arguably kept
within the confined walls of the
gallery and kept between groups
and pairs of visitors or perhaps
to an individuals self. This
conversation could live beyond
and outside of the gallery walls
and could exist where it is more
accessible, in an online space.
The interaction between the
visitor and the AI lifeforms could
be shared amongst others. The
raw reaction that humans have
after interacting or meeting the
BOBs would be an extension
Ian Cheng: Emissaries
Emissaries is a trilogy of
simulations composed in three
episodes each introducing
`Narrative Agents’ (characters).
The episodes each explore
cognitive evolution, focusing on
the past and the future, old and
emerging realities. The three
episodes are `Emissary In the
Squat of Gods’, `Emissary Forks
at Perfection’ and `Emissary
Sunsets the Self’, all of which
introduce different virtual
landscapes. Visitors again, are
greeted by bright screens and a
minimalist space.
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