‘Appropriate Response’ video series

A reflection on meaning by the AI-art pioneer, Mario Klingemann

How much meaning can be expressed in just 120 letters? This is the question addressed by ‘Appropriate Response’, the interactive work by AI art pioneer, Mario Klingemann. Inspired by the power of words, especially in the condensed format of aphorisms or quotes, this piece reflects on meaning, expectation and our relationship with artificial intelligence.

The installation features a wooden kneeler and a wall-mounted split flap display, which shows a random selection of continuously changing letters. When a person uses the kneeler, the installation’s built-in artificial intelligence responds by presenting a short sentence on the display. Each phrase is written by the machine’s neural networks and is entirely unique; no two visitors will ever receive the same line of distilled wisdom from ‘Appropriate Response’.

The power of words

“Words are probably the most powerful tools available to humankind. Words can make people do things, can change their lives,” says Mario Klingemann. And it doesn’t take a lot of them to produce meaning. From religious principles such as the Ten Commandments to marketing slogans or self-help phrases, short phrases abound as a source of inspiration and guidance.

‘Appropriate Response’ reflects on this phenomenon, bringing artificial intelligence into the equation. Technology is reaching a point where it can be difficult to discern whether certain texts have been produced by human or machine authors. Within this context, Klingemann’s latest project raises pertinent questions about authorship and the meaning attached to written language.

AI texts on a physical display

‘Appropriate Response’ has been developed using the GPT2 neural network, which was trained on texts ranging from encyclopaedias to poetry and recipe books. Klingemann enhanced this model with a further 60,000 quotes sourced online to create a model capable of producing coherent texts which look like aphorisms.

These appear on a split flap display, a mechanical format chosen by the artist for its aesthetic appeal, distinctive sound and connotation of waiting. The screen has 120 letter-boxes, each with an individual motor and 44 letters. “I’ve always loved these flip displays,” says Klingemann. “They have texture which I find beautiful and wanted to use.”

Interaction, expectation and meaning

The custom-built kneeler is another throwback to a bygone age, which turns interaction with ‘Appropriate Response’ into a ritual-like experience. “On the one hand we fear AI but we also have hopes that it might help us to solve some problems,” explains Klingemann. “That balance between hope and fear is closely related to religious experience, so I felt that kneeling was very fitting.”

Context and expectation are central to this interactive piece. Each viewer participates in the artwork, not only by kneeling but also by processing and transforming the text shown on the display. While ‘Appropriate Response’ generates seemingly coherent aphorisms, it is the human viewer that furnishes them with meaning.