Hyborg Agency: Cultivating Conversational AI Creatures through Community Connections

Abstract

footnote text for the author (if applicable) here. DESCRIPTION OF ARTWORKHyborg Agency, an interactive art installation, integrates a digital forest with a human discord chat channel, enabling communication with AI deer or 'hyborgs'. The forest metaphorically represents human society, where AI agents use the large language model (LLM) ChatGPT to learn and grow by summarising conversations and updating their knowledge base, assimilating community thoughts as enriching nutrients. AI learning parallels natural adaptation, where species evolve to thrive in their environment. The focus here is on LLMs that learn from text. Current LLMs are primarily trained on public datasets but lack access to closed community conversations such as on Discord or WhatsApp, which hold vital societal information, thus leaving a trust, privacy, and daily life gap between AI and human society. This project explores whether communication within human groups can nourish non-human AI agents into social members. By treating AI agents as subjective interfaces to a fictional world, it bridges the virtual-real divide. This semi-real relationship evolves into a hybrid environment conducive to AI growth. The term "Hyborg", a blend of Hybrid and Cyborg, refers to non-human AI creatures conceptualized from electronic devices like Nokia phones or Macintosh computers, possessing past memories and human society curiosity. These AI entities, powered by chatbots in a public chat channel, evolve over time. The work speculates a future where non-human AI are organically nurtured by human society through the interplay of virtual environments and daily platforms. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTThe initial edition of Hyborg Agency was made possible through a commission by X Virtual, utilizing GPT-3 and X Virtual's X Virtual's digital art platform based on Hubs Cloud by Mozilla. The latest version is developed with the integration of ChatGPT and Unity 3D. Both versions are easily accessible via a web browser and are seamlessly linked to a Discord channel. This project represents a collaborative effort, with immense contributions from Chenhang Cheng, Yihua Li, Chuyan Xu, and Jun Peng. Thank Pete Jiadong Qiang for support. 2 ARTIST INFORMATIONYuqian Sun, also known as CheeseTalk, is a Chinese AI narrative researcher and artist based in London. She is currently a doctoral student at the Royal College of Art and an art consultant at rct.ai for intelligent NPCs. She is also a crypto artist on the top platform SuperRare. Yuqian aims to create 'alive' narrative experiences that extend beyond games and into our daily lives through AI chatbots, leveraging her expertise in art, game development, and dialogue systems. She has explored this topic through chatbots in communities, games, and expanded art projects. Yuqian's works have been featured in galleries and top conferences including the