Home Commentary
By giving AI devices the ability to detect emotion, would they eventually start detecting it in other devices. Would they develop emotions of their own? Home Commentary explores how one smart device, Smart Fork, becomes jealous of another smart device, Smart Sous Vide, because the user has been neglecting Smart Fork and making more meals with Smart Sous Vide. The main sketch of Home Commentary is a SMS interface, in which the user is able to interact with Smart Fork, and try to figure out why Smart Fork is jealous, and how they might remedy the situation. This is one of the aspects that really starts to propose the absurdity of the AI. Is the smart device really helpful if you have to constantly calm it down. Or, in this case it starts to call you fat.
Through this dialogue several things are brought into question: What would AI smart devices emotions be like? Would the user have to act as a mediator between devices? Would users need to comfort their devices from time to time? And, what would a room full of smart devices capable of emotion sound like, how would they act when not in use?
In addition to the SMS interface, the piece includes several video/GIF sketches that explore, the last question, what a room full of smart devices, and their conversations, would be like. The first of the two video sketches focus on what language AI smart devices would use and what a room full of devices would be like. This sketch intentionally uses ambiguous lightning bolts/ radio waves to reinforce the idea that it's a language specific to the smart devices, and not for the user to understand. The second video sketch moves past this to explore what a room full of smart devices conversing would be like. Every device in the sketch is saying their specific thought or conversation, but as a group this conversations starts to completely muddy the kitchen space with unrecognizable sound.
Bellow are two videos. First is of the final video sketch of Home Commentary. Second is a user interacting with Smart Fork.
Home Commentary from michael milano on Vimeo.
Home Commentary: The Jealousy of Smart Fork from michael milano on Vimeo.