Nestled between an elementary college and a public library in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood sits a brand new type of “luxurious” coworking area.
Dubbed the Chat Haus, this area has most of the parts you’d discover in a conventional coworking workplace: individuals hammering away at their laptop keyboards, one other particular person taking a cellphone name, another person pausing by their laptop to take a sip of espresso.
There’s, nevertheless, one key distinction: Chat Haus is a coworking area for AI chatbots, and all the things — together with the individuals — is made out of cardboard.
Extra particularly, the Chat Haus is an artwork exhibit by Brooklyn artist Nim Ben-Reuven. It homes a handful of cardboard robots working away at their computer systems via actions managed by small motors. There’s a signal that provides desk area for “solely” $1,999 a month and one other that labels the area as “A luxurious co-working area for chatbots.”
Ben-Reuven advised TechCrunch that he constructed the exhibit as a strategy to cope and produce humor to the truth that most of his work — which largely facilities round graphic design and videography — is being pushed into the AI world. He added that he’s already getting denied freelance jobs as corporations flip to AI instruments as a substitute.
“It was like an expression of frustration in humor, so I wouldn’t get too bitter in regards to the trade altering so shortly and below my nostril and never eager to be part of the shift,” Ben-Reuven stated. “So I used to be like, I’ll simply combat again with one thing foolish that I can giggle at myself.”
He stated he additionally needed to maintain this exhibit from being too detrimental as a result of he didn’t assume that will inform the appropriate message. He stated creating artwork that’s blatantly detrimental forces it right into a nook and requires it to defend itself. He added giving the show a “lighter tone” additionally helps it drawn in viewers of all ages and with all opinions on AI.
Whereas Ben-Reuven and I had been chatting at Pan Pan Vino Vino, a restaurant situated throughout the road from the window show, quite a few teams of individuals stopped to have a look at the Chat Haus. Three millennial-aged girls stopped and took photos. A gaggle of just-out-of-school elementary-aged college students stopped and requested their grownup companions questions.
Ben-Reuven additionally thought that regardless of what AI is doing to the trade he works in, the scenario stays lighter than a number of the different horrors and trauma occurring on the earth at present.
“I imply, AI, by way of the artistic world, looks as if such a light-weight factor in comparison with so most of the different, like conflict, issues which might be occurring on the earth and like the fear and the trauma that exists,” he stated.
Ben-Reuven has all the time used cardboard in his artwork. He made a lifesize-replica of an airport terminal out of cardboard in grad college. In between freelance jobs during the last decade, he’s labored on constructing these cardboard robots, or “cardboard infants” as he calls them. So whereas utilizing these cardboard robots was a pure selection for show — he joked he additionally wanted a cause to get them out of his condominium — the fabric can also be offering one other commentary on AI.
“The impermanence of this cardboard stuff, and the flexibility for it to break down below even just a bit little bit of weight, is how I really feel that AI is interacting with the artistic industries,” he stated. “Folks could make their Midjourney pictures that look actually nice on Instagram and excite 12 12 months olds to no finish, however with any stage of scrutiny, it’s rubbish, and I really feel such as you look shut sufficient at these cardboard issues, they’re simply collapsible and simply will fall below any weight.”
He understands why customers are drawn to some AI-generated artwork, although. He likened it to junk meals and the fast-acting serotonin hit that comes from consuming junk meals earlier than it will get digested shortly.
The Chat Haus is a brief show because the constructing that homes it awaits permits to get permitted for renovation. Ben-Reuven hopes to maintain the show up till not less than mid-Could and has hopes to maneuver into a bigger gallery if he can. He needs to have the ability to add extra to it — however is apprehensive about the place he’ll put any further supplies in his condominium as soon as the show is over.
“I simply thought it might be humorous to specific this concept of, like, a complete bunch of type of cute, type of creepy, child robots typing away due to our ChatGPT prompts in some warehouse someplace, working continuous taking as very like electrical energy as Switzerland ruses in a 12 months,” Ben-Reuven stated.
The Chat Haus is at the moment on show within the entrance window of 121 Norman Avenue in Brooklyn, New York’s Greenpoint neighborhood.
