Nestled between an elementary faculty and a public library in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood sits a brand new sort of “luxurious” coworking house.
Dubbed the Chat Haus, this house has lots of the components you’d discover in a conventional coworking workplace: folks hammering away at their laptop keyboards, one other individual taking a telephone name, another person pausing by their laptop to take a sip of espresso.
There is, nonetheless, one key distinction: Chat Haus is a coworking house for AI chatbots, and the whole lot — together with the folks — is made out of cardboard.
More 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 by way of actions managed by small motors. There is an indication that provides desk house for “solely” $1,999 a month and one other that labels the house as “A luxurious co-working house for chatbots.”
Ben-Reuven advised TechCrunch that he constructed the exhibit as a solution 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 firms 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 business 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 struggle again with one thing foolish that I can giggle at myself.”
He stated he additionally wished to maintain this exhibit from being too unfavorable as a result of he didn’t assume that might inform the proper message. He stated creating artwork that’s blatantly unfavorable 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.
While 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 business he works in, the state of affairs stays lighter than a few of the different horrors and trauma occurring on this planet right this moment.
“I imply, AI, by way of the artistic world, looks like such a lightweight factor in comparison with so lots of the different, like struggle, issues which are taking place on this planet and like the phobia and the trauma that exists,” he stated.
Ben-Reuven has at all times used cardboard in his artwork. He made a lifesize-replica of an airport terminal out of cardboard in grad faculty. 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 alternative for show — he joked he additionally wanted a purpose 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 power 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. “People could make their Midjourney photos that look actually nice on Instagram and excite 12 12 months olds to no finish, however with any degree 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 short lived show because the constructing that homes it awaits permits to get accredited for renovation. Ben-Reuven hopes to maintain the show up till at the least mid-May and has hopes to maneuver into a bigger gallery if he can. He desires 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 could be humorous to specific this concept of, like, a complete bunch of sort of cute, sort of creepy, child robots typing away due to our ChatGPT prompts in some warehouse someplace, working continuous taking as very similar to electrical energy as Switzerland ruses in a 12 months,” Ben-Reuven stated.
The Chat Haus is at present on show within the entrance window of 121 Norman Avenue in Brooklyn, New York’s Greenpoint neighborhood.
