RobGon - ai8ball

Tech Art by Rob Gonsalves
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ai8ball 2007

ai8ball is a high-tech, large-scale magic eight ball.
Dimensions: 3.5 ft x 6.5 ft x 4 ft
Materials: rubber, PVC tubing, mdf, computer with custom software, video projector

ai8ball is an interactive video installation that answers "yes" or "no" questions using artificial intelligence. Viewers can ask their questions at a podium with a keyboard and trackball.

The podium houses the CPU and a video projector that projects the questions and answers on a three-foot sphere, the ai8ball.

The system runs the following cycle of actions:

1. The viewer is prompted to answer a few previously asked questions (to be used as training data).

2. The viewer asks his/her own "yes" or "no" question.

3. The system uses a neural network to answer the question.

4. The answer is presented along with a degree of confidence.

ai8ball was shown at COLLISIONeleven (C11), MIT Stata Center Gallery, Cambridge, MA, Apr 20 to May 01, 2007