1,720,974 research outputs found
Artificial theatre of the absurd
No full textThis chapter looks at how the co-creative gesture of performing theatre with artificial intelligence invokes a quality of the ethical theatre of the absurd by positioning the human creative act in seemingly ‘equal’ relation to an uncaring passive intelligence. Drawing from the experiences of several theatre companies, including Improbotics (an improvisational theatre company that has been developing improvised dramatic works alongside artificial intelligence since 2016), this chapter looks at different applications of co-creativity with AI and how the theatre of the absurd is invoked. It examines the shift from the aesthetic to the ethical absurd, following the development of a theatre script co-writing system, ‘Dramatron’. It investigates how the human body works in service of artificially produced dialogue in the form of a cyborg presenting the meaningless words of a robot inside the meaning making machine of the human. And it explores AI translation tools to extend the framework of absurdity within language. Together, these case studies present a series of human/machine encounters that de-centre the human from the act of creation, pointing to a new kind of literary absurdism that is written in the human-machine encounter
Collaborative storytelling with human actors and AI narrators. Paper type: event report
No full textLarge language models can be used for collaborative storytelling. In this work we report on using GPT-3(Brown et al. 2020) to co-narrate stories. The AI system must track plot progression and character arcs while the human actors perform scenes. This event report detail show a novel conversational agent was employed as creative partner with a team of professional improvisers to explore long-form spontaneous story narration in front of a live public audience. We introduced novel constraints on our language model to produce longer narrative text and tested the model in rehearsals with a team of professional improvisers. We then field tested the model with two live performances for public audiences as part of a live theatre festival in Europe. We surveyed audience members after each performance as well as performers to evaluate how well the AI performed in its role as narrator. Audiences and performers responded positively to AI narration and indicated preference for AI narration over AI characters within a scene. Performers also responded positively to AI narration and expressed enthusiasm for the creative and meaningful novel narrative directions introduced to the scenes. Our findings support improvisational theatre as a useful testbed to explore how different language models can collaborate with humans in a variety of social contexts
Rosetta code: improv in any language
No full textRosetta Code provides improv theatre performers with artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology to perform shows understandable across many different languages. We combine speech recognition, improv chatbots and language translation tools to enable improvisers to communicate with each other while being understood—or comically misunderstood—by multilingual audiences. We describe the technology underlying Rosetta Code, detailing the speech recognition, machine translation, text generation and text-to-speech subsystems. We then describe scene structures that feature the systemin performances in multilingual shows (9 languages).We provide evaluative feedback from performers, audiences, and critics. From this feedback, we draw analogies between surrealism, absurdism, and multilingual AI improv. Rosetta Code creates a new form of language-based absurdist improv. The performance remains ephemeral and performers of different language scan express themselves and their culture while accommodating the linguistic diversity of audience
Tele-Immersive Improv: Effects of Immersive Visualisations on Rehearsing and Performing Theatre Online
Full text linkPerformers acutely need but lack tools to remotely rehearse and create live theatre, particularly due to global restrictions on social interactions during the Covid-19 pandemic. No studies, however, have heretofore examined how remote video-collaboration affects performance. This paper presents the findings of a field study with 16 domain experts over six weeks investigating how tele-immersion affects the rehearsal and performance of improvisational theatre. To conduct the study, an original media server was developed for co-locating remote performers into shared virtual 3D environments which were accessed through popular video conferencing software. The results of this qualitative study indicate that tele-immersive environments uniquely provide performers with a strong sense of co- presence, feelings of physical connection, and an increased ability to enter the social-flow states required for improvisational theatre. Based on our observations, we put forward design recommendations for video collaboration tools tailored to the unique demands of live performance
Mirror Placement Matters in Remote Collaboration
No full textVideo Feedback (VF) in tele-conferences is reported to contribute to ‘Zoom Fatigue’ (ZF). However, such feedback is important for many remote collaborative tasks where users must be aware of their relationship to the camera. Tele-immersion (TI) is presented as an alternative to traditional interfaces that can mitigate symptoms of ZF while maintaining the benefit of VF. The effects of TI on behaviour are understudied. Therefore, we present the findings of a novel field study of 14 domain experts performing a remote collaborative task—improvisational theatre—under all three conditions: 1) with video feedback (VF) in an isolated window, 2) within a tele-immersive environment, and 3) without video feedback at all. A qualitative study was conducted using surveys measuring improv performance metrics. ‘Physical engagement’ and ‘presence’ were perceived highest with tele-immersion, while ‘attunement’ and ‘flow’ between performers were comparable between tele-immersion and no mirror. Isolated VF was perceived worse for most conditions
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Money laundering through real estate investments – An introduction to the analysis of the phenomenon
Full text linkObjective: An overview of the basic, practical and theoretical issues related to money laundering, including real estate investment as one of the ways to legalize money from legally sanctioned sources. The aim of the article is also to introduce concepts related to money laundering and issues related to this process that may be the subject of further research.Methodology/research approach: In the study, the author used a classic analysis of the literature, including traditional and internet sources, and a review of legal regulations.Results: Money laundering is one of the common, though undesirable, aspects of economic life. Obtaining funds from illegal sources is associated with difficulty of legalizing them, which means that criminal organizations are constantly looking for ways to make it possible. One of these ways is real estate investment. A preliminary overview of the issues related to the discussed topic allows to get to know the essence of the phenomenon and the problems associated with it from the theoretical and practical side, and also indicates the need for further research and its possible direction.Originality/value: Money laundering is not very often analyzed in the scientific literature, especially in Poland. The analysis of this phenomenon and related concepts can contribute to a more effective fight against it thanks to the understanding of its mechanisms. Like any other economic phenomena, those of a criminal and pathological nature should be investigated, if only because of the selection of institutions and methods to combat them.Cel: Przegląd podstawowych, tak praktycznych, jak i teoretycznych zagadnień związanych z praniem brudnych pieniędzy, z uwzględnieniem inwestycji w nieruchomości jako jednego ze sposobów legalizacji środków pieniężnych pochodzących z prawnie sankcjonowanych źródeł. Celem artykułu jest również przybliżenie pojęć związanych z praniem brudnych pieniędzy i zagadnień z tym procesem związanych, które mogą być przedmiotem dalszych badań.Metodyka/podejście badawcze: W opracowaniu autor posłużył się klasyczną analizą literatury obejmującą źródła tradycyjne i internetowe oraz przeglądem przepisów prawa.Wyniki: Pranie brudnych pieniędzy jest jednym z powszechnie występujących, choć nie-pożądanych, aspektów życia gospodarczego. Zdobycie środków pieniężnych z nielegalnych źródeł wiąże się z trudnością ich legalizacji, a to powoduje, że organizacje przestępcze nieustanne poszukują sposobów, które to umożliwią. Jednym z tych sposobów są inwestycje na rynku nieruchomości. Wstępny przegląd zagadnień dotyczących omawianego tematu pozwala poznać istotę zjawiska i problemy z nim związane od strony teoretycznej jak i praktycznej, a także wskazuje na potrzebę dalszych badań oraz na ich możliwy kierunek.Oryginalność/wartość: Niezbyt często, szczególnie w Polsce, w literaturze naukowej analizowane jest zjawisko prania brudnych pieniędzy. Analiza tego zjawiska i związanych z nim pojęć, może przyczynić się do skuteczniejszej walki z praniem brudnych pieniędzy, dzięki zrozumieniu jego mechanizmów. Jak każde inne zjawiska gospodarcze również te o charakterze kryminalnym i patologicznym powinny być badane, choćby ze względu na dobór instytucji i metod do walki z nimi
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