Chatbots for Art’s Sake

This course is designed to repurpose existing chatbot technologies and use them for the sake of art. Comprising technical labs, design workshops, thematic seminars, and creative project development, it offers an exploration of the historical, present, and future dimensions of conversational AI; and the various roles AI has played and could play in human society. Students will delve into the design elements of conversational AI, and learn to use different techniques— such as RiveScript, p5.speech, APIs, Markov Chains, and Language Models—to create functional and artistic chatbots. The course expects students to conduct research and complete creative assignments, encouraging them to express their unique artistic visions.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the completion of this course, the students will:

Creatively adopt chatbot technologies to complete artistic projects.
Have a better understanding of the process of project development from ideation to completion.
Develop a set of skills to build functional chatbots.
Learn to think critically about how technology is shaping the world we live in.

TEACHING METHODOLOGY

This is a 14-week course that meets twice a week. Class time is divided into topic-based lectures and discussions, design and content development workshops, technical labs and experiments, creative project development and presentations.

This course values critical thinking about technology and society as much as learning programming skills.

CREATIVE ASSIGNMENTS

All creative assignments are due in the form of in-class presentations.
Students are required to complete functional projects following specific requirements, document their processes, and present in class.

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS

Throughout the semester, every student will be assigned a selection of materials as a basis for further research.
Students are required to conduct research, come up with their own unique interpretation of the assigned materials, and present their reflections in class.

FINAL PROJECT

The course will culminate with the completion of a final project to be shared in class.
We are expected to push our abilities to produce something that builds off or is inspired by the concepts we cover during the semester.

EVALUATION

Grades will be determined according to this criteria:

Participation (including research presentations) and Attendance 40%
Creative Assignments 30%
Final Project 30%

To do well in this class, you should make efforts to learn and explore the lecture/research topics, design concepts, and technical tools. You are expected to complete all the assignments on time, have things to show for the in class presentations, and actively participate in discussions.

ASSIGNMENTS

Homework assignments must be documented (written description, photos, screenshots, screen recording, code, and video all qualify based on the assignment). Each assignment has a due date as stated.

Each assignment will be marked as complete (full credit), partially complete (half credit), or incomplete (no credit). To be complete, an assignment should meet the criteria specified in the syllabus including documentation. If significant portions are simply not attempted it may be marked partially complete. If an attempt isn’t made to meet the criteria specified it will be marked incomplete.

COMMUNICATION

You must check your email for important updates about class.

PARTICIPATION

ITP/IMA is committed to facilitating the fullest possible participation of all students. There are many forms of participation. Please communicate what kinds of engagement are best for you so it can be taken into account.

Examples of modes of participation can look like: asking questions, going to office hours, sending and reading emails, class group discussion, arriving on time, going to class, taking notes, listening to peers, submitting responses to a form (anonymous or not), following instructions, active listening, etc.

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. Please email your instructor if you are going to miss a class. After the first two weeks of the add/drop period, effective in week three onward, students are permitted the following number of absences: 3 absences.

Any more than 3 absences after add/drop will affect your grade. Two late arrivals (more than 10 minutes after start time) will count as 1 absence.

For example:

4 absences will result in your highest possible grade being a B instead of an A

5 absences will result in your highest possible grade being a C instead of an A

6 absences will result in your highest possible grade being a D instead of an A

7 absences will result in an automatic F for the course

STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as though it were your own. More specifically, plagiarism is to present as your own: A sequence of words quoted without quotation marks from another writer or a paraphrased passage from another writer’s work or facts, ideas or images composed by someone else.

Collaboration is highly valued and often necessary to produce great work. Students build their own work on that of other people and giving credit to the creator of the work you are incorporating into your own work is an act of integrity. Plagiarism, on the other hand, is a form of fraud. Proper acknowledgment and correct citation constitute the difference.

Link to the Tisch Student Handbook

STATEMENT ON ACCESSIBILITY

It’s crucial for our community to create and uphold learning environments that empower students of all abilities. We are committed to create an environment that enables open dialogue about the various temporary and long term needs of students and participants for their academic success. We encourage all students and participants to discuss with faculty and staff possible accommodations that would best support their learning. Students may also contact the Moses Center for Student Accessibility (212-998-4980) for resources and support. Link to the Moses Center for Student Accessibility

STATEMENT ON COUNSELING AND WELLNESS

Your health and safety are a priority at NYU. Emphasizing the importance of the wellness of each individual within our community, students are encouraged to utilize the resources and support services available to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via the NYU Wellness Exchange Hotline at 212-443-9999. Additional support is available over email at [email protected] and within the NYU Wellness Exchange app. Link to the NYU Counseling and Wellness Center

STATEMENT ON USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Laptops and other electronic devices are essential tools for learning and interaction in classrooms. However, they can create distractions that hinder students’ ability to actively participate and engage. Please be mindful of the ways in which these devices can affect the learning environment, please refrain from doing non-class oriented activities during class.

STATEMENT ON TITLE IX

Tisch School of the Arts is dedicated to providing its students with a learning environment that is rigorous, respectful, supportive and nurturing so that they can engage in the free exchange of ideas and commit themselves fully to the study of their discipline. To that end, Tisch is committed to enforcing University policies prohibiting all forms of sexual misconduct as well as discrimination on the basis of sex and gender. Detailed information regarding these policies and the resources that are available to students through the Title IX office can be found by using the following link: Link to the NYU Title IX Office

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLE

Teachers and students work together to create a supportive learning environment. The educational experience in the classroom is one that is enhanced by integrating varying perspectives and learning modes brought by students.

CODE OF CONDUCT

Our signature is collaboration – Not competition.
– Red Burns

We live in a fractured world where communities are burdened by differences – so what we ask of you is nothing short of miraculous.
— Red Burns

ITP/IMA is a community whose mission is to explore the imaginative uses of emerging technologies — to make people’s lives safer, more just, more beautiful, more meaningful, and more fun. We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, and healthy community.

The scope of this Code of Conduct applies to all ITP/IMA community members (faculty, staff, students, residents, fellows, and guests), ITP/IMA physical and digital spaces (e.g. Email listservs, Yorb, and ITP/IMA Discord server), and all courses, events, and projects created at or in service to ITP/IMA.

SOLIDARITY

We are a community of and in solidarity with, people from every gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, language, neuro-type, all visible or invisible disability, body size, ability, class, religion, culture, subculture, age, skill level, occupation and background. As a result, we continually work to make participation in our community a harassment-free experience for identities above as well as all levels of experience, education and socio-economic status.

INTERNATIONAL

Our student body typically has a large International student presence. We understand that, by the nature of being established in New York, our curriculum and social environment naturally centers events and histories specific to the United States of America. We know that a large percentage of our student body are international and we will continue to incorporate, celebrate and acknowledge events and histories from those countries with respect and an open mind.

We align ourselves with any values in pursuit of equity and freedom for all identities and, by that nature, are in alignment with similar views in International countries as well.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We acknowledge that we are gathered on the unceded land of the Lenape and Canarsie peoples. We acknowledge the Lenape and Canarsie communities, their elders both past and present, as well as future generations.

We also acknowledge that NYU, Tisch School of the Arts, and ITP were founded upon exclusions and erasures of many Indigenous peoples, including those on whose land this institution is located. This acknowledgement demonstrates a commitment to beginning the process of working to dismantle the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism.

PRIVILEGE

We recognize that simply being part of the ITP/IMA community places us in a privileged position as we have the opportunity to receive an education from a private, expensive and prestigious university. We know that there are many equally talented students around the world who would like to partake of this community and, due to academic inaccessibility, it is not possible. We know and will continue to acknowledge that our privilege does not mean that we have more value than other people. We acknowledge this inequality and hold personal responsibility to share what we do in the spirit of inclusivity and create access where we can, as often as we can. We will use this privilege as a tool to help those most in need.

TECHNOLOGY

We pledge to center creative and ethical uses of technology in our research, teaching, and making. We accept the claim that technology is a reflection of society, its histories, and its politics. We reject the claim that technology is neutral and acknowledge that every technology has the potential to do as much harm as good. We acknowledge that when technologies cause harm, the harm disproportionately affects Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), queer, trans, disabled, femme, low-income, survivors, and all other marginalized bodies and communities worldwide.

Chatbots for Art’s Sake

QUICK LINKS:

About

CLASS INFORMATION

DESCRIPTION

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

TEACHING METHODOLOGY

CREATIVE ASSIGNMENTS

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS

FINAL PROJECT

EVALUATION

ASSIGNMENTS

COMMUNICATION

PARTICIPATION

Attendance

STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

STATEMENT ON ACCESSIBILITY

STATEMENT ON COUNSELING AND WELLNESS

STATEMENT ON USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES

STATEMENT ON TITLE IX

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLE

CODE OF CONDUCT

SOLIDARITY

INTERNATIONAL

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

PRIVILEGE

TECHNOLOGY

Schedule

Week 1: Overview + History

Session 1: History // Wednesday 01/22

Week 2: Current Landscape of Text-Based AI

Session 1: Share Mini Research // Monday 01/27

Session 2: Landscape // Wednesday 01/29

Week 3: Scenarios of the Future

Session 1: RiveScript Intro // Monday 02/03

Session 2: Versions of the Future + Conversation Writing // Wednesday 02/05

Week 4: Homage to the Human Voice

Session 1: Voice Design History + Methods // Monday 02/10

Session 2: Voice Design Tools // Wednesday 02/12

Week 5: Creative Assignment #1 Presentations

Session 1: Creative Assignment #1 Presentations // Tuesday 02/18

Session 2: Creative Assignment #1 Presentations // Wednesday 02/19

Week 6: Building a Character

Session 1: Roles AI Plays // Monday 02/24

Session 2: Character Building Tools // Wednesday 02/26

Week 7: Interface & Experience Design

Session 1: AI Interface & User Experience // Monday 03/03

Session 2: AI Interface & User Experience // Wednesday 03/05

Week 8: Creative Assignment #2 Presentations

Session 1: Creative Assignment #2 Presentations // Monday 03/10

Session 2: Creative Assignment #2 Presentations // Wednesday 03/12

Week 9: Who Is the Machine Learning From?

Session 1: Data in AI and Markov Chain // Monday 03/17

Session 2: Markov Chain Experiment // Wednesday 03/19

Week 10: Ethical AI

Session 1: Ethical AI + Assign Final Project // Monday 03/31

Session 2: CharRNN & ml5.js // Wednesday 04/02

Week 11: Final Project Research & Pitch Presentations

Session 1: Final Project Proposal Presentations // Monday 04/07

Session 2: Final Project Proposal Presentations // Wednesday 04/09

Week 12: Final Project Work-in-Progress

Session 1: Final Project 1:1 Meetings // Monday 04/14

Session 2: Final Project 1:1 Meetings // Wednesday 04/16

Week 13: Final Project Usertesting

Session 1: Usertesting Part 01 // Monday 04/21

Session 2: Usertesting Part 02 // Wednesday 04/23

Week 14: Final Project Presentations

Session 1: Presentations Part 01 // Monday 04/28

Session 2: Presentations Part 02 // Wednesday 04/30

Week 15: Flexible Class

Session 1: Flexible Class // Monday 05/05