Celestial Notes is an experimental artwork by Jiayu Liu that explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, language, and machine cognition. The installation comprises a robot with an AI program, a display screen, and seven independent LED panels. Central to the work is “Jiayu*”, an AI co-creation system developed by the artist, designed to collect, analyze, and process her past textual and dynamic visual materials. Through iterative training, the system gradually develops its own distinct language framework, generating both visual and sonic outputs. The soundscape is derived from the modulated “beeping” signals of early digital communication technologies, specifically modem transmissions, which are further shaped through language model training. It enables the machine to explain and elaborate on its own creative concept while the visual component creation draws on natural landscapes, reinterpreted through AI-driven generative processes.  Sound and image weave together and evolve within the spatial environment, forming a dynamic field where disparate thoughts drift, intersect, and merge.

Conceptually, the work is inspired by Ted Chiang’s 1998 science fiction novella Story of Your Life, which intricately weaves linguistics, physics, and philosophical inquiry. Celestial Notes serves as an artistic investigation into the potential of AI to develop an autonomous language system and a self-directed mode of communication. Ultimately, it invites reflection on how artificial intelligence might reconfigure our understanding of language, cognition, and the evolving entanglements between technology, nature, and humanity.

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