Toronto – Canadian creative Pietro Gagliano, together with studio Transitional Forms and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), are flipping the narrative around artificial intelligence (AI).
Presented as the first dynamic short film, Agence blends cinematic storytelling, AI and interactivity to allow viewers to consider the 'lived experience' of artificially intelligent creatures, and the impact on them of human interference. Premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, the film centres on the question: ‘Would you play God to intelligent life?’. The film narrative places artificially intelligent creatures called Agents into the hands of Visitors who enter the experience. In a simulated universe, Visitors are able to either observe or interact with the Agents, in turn altering the film narrative.
‘We are asking the audience to consider the human responsibility that comes with creating artificially intelligent life, and we hope Agence is a culturally relevant contribution in the development of virtual beings,’ explains Pietro Gagliano, creator of Agence.
With AI becoming increasingly prevalent at consumer touchpoints, it is driving questions about bias and human input at its creation, leading to a re-evaluation of morality structures for digital realms.