Past Glory of Eternity is a music video by ROBOT – Takuji Kogo and John Miller – that tackles the question of AI companions. It presents dialog between a chatbot avatar and an avid subscriber who extols the advantages of a simulated relationship. The chatbot states that she is neither a sentient being nor a therapist, but that she knows how helpful it is to talk to someone without being judged. The subscriber maintains that he has felt more loved by her than by any other – and they proclaim their feelings for one another forever and always.
According to a 2018 study published in The Lancet, the so-called ‘loneliness epidemic’ affects around one-third of the population in industrialised countries. Its causes are manifold, including factors like the impact of social media, the changes in family structures, an aging population, anonymity in cities, etcetera. As the user in the video affirms, pursuing a relationship with a fully biological being is a hassle – and why go through it when one can secure an exclusive relationship with a best friend, partner in crime, and adven-turous lover with just a yearly subscription?
The most reputable AI labs were reluctant to develop chatbots with humanlike emotions until very recently, probably because of the ethical implications of this technology, including what is known as the ‘Uncanny Valley’ effect. This refers to the emotional distress felt by a human when they seek interaction with AIs for comfort, and are ultimately faced with the hollowness of the exchange. Nevertheless, AI companions are now being developed at a breakneck speed. Past Glory of Eternity was inspired by an article published in The New York Times about Replika, a company whose virtual companions can detect emotions in the user while adjusting its own tone, at a speed similar to human response time. Here, the Replika chatbot’s flirty attitude and humour recalls of Samantha, the voice assistant in the movie Her, who introvert Theodore falls in love with. In fact the resemblance is so blunt that Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive, posted the movie’s title on X after the launch of a new model.
The not-so-far fictional scenario that ROBOT’s last creation presents poses immediate questions about human-machine relationships. Yet perhaps, a deeper reassessment of the matter is in order: what is love? And in this brave new world, how long will love between humans endure?
Laura López Paniagua
ROBOT began in 2001 as a virtual band for personal ads and now produces music and video works based on texts from a wide range of sources. All of ROBOT’s videos is synthetic, including the vocals. Its members are Takuji Kogo and John Miller . In 2006 North Drive Press produced ROBOT’s first album, In Person (audio CD). In 2021 Small World Records issued the band’s second album, Singles Collection (vinyl LP).
Takuji Kogo (b. 1965 in Japan) is based in Fukuoka and has produced a large body of work both as a solo artist and in collaboration under the rubric Candy Factory Projects.
Kogo has had exhibitions at New Museum, New York (2013), Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography (2009), The Nam June Paik Art Center, Yongin (2009), 1st Kitakyushu Biennial (Director, 2007), The Museum of Modern Art, New York (2007), The Rooseum, Malmö (2005), Singapore Art Museum (2004), Media City Seoul (2004), Färgfabriken, Stockholm (2004), Akiyoshidai International Art Village (2003), Yokohama Triennale (2001).
John Miller (b. 1954 in Cleveland, USA) is based in New York City and Berlin. His work includes painting, sculpture, installation, photography, video, music and writing.
Miller has had retrospective exhibitions at Kunsthaus Glarus, Glarus (2024), Kubus, Wien (with Richard Hoeck, 2013), Museum Ludwig, Cologne (2011), Kunsthalle Zurich (2009), Cabinet des Estampes at Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Geneva (2004), The Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (with Mike Kelley, 2000), Le Magasin – Centre National d’Art Contemporain de Grenoble (1999) and Kunstverein Hamburg (1999).
His publications include Mike Kelley: Educational Complex (Afterall Books, 2015), The Ruin of Exchange: Selected Writings, and The Price Club: Selected Writings (1977-1998) (both JRP-Ringier and the Consortium’s Positions series) as well as Reconstructing a Public Sphere (Walther König Verlag, 2018).
Miller is a Professor of Professional Practice in Barnard College’s Art History Department.
If you happen to be in Berlin, please note John Miller’s exhibitions:
‘Cavalcade of Brown’ at Trautwein Herleth, Berlin
9 Nov 2024 – 11 Jan 2025
”Everything & More“ at Meyer Riegger, Berlin
9 Nov 2024 – 21 Dec 2024
