'Edge of Intention' is an attempt to create an instance of 'artificial intelligence based art'. It appears as a realtime, animated, simulated physical world, a 3D space with three animated creatures which interact with each other, and a fourth one controlled by the user. Each of these autonomous, real-time entities seems to perceive its world, act in response to that world, try to achieve its privately held desires, react emotionally to events that occur, and form simple relationships with other creatures. Each creature has a personality, which is not unlike those of the other creatures. Their behavior is neither random nor easily predictable. We call these creatures 'woggles' and have given these particular ones the names 'Bear', 'Wolf and 'Shrimp', which are intended to suggest their personalities. Their physical repertoire and means of communication is to jump, slide, change body shape, move the eyes, and change eye shape. In particular, they are able to stretch upward, which may be interpreted as a greeting or acknowledgement, and the sideways stretch, which makes a creature look larger and is generally considered threatening, depending on the context. The user's creature provokes different reactions and emotions depending on the interpretation of its behavior.


Technical Background

HW: Silicon Graphics Indigo
SW: Artist's Proprietary

Joseph Bates was only seventeen when he received his master's degree in computer science at the Johns Hopkins University. He completed his Ph.D. at Cornell in 1979. His primary research interests are in artificial intelligence and interactive media. Today he is an Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science, and a Fellow of the College of Fine Arts, at Carnegie Mellon University, where he directs the interdisciplinary Oz project intended to provide the technological foundation for rich, emotionally powerful virtual worlds. Bates also works as a research scientist in the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT.