“Talk To Me Nicely”
Project details
- Year
- 2023
- Programme
- Bachelor – Graphic Design
- Practices
- Autonomous
- Minor
- Digital Craft
“Talk To Me Nicely” centers itself around our interactions with Large Language Models and natural language as an interface. As these tools continue to develop and become more ingrained in our daily lives as students, creatives and professionals, It will be incredibly important for us to understand the complexities of our language as it relates to our interactions with AI interfaces. As a result, this publication aims to empower those looking to learn more about natural language as an interface and discovering emergent properties of Large Language Models.
Retro Futurism
The use and implementation of the retrofuturist aesthetic in this project is a conscious choice to elevate the publication’s underlying commentary on society’s relationship with consumer AI tools. Retrofuturism, as a style, revolves around technological optimism, progress, and futuristic visions. It serves as a fitting allegory for the current era of rapid technological change and innovation, making it a fitting framework to explore our current evolving relationship with AI technology. Furthermore, the project also features an anthropomorphized version of Chat-GPT which mirrors other contemporary uses of the retrofuturist visual style. These visual choices set the stage to break down complex concepts about LLMs in a visually stimulating and engaging manner for readers.
Personifying Chat-GPT
Throughout the research period of the graduation project, a motif that kept presenting itself in the way that people addressed, communicated and talked about their interactions with Chat-GPT, was the tool’s anthropomorphization. It became more than evident that users were naturally inclined to attribute human-like qualities, characteristics, and behaviors to Chat-GPT, perceiving it as more than just a machine. This aspect can be attributed primarily to its interface; Natural language. When interacting with Chat-GPT, users subconsciously project cognitive and emotional qualities onto the tool, treating it as if it possesses a mind and consciousness of its own.
This influenced the visual style of the publication greatly, as well as the methodology with which information would be conveyed to the reader. Anthropomorphizing Chat-GP or other LLMs for that matter, was an incredibly intuitive way for the readers to engage with the ideas being discussed in the project. Personifying Chat-GPT also alludes to the relationship we as users have with modern technology and addresses conversations around AI sentience and its position in society.
About Baris
As a multidisciplinary designer, I am fascinated with solving design problems that cover a variety of my interests and fields. I started my journey at the Academy exploring the visual culture in and around the skateboarding scene in Cairo, Egypt. Since then, in recent years, I have developed a curiosity and interest in user interfaces and now work as a freelance User Interface/Experience designer.
Keep up with my work on barismeurer.com and @Baris_Meurer