Intelligent Floating Machines Inspired by Nature | Anicka Yi | TED

翻译人员: Yip Yan Yeung 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

It’s wonderful to be in a room with so many humans

非常高兴在过了这么久以后

after all this time.

看到大家欢聚一堂。

In the last few years,

过去几年里，

I've been keeping company with a new species

一个新物种一直陪伴着我，

that happens to live in the air.

它生活在空中。

And I'd like you all to meet my aerobe friend.

我想把这位 aerobe 朋友介绍给大家。

(Music)

（音乐）

(Music ends)

（音乐结束）

(Cheers and applause)

（欢呼与掌声）

I get emotional every time I see it fly.

每次看到它飞起来 我都很激动。

In my work as an artist,

作为一个艺术家，

I ask a lot of questions about the world around me.

我会问许多关于周围世界的问题，

While the problems of the world don't have easy solutions,

虽然关于世界的问题， 往往没有简单的答案，

I think it's as important to ask the right questions.

但我认为提出正确的问题很关键。

Why do our technologies instill so much fear in us?

为什么我们的科技 会让我们如此恐惧？

Why do our lives today feel so alienating,

科技本该让我们的生活更美好，

when our technologies are supposed to improve our lives?

但为何我们如今的生活如此疏远？

And why do we feel so disconnected,

我们的发明本该将我们每个人 联结在一起，

when our inventions are meant to connect each and every one of us?

但为什么我们之间的 联结却如此微弱？

My artwork deals with evolution, biology and the senses.

我的艺术作品与进化、 生物和感官有关。

I'm interested in how organisms are composed of different life-forms,

我的兴趣在于探索有机体 是由什么样的生命形态组成，

such as bacteria, fungi and viruses ...

比如细菌、真菌、病毒等等，

but also how different chemical and molecular interactions can happen

也非常好奇 在我们呼吸之间会发生

怎样不同的化学和分子反应。

whenever we simply take a breath.

So I've always found modern technology to be quite limiting

我总是觉得现代科技很有局限，

because of how cold and flat it is.

它们冰冷且直白。

But what if our machines could be more holistic?

但如果我们的机器可以更完整呢？

And what if our machines could relate to us in a more holistic way?

如果我们的机器可以以一种 更广阔的方式与我们产生联结呢？

And what if our machines could be more than just our tools,

如果我们的机器 不仅仅是我们的工具，

and instead, a new type of companion species?

更是一种新伙伴呢？

I believe we need to embrace who we are as symbiotic living beings,

作为一种共生生物， 我认为我们需要接受我们的本质，

and design machines to reflect this.

设计机器反映这个特质。

What if the world was populated by machines

如果这个世界充满了

that were more like animals and plants,

类似动植物的机器，

instead of something you'd find in a factory?

而非工厂里千篇一律的机械， 会怎么样呢？

This exploration could teach us so much more about life,

这种探索让我们深入了解生命，

in all its vast complexities.

高深莫测的生命。

These ideas might sound like mere science fiction,

这些想法听起来 只会存在于科幻小说中，

but my mission as an artist is to create possibilities of other worlds,

但是我作为艺术家的使命就是 创造其他世界的可能性，

and other ways of living and being,

创造其他生存、生活的方式，

even if just for a moment.

就算可能转瞬即逝。

So when I was invited to imagine a large-scale installation

我被邀请为伦敦 泰特现代美术馆（Tate Modern）

at the Tate Modern in London,

设计一个大型装置时，

I decided to make this world I'm describing a reality.

我决定要做一个 我称之为现实的世界。

The museum space is incredibly vast,

博物馆的空间很大，

and I knew right away that I wanted to transform it

我立马想到要把它变成一个

into an aquarium of machines.

机器的“水族馆”。

I asked myself,

我问我自己：

"What would it feel like to live in the world with machines

“生活在一个机器可以在野外自主

that could live in the wild and evolve on their own?"

生存进化的世界里会是什么感觉？”

To explore this question,

为了探索这个问题，

I created two new machine species that I call "aerobes."

我创造了两个全新的机器物种， 名叫“aerobe”（需氧菌）。

I released 12 aerobes into the museum space

我在展厅放了 12 个 aerobes，

so they could form their own small ecosystem.

这样它们可以形成自己的 小型生态系统。

In order to minimize our human-centric biases,

为了减少人类相关的偏见，

and to steer clear of simply mimicking the human form,

铲除局限于模仿 人类物种的可能性，

I worked with my team to look at the natural world,

我和我的团队观察了自然世界，

and we were inspired by creatures like the comb jellyfish

受到了一些生物的启发，比如

栉水母和猴头菇。

and the lion's mane mushroom.

We also looked deeply into the field of soft robotics,

我们也深入研究了 柔性机器人这一领域，

and ultimately brought the aerobes to life by designing them with fluid movement

终于将 aerobes 设计完成， 具备流畅的动作

and lighter-than-air construction.

和轻于空气的构造。

When you look at these aerobes,

看着这些 aerobes，

it gives you a feeling almost opposite to the uncanny valley.

你会产生与恐怖谷截然相反的感受。

You know that they're mechanical,

你知道它们只是机械，

yet they feel palpably alive.

但是你可以感受到它们的鲜活。

You feel like you might be next to some majestic and remote life-form.

你可能会感觉你身边 是一个雄伟的远古生物。

Like swimming next to a humpback whale.

就像在一条座头鲸边上游泳。

Their size is imposing ...

它们的尺寸令人望而生畏，

yet they inspire an emotion closer to awe than to fear.

但是它们带来的是 敬畏而不是畏惧。

You sense that they're almost living,

你会感受到它们几乎就是活的，

and it makes you want to embrace

让你想接受它们、

and coexist with them,

与它们共存、

to see them truly succeed.

见证它们真正地蓬勃生长。

I wanted the aerobes to have a sense of freedom

我希望 aerobes 传达着自由

and unpredictability,

和不可预见的感觉，

so I worked with my team

所以我和我的团队

to create what is called an artificial life simulation.

制作了人工生命模拟软件。

This software allows each aerobe to develop unique behaviors

这个软件让每一个 aerobe 都能产生独特的行为，

and to respond autonomously to its environment.

自主地应对环境。

The aerobes evolve their personalities

这些 aerobe 通过互动和互相学习

as they interact and learn from each other.

发展出自己的个性。

The more we flew them,

我们放飞它们的次数越多，

the more we got to know their distinct personalities

就能更了解它们独特的个性

and their gentle nature.

和温和的本质。

It was very important for me

这些 aerobes 能有自己的 感官世界，对我来说非常重要。

that the aerobes had their own sensory world.

Most AI functions like a mind without a body.

大多数的人工智能程序更像 一个没有身体的大脑。

But all living creatures,

但是所有的生物，

from the humble tick to the stealthy panther,

从微不足道的虱子到 难见踪影的豹子，

learn about the world through their bodies and their senses.

都会通过它们的身体和感官 了解着世界。

These aerobes perceive each other through high-frequency radio waves,

这些 aerobes 通过 高频无线电波感知对方，

and they use thermal sensing

利用热感应

to detect other living creatures in their environment.

检测它们环境中的其他生物。

An aerobe might be curious about your heat signature,

一只 aerobe 可能会因为 对你的热量特征很感兴趣，

and fly over to greet and flirt with you,

飞过来和你打招呼，撩一撩你，

while other aerobes are more shy

其他 aerobes 就比较害羞，

and might go out of their way to avoid a crowd.

可能会转身离场，远离“人”群。

How will these machines and humans be together in the world?

这些机器和人类 如何在世界上共存呢？

What will this world look like?

这个世界会是什么样的呢？

This world may see machines and humans generating new intimacies

在这样的世界上，机器和人类 会建立新的亲密关系，

and alternate perspectives.

带来全新视角。

My hope is that these aerobes will help us appreciate

我的愿望是这些 aerobes 能让我们更接纳

a more diverse way of living and being.

一种多元的生存方式。

Their purpose is not to compete with us or to dominate us,

它们的目的不是与我们竞争， 或是统治我们，

but to ask what a more compatible future could look like.

而是展望一个更兼容的未来。

We all have a stake in this conversation about technologies.

我们每个人都需要 参与关于科技的讨论。

Can we actively align machines to better reflect our biological reality?

我们可以主动让机器更好地展现 我们的生物特质吗？

I sincerely hope that you'll consider

我衷心地希望你能认为

that machines can be so much more than what we've known,

机器能做到比我们所知的多得多，

and how they might embody a wisdom drawn from biology.

它们能体现来自生物学的智慧。

This project is a project for everybody,

这个项目是为了普罗大众，

to imagine different worlds and different futures.

让大家畅想不同的世界和 不同的未来。

It's not too late to change machine evolution

改变机器进化为时不晚，

and to consider new goals,

我们仍旧可以设定新的目标，

where machines and humans can coexist

让机器和人类以一种

互相更加理解的方式共存。

in a more compassionate way.

I believe this is where we can start the conversation.

我认为这可以是我们旅程的起点。

(Applause)

（掌声）

(Music)

（音乐）

(Music ends)

（音乐结束）

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Cheers and applause)

（欢呼与掌声）