Intelligent Floating Machines Inspired by Nature | Anicka Yi | TED

譯者: C T 審譯者: Shelley Tsang 曾雯海

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

過了這麼久，終於可以和眾多人類共濟一堂。 [Anika Yi]

after all this time.

實在美好。

In the last few years,

過去幾年， [2022年4月 溫哥華]

I've been keeping company with a new species

我一直在陪伴一個新的物種。

that happens to live in the air.

它住在空中。

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

向大家介紹我的aerobe朋友。 [TED錄製]

(Music)

(音樂)

(Music ends)

(音樂結束)

(Cheers and applause)

(歡呼和掌聲)

I get emotional every time I see it fly.

每次看到它飛，我都有些感觸。

In my work as an artist,

作為一個藝術工作者，

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

我對身邊的世界提出大量問題。

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

當然這個世界的問題不容易解決。

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

我認為重要的是問正確的問題。

Why do our technologies instill so much fear in us?

為甚麼科技逐漸帶來那麼多的恐懼?

Why do our lives today feel so alienating,

為甚麼我們當下的生活那麼疏離，

when our technologies are supposed to improve our lives?

但科技應該是改善我們的生活啊?

And why do we feel so disconnected,

還有為甚麼我們覺得彼此不再相聯，

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

但我們的發明是意圖把每一個人聯結起來?

My artwork deals with evolution, biology and the senses.

我的作品是關於演化、生物學和感覺。

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

我有興趣的是不同生命形態組成的生物體，

such as bacteria, fungi and viruses ...

例如：細菌、真菌和病毒等……

but also how different chemical and molecular interactions can happen

還有剎那間發生的

whenever we simply take a breath.

各種化學和分子反應。

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

我經常發現現代科技侷限性很強，

because of how cold and flat it is.

原因在於冰冷和平面化。

But what if our machines could be more holistic?

如果機械可以更加全面化會怎麼樣?

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

如果機械可以更加全面化的聯結我們會怎樣?

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

如果機械可以不只是工具

and instead, a new type of companion species?

而是一種新的伴侶物種，會怎樣?

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

我相信需要接納 我們象徵著現存的生命，

and design machines to reflect this.

並設計反映這一點的機械。

What if the world was populated by machines

如果這個世界到處都是機械

that were more like animals and plants,

像動物和植物，

instead of something you'd find in a factory?

而不是一些工廠才有的東西?

This exploration could teach us so much more about life,

這可以探索生命的不知凡幾，

in all its vast complexities.

和無遠弗屆的複雜性。

These ideas might sound like mere science fiction,

聽上去好像科幻小說，

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

但我作為藝術工作者的使命 是創造其它世界、

and other ways of living and being,

生活方式和生命的可能性，

even if just for a moment.

那怕只是一瞬間。

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

當我受邀構想一個大型裝置藝術

at the Tate Modern in London,

放在倫敦的泰特現代藝術館，

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

我決定去製造這個世界，描繪現實。

The museum space is incredibly vast,

藝術館的空間極為廣闊，

and I knew right away that I wanted to transform it

當下我就決定要改造成機械水族館。

into an aquarium of machines.

I asked myself,

我問自己，

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

“如果機械居住在這個世界會怎樣，

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

而且它們可以在野外生存， 並會自我進化? ”

To explore this question,

為了探索這個問題，

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

我創造了兩個新的機械物種，叫做“aerobes”。

I released 12 aerobes into the museum space

我在博物館裡放了十二個。

so they could form their own small ecosystem.

讓它們發展出自己小小的生態系統。

In order to minimize our human-centric biases,

為了儘量減少以人為本的偏見，

and to steer clear of simply mimicking the human form,

和避免簡單地模仿人類的型態，

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

我和團隊一起參考自然世界。

and we were inspired by creatures like the comb jellyfish

賦予我們靈感的是一些生物，

例如櫛水母和猴頭菇。

and the lion's mane mushroom.

We also looked deeply into the field of soft robotics,

我們也深入研究軟體機械人。

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

終於誕生了aerobes， 並採用流動移動的方式

and lighter-than-air construction.

和輕於空氣的構造。

When you look at these aerobes,

看著這些aerobes，

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

感覺與恐怖谷理論完全是大相逕庭。

You know that they're mechanical,

知道它們是機械組成，

yet they feel palpably alive.

但覺得它們明顯地是有生命。

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

覺得好像是一些雄偉和遙遠的生物。

Like swimming next to a humpback whale.

就好像和座頭鯨一起游泳。

Their size is imposing ...

它們的尺寸很壯觀……

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

而它們激發的感受是接近驚嘆多過恐懼。

You sense that they're almost living,

可以感覺到它們幾乎是活生生的，

and it makes you want to embrace

令人想要接納和共存，

and coexist with them,

to see them truly succeed.

見證它們真正的成功。

I wanted the aerobes to have a sense of freedom

我想要aerobes感受到自由

and unpredictability,

和不預測性。

so I worked with my team

因此和團隊一起

to create what is called an artificial life simulation.

開發了人工虛擬生活。

This software allows each aerobe to develop unique behaviors

這個軟件讓每一個aerobe發展其獨特的行為，

and to respond autonomously to its environment.

自主地對環境做出反應。

The aerobes evolve their personalities

通過彼此間的互動和學習，

as they interact and learn from each other.

逐步演變出它們的個性。

The more we flew them,

放飛的越多，

the more we got to know their distinct personalities

我們越了解他們明確的個性

and their gentle nature.

和善意的本質。

It was very important for me

這對我很重要。

that the aerobes had their own sensory world.

因為aerobes有了它們自己的感官世界。

Most AI functions like a mind without a body.

大部分AI的運作只有思維，沒有身體部分。

But all living creatures,

但所有的生命體，

from the humble tick to the stealthy panther,

從渺小的蜱到神秘的黑豹，

learn about the world through their bodies and their senses.

都是通過它們的身體和感覺去學習這個世界。

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

這些aerobes察覺同類的方法是高頻無線電波;

and they use thermal sensing

並用熱能感應

to detect other living creatures in their environment.

發現其他的生物。

An aerobe might be curious about your heat signature,

一個aerobe可能會好奇你的熱能狀況，

and fly over to greet and flirt with you,

然後飛過去打招呼和聊天。

while other aerobes are more shy

但有些aerobes可能更為害羞，

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

可能會非常努力地避開人群。

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

這些機械和人類會怎樣在這個世界共存?

What will this world look like?

這個世界將會變成怎樣?

This world may see machines and humans generating new intimacies

可能機械和人類會產生 新的緊密關係

and alternate perspectives.

和新的角度。

My hope is that these aerobes will help us appreciate

我希望這些aerobes將幫我們領會到

a more diverse way of living and being.

更為森羅萬象的生活和生存方式。

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

它們並不是和我們競爭或統治我們，

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

而是展望更為協調的未來 可能出現的景象。

We all have a stake in this conversation about technologies.

我們都有份參與科技的發展。

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

我們可否積極協調機械 從而更好地反映生物現實?

I sincerely hope that you'll consider

我誠意希望你們可以考慮，

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

機械可以遠超出我們已知的範疇，

and how they might embody a wisdom drawn from biology.

它們可以體現汲取自生物學的智慧。

This project is a project for everybody,

這個項目是大家的項目，

to imagine different worlds and different futures.

讓大家可以想像多個 不同的世界和不同的未來。

It's not too late to change machine evolution

我們還有時間去改變機械的演化，

and to consider new goals,

並考慮新的目的 令機械和人類可以共存，

where machines and humans can coexist

in a more compassionate way.

採用更為具有同情心的方式。

I believe this is where we can start the conversation.

我相信這就是對話的起點。

(Applause)

(掌聲)

(Music)

(音樂)

(Music ends)

(音樂結束)

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Cheers and applause)

(歡呼和掌聲)