An embodied, spatial audio experience inviting visitors to explore how human-AI systems can create living social dialogue networks
Role: Set design and audio curation
Team: Maggie Hughes and Naana Obeng-Marnu (visual and data design), Spencer Russell (audio engineer and technology designer), Deb Roy (director of MIT CCC).
Affiliation: MIT Center for Constructive Communication
Exhibitions: Ars Electronica Festival 2023, MIT Media Lab Fall Member Week 2023
Through an interactive spatial audio experience, visitors are invited to deeply listen to intimate stories told by real people.
In the face of intensifying social fragmentation and collapse of shared reality, we look to ancient wisdoms such as small-group dialogue and sensemaking to inform the design of a novel, AI-supported pro-social communication space: the social dialogue network.
In this exhibition, visitors walk through the conversations which make up the social dialogue network and are challenged to consider how stories gathered through facilitation practice differ from typical interactions on social media.
The piece shepherds us towards an understanding of the value of personal narrative in engendering trust and how we surface underheard voices with privacy and authenticity.
The project first debuted at Ars Electronica from September 6-10, 2023.
Closer Worlds Demo
Closer Worlds was published and presented as Late-Breaking work at CHI 2023 in Hamburg.
Participate in future research.
To continue investigating this concept, we intend to launch a new investigation with an iteration of the game which can be played remotely. We’d love to get your feedback! If you’re interested in trying out the game, or hearing about future research opportunities, please fill out this general interest form: interest form