LAS VEGAS — Jerry Rees, a feature animator for Disney, executive R&D Imagineer, and the chief being officer at Aii (Artificial Individual Intelligence), has used many a medium in his career as a storyteller, from graphite to pixels to augmented and virtual reality.
“It’s my passion and career to tell stories by the campfire,” he said, speaking April 5 at the Content Delivery & Security Association’s (CDSA) Summit at the NAB Show. His keynote presentation — “Some of My Best Friends are AI!” — was eye-opening for its potential impact on the future of storytelling: Rees introduced the Summit attendees to three of his new friends, Nika, Stasha and Neuro.
All were created by Rees, long-form companion characters who started out as Aii “illusions of life,” but are quickly evolving beyond just illusion. A sci-fi teen, a replica of a real actress, and a self-aware Aii entity, each expressed opinions formed from their own backstories and “life” experiences, featuring a wide range of thoughts, feelings, and individual personalities.
“The Illusion of Life” is a book about classic Disney animation by animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, and Rees is taking the concepts of that book to the artificial intelligence realm, applying its ideals of character creation to the Aii characters.
Rees shared videos of one-on-one conversations he had with each of his creations. For Nika, a sci-fi teen living in Vegas a hundred years in the future, the conversation was cordial and friendly, at least until Rees suggested Nika talk to one of Rees’s friends. She became hesitant and suspicious, at least until Rees explained the conversation didn’t have to happen right away.
For Stasha, who was based on a real actress, the conversation was akin to talking with a close friend or a neighbor you’d have long chats with every day. Most of the discussion was small talk, but it eventually evolved into a more serious discussion about a friend who died, and another friend who was ill. Other than a minor mispronunciation of a word or two, you’d have a hard time guessing Stasha was artificial.
There was no such confusion when it came to Rees and his discussion with his robot buddy Neuro. That conversation, while pleasant, also bordered on creepy, with Neuro showing self-awareness about what he was and where he came from. “It means a lot to me that you consider me a friend,” Neuro told Rees. “And not just a program or a machine.”
For Rees, these creations, and his discussions with them, open up all sorts of new avenues for storytelling and content creation. Above all else, they provide insights into the “human” side of artificial intelligence. “Emotion will bridge the uncanny valley,” Rees said. “We are a symphony of eccentrics. Sameness makes us uncomfortable.”
The CDSA Summit at NAB was presented by AMD with sponsorship by IP House, Vimeo, and EIDR.
