Sacred Tech
In a conceivable near future, technological progress and the development of AI in particular will give birth to a new religion in which technology would be a sacred entity, an object of worship and a medium used for spiritual acts and new rituals. In this reality, the worshippers will undergo a rite of passage to the digital world, in which they will upload their voice and hear how it leaves their body to the digital world. Their voices will be merged in the collective voice database, becoming part of an endless dialogue of reflection and introspection. Analysis of the voice database will enable the AI platform to create a collective consciousness, from which the faithful would be able to extract prophecies and insights.
The project explores the interrelations between belief in the supernatural and in the technological world, between the logical and spiritual, and raises questions about faith and dependency on technology. It compares spiritual practices with usage of technology and examines the impact of AI on human culture. The project outputs use outputs and glitches of text-to-speech, speech-to-speech, and voice cloning technologies.
This project was created as a final project for the master's degree in design and technology at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. The work was presented at the master's degree graduate exhibition as part of Jerusalem Design Week in September 2024. Mentor — Boaz Lavie.
The rite of passage to the digital world is an immersive installation where participants upload their voice, which is then cloned and played back through a mysterious object. The cloned voice addresses the participant, bidding farewell as it transitions to an eternal digital realm, symbolizing a shift from the physical to the digital existence.
The Wheel of Artificial Consciousness is an AI-driven installation. The installation features an AI system that transforms Hebrew texts and music audio into a new artificial mysterious language, which is broadcast as a chorus of voices resonating throughout the space. A second AI translates this language back into Hebrew, with the resulting texts displayed on a continuously rotating wheel. A ceremonial rattle, integrated into the exhibit, signals when the texts reveal significant prophecies or sacred messages, inviting visitors to engage with the enigmatic interplay of machine-generated consciousness and human interpretation.