For some, ChatGPT is the answer to any question, for others it’s an apocalyptic vision. For media artists Kyle McDonald and Lauren Lee McCarthy, a chatbot offers a lot of interactive potential. Becoming part of their installation Voice in My Head is a subjective experience in which ChatGPT is used to influence and shape personal conversation choices.

In a reception room, you are given wireless earbuds that connect to an application. From this point on, you have a voice in your head that makes itself heard whether you ask it anything or not. Is it creepy or in fact interesting when the chatbot listens in on your conversations and immediately responds to intervene in your social reality?

This reality is the festival environment, where you talk to other visitors who are probably not aware that it’s not just your brilliant mind steering your conversations. “The voice” encourages you and feeds you knowledge. And if you linger on a topic for too long, it advises you to move on to a new subject.