- A view of the machine at the SXSW Sydney tech expo
By
Sophia Elmblad
I attended the tech expo at SXSW in Sydney, Australia just a few weeks ago. There were many stalls showcasing the newest tech and innovations, such as a serverless barista station, enhanced robotics, and the newest PC set-ups.
All this was very interesting, but I was most interested in, what looked to me, like a vending machine. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was an AI art generator, which would possibly grant ‘rare native Australian seeds’ depending on the interaction.
My partner and I were immediately curious, being the environmental lovers that we are, and waited in line for our chance to talk to the machine. We observed only 1 of the 8-10 people in front of us be granted seeds - feeding our curiosity even further.
Finally, it was our turn to step up to the machine. First, it asks what you are interested in talking about, and the conversation goes from there. I gave some enthusiastic responses and responded that I was just excited to be talking to the Truth Machine. Soon after, we were offered some Amaranthus ‘Red’ Leaf Amaranth seeds as well as digital artwork and personalized poetry embodying the machine’s perception of you.
- The seeds I was gifted by the Truth Machine
Upon further research into the machine, I discovered that only a small percentage of users are gifted the seeds that were wrapped in an art poster. This is based on the conversation sentiment analysis, which describes it as positive, neutral, or negative. It analyzes the words and tones used in conversation to form an opinion of your character and personality.
- The artwork and poetry the Truth Machine created for me after our conversation
The creators, Dave Court and James Brown created it for the pure enjoyment of the public without commercial transactions in partnership with the University of Adelaide’s Australian Institute for Machine Learning.
In Dave’s words: “Whether it’s engaging with an artwork or creating a situation for people to engage with each other – or in this situation, engaging with a machine and a computer and have it interact – it’s about making experiences that are impossible to replicate in any other place.”
Although AI is often thought to be a scary concept for our future. This is one way in which it provokes thought and supports human connection to tech, each other, and the earth. It truly is an honor to be granted the seeds of our earth and I greatly appreciate how the machine is selective in this gift as not everyone will take the time to plant, cultivate, and grow the seeds as well as themselves.
So, now it is time to get planting! Here are the steps I took to plant the seeds I received from the Truth Machine:
I grabbed my gloves, a planter with a water wicking bed, and leftover oyster and mussel shells.
I placed the oyster and mussel shells at the bottom of the planter to assist in drainage blockage in the future.
I scooped some fresh compost and layered it on top of the shells until the planter was nearly full.
I poked holes into the soil roughly an inch - 5 cm - apart.
I grabbed my Amaranthus ‘Red’ Leaf Amaranth seeds.
I planted 2 seeds in each hole and then covered them with another light layer of compost.
I watered the soil enough to compact the seeds I had just planted.
Viola! I put the planter in direct sunlight and the seeds should sprout in 7-10 days.
The ‘Red’ Leaf Amaranth is a drought and fire-resistant plant. I also discovered that it is an edible plant that may be used as a natural red dye. To learn more about this plant, click here.
This hasn’t been my first time planting seeds during my internship. I planted some corn at for an edible school garden a few weeks ago and they have begun sprouting!
Planting and gardening are very fulfilling for your spirit as you are giving new life to Mother Nature. I can’t wait to see the progress of my Amaranthus seeds in the coming weeks!
I hope this has inspired you to go out and connect. Whether that be through gardening or human interaction!
Sophia Elmblad
Intern