Doing Nothing with AI

In times of constant busyness, technological overload and the demand for permanent receptivity to information, doing nothing is often seen as provocative and a waste of time. However, enjoying a moment of inaction and introspection while letting our minds wander and daydream may be more productive than staying constantly busy.

In order to promote a doing-nothing state in 2019, Emanuel Gollob and his team created a neuro-reactive installation, using live EEG-measurements and a real-time adapting robotic choreography. Over time a generative algorithm increasingly learns to move the installation in a way that best supports the user’s mind-wandering process.