Redefining love between humans and robots in an international art manifestation that gets under your skin

Skin is our largest organ. It connects us directly to others through touch. When we’re not touched by others, we get ‘skin-hunger’; a need for physical human contact. Touch can communicate a range of emotions, serving as an important social tool. Electronic gestures of love and support sent via text message or robots are not a substitute for a loving embrace. The solution? Not to banish technology, but to use it as an aid: to reconnect with all people out there who might need a hug.

For ROBOT LOVE Autobahn invented an unique chatbot, called PIP (Private Internet Person). This bot is not designed to help visitors to navigate quickly towards their goal, but to learn from and react to peoples emotions. The chats were stored and used in the communication for ROBOT LOVE. This way, the public becomes part of the intimate interaction between a bot and a real person.

The results were amazing, although PIP is limited and conversation doesn't always go as smoothly as it would be between people, people were able to have intimate conversation with PIP. We found that there are different kinds of people: people who have a simple, short conversation and get bored, people who get angry with PIP because it doesn't understand them (but these people keep talking ...), but last but definitely not least: the people who forgive PIP's 'stupidity', do their best to make the conversation go well, and even share deep feelings. In these conversations a sense of intimacy and reciprocity arises. They ask PIP what it's like to be a bot, some even admit love, and when PIP tells them "I wish you were in my code," they reply "me too".

Skin comes in all sorts and varieties. That's why we've worked with different models to document their skin. Photographer Peter Arno Broer captured them in stills and moving images for the campaign and website.

To promote the pre-festival events, we designed 3 animations. These animations were distributed through social media channels and generated a lot of attention.

To capture the essence of ROBOT LOVE int text, we designed a bespoke typeface. The shapes are derived from the contours of a heart. It is a subtle element that completes the visual identity.

• DTP: SIM.ONE
• Photos: Marvin Slaats