Quantum Cat

This art installation shows a ‘Quantum Cat’. Using AI and quantum computing the cat reflects on some of the most important and polarized, ethical dilemmas of our time. Like the choice between the economy and the environment or between safety and freedom.

The cat reflects in a specific way: from all perspectives at once. It keeps bringing forward a superposition of existing opinions towards a dilemma. It shows us the complexity of ethical decision making and experiments with using the latest technologies in a de-polarizing way. By showing us a spectrum of opinions, often other than our own.

Superposition

Quantum Cat is a digital being that is created based on quantum data. Measurements of the states of electrons in a quantum computer led to a random data stream, that decides the movements and variation in opinions of the cat.

This is based on a phenomenon called superposition. In which the state or position of tiny particles like electrons is undetermined, until measurements are done on them. It’s as if such particles are in multiple states or positions at once. When measured, the electrons will take in an unpredictable final state or location.

The cat reflects on topics that are triggered by a system monitoring Dutch Twitter discussions. When freedom of speech for example, is discussed in the Twittersphere, it is likely that the cat will give ethical reflections on the subject. Or tweets about the economy could trigger reflections on the choice between the economy and the environment.

The actual texts the cat brings forward are written by an AI system (GPT-3). No human wrote them, and they are not aimed to reflect the opinion of the human creators of the artwork. A custom methodology was developed for the project, in which AI impersonates a reincarnation of Socrates in the form of a cat, to create the final texts.

A real-time computer system merges everything into the final digital cat, that now and then reacts to the presence of spectators. This is made possible by a camera system that detects changes in the artworks surroundings. Care is taken not to store any camera image data, that the system in no way implements any face- or body recognition techniques, and only uses crude, low-resolution camera input. 

Schrödinger Cat

The artwork is inspired on the most famous thought experiment from quantum mechanics, the Schrödinger Cat, that was in a superposition state between life and death. With his contemporary version, artist Jeroen van der Most hopes to inspire students and researchers to think about the rapidly developing fields of quantum computing and AI and reflect on the question whether computer-based systems could once be able to make ethical decisions…

Full project credits

Quantum Cat is an art installation by artist Jeroen van der Most, built during an artist residency over the course of 2022 at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences’ Responsible IT Research Group.

Artist: Jeroen van der Most

Project sparring partner: Yuri Westplat

Twitter monitoring system: Maarten Groen

Quantum data: Marten Teitsma and Quantum Inspire

AI-based creation of cat texts:  Gabriëlle Ras

Ethical discussion partner: Hans de Zwart

Technical and onsite coordination: Arjan Koning

Responsible IT expertise: Nanda Piersma and the entire AUAS Responsible IT Research Group

In memory of Rolf the cat.

Exhibits and events

The Quantum Cat has been exhibited and discussed in various forms at locations across the world. Including:

• RWTH AI week, Aachen, Germany

• CES, Las Vegas, USA

• Andicom, Cartagena, Colombia

• Digitalgipfel, Porsche Arena Stuttgart, Germany

• QuTech’s Quantum Computing for Industry and Public event, Delft, The Netherlands

• Royal Museum of Fine Art, Antwerp, Belgium

• AI founder Demo Day, Heilbronn, Germany

• Dutch AI conference 2023, Utrecht, The Netherlands

• Design Digger Live, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

• RAAIT event at Cupola XS, Haarlem, The Netherlands

• iXperium Technology Talks, Nijmegen, The Netherlands