Perceptions of Self in Art and Intelligent Agents

The article discusses the term “embodiment” according to the different meanings it has in contemporary cultural discourse on the one hand, and in Artificial Intelligence or Artificial Life modeling on the other. The discussion serves as a backdrop for analysis of an interactive artwork by Vancouver artist Liz Van der Zaag, “Talk Nice”, which behaves like an Intelligent A gent that interacts socially with humans. “Talk Nice” has features corresponding to both conceptions of embodiment, and it elicits further ideas about the significance of those notions for definitions of selfhood.