Do Not Feed the Robots

At a time when human and machine agencies seem to be at odds with each other, the Dysnomia Duo (James Ilgenfritz and Teerath Majumder) explore this struggle through a collaboration between humans and machines. Do Not Feed the Robots is a performance-installation involving a range of physical interfaces that sense and initiate interactions; while some detect active audience participation, others (essentially robots) react to interactions and the environment by moving and generating sounds. As this happens, four improvising musicians infuse new ideas into the mix as well as react to audience inputs. The entire system is mediated by an ecosystem of “intelligent” software programs. In a nutshell, Do Not Feed the Robots is a miniature of the negotiation taking place between human and machine agencies at large.

The primary motivation for this work has been the rapid development of so-called Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the last decade that has been pitted against human intelligence/workforce by corporate interests in too many industries. This development is particularly concerning in the arts as we were told by the beneficiaries of AI that we would have more time and resources for creative ventures once AI was able to perform the “monotonous and derivative” tasks. However, this utopia has not arrived and is unlikely to ever arrive if our focus stays on efficiency rather than collective wellbeing. Moreover, these modern machines are trained on centuries of achievements of the human race—often without ethical considerations—and yet they are used to disenfranchise us. If as a society we want a harmonious relationship with AI or any other advanced technology, we need to understand, engage with, and collaborate with it while criticizing its self-serving deployment by profit-driven industries to disenfranchise human beings. Do Not Feed the Robots wants to bring this perspective to the foreground.

For this iteration of the project, Dysnomia is collaborating with the Chicago-based musicians Molly Jones and Norman Long, and Hairpin Arts Center. The event will take place on 11 July 2025 at 7 PM.