eidolon. is an interactive installation developed as the core of my bachelor’s thesis, exploring the evolving relationship between humans and artificial intelligence. The project invites visitors to engage with a speculative future where mental imperfections are "treated" through a personalized Mind Enhancement Elixir, generated by an AI system. This symbolic elixir proposes the gradual replacement of one's personality in favor of machine-optimized traits. Blending dark humor with critical reflection, eidolon. challenges audiences to consider how far we’re willing to go in outsourcing our identity to intelligent systems.

eidolon. aims to provide an engaging experience where a visitor experiences what over-reliance on AI may look like and its implied side-effects. Through an interactive storyline, the visitor engages with the physical installation, learns about the problem, experiences its effects, and receives a customized physical keepsake to remind them of the interaction.

Development of the project was done within the framework of some main phases.

1. Research into AI usage patterns and cognitive side effects of over-reliance. 2. Experimental approaches: how can we highlight over-reliance and its side-effects? 3. Narrowing down our approaches and conceptualizing the final project 4. Building the physical installation, visual identity, and web-development 5. Bringing everything together into a cohesive experience.

The core of the projects runs on a react web application. This is responsible for the communication between the visitor and the OpenAI API. It handles the systemic flow of the experience and triggers all nessesary events to make the installation function. Such events include the conversational flow, communication with the electronics behind the installation, and the generation of the Mind Enhancement Elixir.

Significant attention was placed on the project’s visual presence. The branding and identity of eidolon. were both integral parts in order to successfully sell the experience to a visitor. The interactions were consistently accompanied by a clinical and professional appearance. Animations, colors, typography, were all carefully created and chosen.

At the eidolon. checkpoint, you're invited to engage directly with the idea of mind enhancement. Guided by a mind cosmetician, you'll answer ten insightful questions that highlight three areas where your mind doesn't quite meet the standard of "ideal." Based on your responses, you'll receive a personalized prescription - AI prompts.

The Mind Enhancement Elixir is the final outcome of the installation. An artefact each visitor gets to take home. It's a personalized remedy, designed to address the unique imbalances or "imperfections" in the visitor's mind. The narrative portrays this remedy as being infused with AI prompts, establishing the connection between alleviating any issues with medicine and using AI as a shortcut to solve any kind of cognitive imperfections you may have.