Created by Lars Hurrelbrink while at the University of Bremen (Digital Media), AI Experiments is a collection of interactive chat prototypes that explore unconventional approaches to AI interactions through chat interfaces.
The common chat interface has been established long before the recent rise of AI tools and is, as of now, also the prevalent way to interact with AI. Thus, it is an interface that is especially interesting to revisit, as we may no longer question the established paradigms behind it. Each experiment in this collection highlights a specific aspect of AI communication, questioning the common approach of usability, transparency, and personality in conversational ai chats.
Lars Hurrelbrink
The project consists of eight chat-based experiments, each with a unique interaction style and AI persona. emoji Chat is a minimalist chat where communication is limited to emojis, challenging both user and AI to convey meaning without words. Lying Chat sees AI intentionally lies to the user, prompting them to identify and call out lies. In Morse Code Chat we are forced to communicate via Morse code with a stranded ship captain. Tone Chat allows users to transform each other’s messages into different tones or speaking styles, without the other person seeing that change. Foreign Chat is where the AI speaks broken English but mostly danish, while the user needs to complete specific tasks. Ghosting Chat leaves the user on “read” sometimes, selectively ignoring or responding to messages while the Rushing Chat‘s AI interrupts users mid-message, making assumptions about their intent and not letting them finish their thought. Finally we have the Schwurbler Chat, which is an AI that mimics conspiracy-theory thinking, offering “thought process” and “search” modes with a questionable way of thinking.
Each experiment is prototyped using Next.js, Vercel AI SDK, and Google Gemini APIs. Lars’ aim was to prioritize playful and experimental interaction over conventionality and utility. The project is available as a public website, allowing anyone to try the experiments and reflect on their own expectations of AI communication.
Project Page | Lars Hurrelbrink
The project was completed with the guidance from Prof. Peter von Maydell on the Interface Design for AI course.
