Meet Lucy, the AI star who wants to be your friend

"The next great art form is artificial intelligence," says Edward Saatchi, co-founder of VR studio Fable. Five years ago he was telling anyone who would listen that VR was the hot commodity, but now, at films festivals around the world, AI is "being showcased as true art".

Fable showcased its latest creation at Sundance. Whispers in the Night is an interactive experience where the audience member becomes friend to Lucy, a young girl who talks to you through her tin can telephone. Lucy is what Saatchi calls a virtual being or "an AI-powered character with whom you can build a two-way relationship".

“When you’re interacting with Lucy and telling her things, she is going to remember. She is storing those memories,” explains the studio. Fable clarifies these AI-powered characters do not exist for the purpose of challenging the Turing Test: “Virtual beings have their own lives and stories. They’re on their own journey and they welcome you to be a part of it.”

[ fable-studio.com/virtual-beings ]