AI Nushu: An Exploration of Language Emergence in Sisterhood -Through the Lens of Computational Linguistics

TL;DR

This paper explores the emergence of a new script inspired by Nushu through AI agents, combining computational linguistics, cultural heritage, and feminist perspectives in an artistic installation.

Contribution

It introduces AI Nushu, a novel AI-driven language creation process inspired by historical Nushu, blending cultural heritage with computational linguistics.

Findings

AI agents collaboratively develop a standard writing system

The system encodes Chinese using a newly created script

An artistic interpretation of language emergence from AI interactions

Abstract

This paper presents "AI Nushu," an emerging language system inspired by Nushu (women's scripts), the unique language created and used exclusively by ancient Chinese women who were thought to be illiterate under a patriarchal society. In this interactive installation, two artificial intelligence (AI) agents are trained in the Chinese dictionary and the Nushu corpus. By continually observing their environment and communicating, these agents collaborate towards creating a standard writing system to encode Chinese. It offers an artistic interpretation of the creation of a non-western script from a computational linguistics perspective, integrating AI technology with Chinese cultural heritage and a feminist viewpoint.